15 biggest draft busts in Reds history

The MLB Draft is a gamble. Many draft picks fall short of expectations, and sadly the Cincinnati Reds are no exception. For every Hunter Greene or Todd Frazier, there's a Taylor Trammell or Alex Blandino. Drafting young players is an inexact science, and more times than not, teams get it wrong.

But some miscalculations are much more egregious than others. While fans can forgive the Reds for selecting a player like Chris Okey with the 43rd overall selection in the 2016 MLB Draft, there are other picks that will receive no such grace from the Cincinnati faithful. Let's look at the 15 biggest draft busts in Reds history.

15 biggest draft busts in Reds history

Chad Mottola, OF, 1992 MLB Draft

It goes without saying that when you select any player ahead of a Hall of Famer, you're bound to be scrutinized for it. Mottola was taken with the fifth overall pick in the 1992 MLB Draft, one pick ahead of Derek Jeter. Mottola appeared in just 35 games for the Reds and hit .215/.271/.367.

Robert Stephenson, RHP, 2011 MLB Draft

Stephenson was given an incredibly long leash with the Reds, and after multiple failed attempts to become a frontline starter, Cincinnati finally traded him to the Colorado Rockies. Stephenson later tricked the Los Angeles Angels into paying him $33 million despite a career 0.8 bWAR.

Nick Travieso, RHP, 2012 MLB Draft

Travieso never developed beyond Double-A, and after six minor-league seasons was finally shown the door. He had a short stint in Indy Ball from 2021-2022 and last pitched in the Puerto Rican Winter League in 2023.

Brandon Larson, 3B, 1997 MLB Draft

The hype surrounding Larson was deafening, but the former LSU Tiger never lived up to it. Larson was given multiple opportunities to secure an everyday job in the Reds lineup, but failed every time. His major league career was over after four seasons, 109 games, and a career .570 OPS.

Ryan Wagner, RHP, 2003 MLB Draft

Wagner debuted the same year he was drafted, but that was essentially the highlight of his major league career. The highly-touted right-hander pitched well during his rookie season, but fell flat in 2004 and 2005. Wagner was later trade to the Washington Nationals and ended his big league career with an 89 ERA+.

Nick Howard, RHP, 2014 MLB Draft

Howard's story is a rather sad one. The promising young pitcher suffered many crippling injuries, and was even given a second chance back in 2022. But his struggles were too much to overcome, and he never made it to The Show.

Nick Senzel, 3B, 2016 MLB Draft

Some fans will blame the Reds organization for Senzel's failures, but he really has no one to blame but himself. Injuries derailed his career, but even when he was on the field, he underperformed. There's still time for Senzel to prove his worth as a major leaguer, but his time in Cincy was a bust.

Jeremy Sowers, LHP, 2001 MLB Draft

This is a draft pick that (technically) never happened. Though Cincinnati did draft Sowers with the 20th-overall pick in 2001, the southpaw never signed with the Reds. He was then selected by Cleveland with the sixth-overall pick three years later.

Chris Gruler, RHP, 2002 MLB Draft

Former first-round pick Chris Gruler never made it to the big leagues after injuries robbed him of any chance of making an impact on the Reds' roster. Gruler couldn't move beyond A-Ball and was out of sport in less than five years.

Kyle Lotzkar, RHP, 2007 MLB Draft

A highly-regarded infield prospect during his time in the Reds' farm system, Lotzkar spent six minor league seasons with the organization before his dismissal in 2013. Lotzkar later ended his professional career in his native Canada with the Winnipeg Goldeneyes.

Scott Jones, LHP, 1982 MLB Draft

Jones was a high school southpaw whose career never quite got off the ground. His ERA crept close to 6.00 during three minor league seasons with the Reds, and never pitched again after 1984.

Ty Howington, LHP, 1999 MLB Draft

Another injury-plagued pitching prospect — Howington was a top-100 prospect in 2002 — but never made it past Double-A. The 14th-overall pick from of Washington state in 1999, Howington owned a 4.08 ERA in five minor-league seasons.

Austin Hendrick, OF, 2020 MLB Draft

Technically, the jury is still out on Hendrick, but by all accounts he's likely to be another Reds' draft bust. To be fair, the evaluation process in 2020 was rather flawed, so it's quite possible that a full season of high school ball would've changed teams perceptions of Hendrick heading into the MLB Draft. In other words, he probably shouldn't have been at first-round pick.

Gary Polczynski, SS, 1970 MLB Draft

The 15th-overall pick out of Nathan Hale High School in Wisconsin, Polczynski spent his entire professional career in the minors. Regardless of high you were drafted, a .193/.303/.258 slash line isn't going to get you a call-up to the big leagues.

John Oliver, OF, 1996 MLB Draft

The Reds first-round pick in 1996 never made it past A-Ball. Oliver, a high school selection out of Pennsylvania, barely stayed above the Mendoza line during his professional career. He managed just 14 home runs and struck out 195 times in 212 career minor league games.

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