Cincinnati Reds Top 10 Prospects Progress Report

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May 29, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher

Anthony DeSclafani

(28) throws against the Washington Nationals in the third inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Back in January, we previewed Baseball America’s top 10 Cincinnati Reds prospects to look at why they made the list and when we could see them in the major leagues.

Now that we’re nearly two months into the 2015 season, I thought it would be interesting to do a progress report of the top 10 prospects to see how they’re performing this year.

10. Yorman Rodriguez

2015 Stats: .237/.267/.420, 5 HR, 18 RBI, 18 XBH, 1 SB, 7 BB, 47 K (Triple-A)

Rodriguez has gotten his first taste of Triple-A baseball this season and has struggled so far, though he has had a decent month of May (.257/.278/.476, 4 HR, 15 RBI) after April saw him hit just .203/.250/.328. His strikeout rate is a bit concerning at 26.7 percent, but he’s always been a high strikeout guy. Additionally, he’s seen a big dip in his walk rate, which wasn’t all that high to begin with. Rodriguez is still just 22, however, and could still ultimately become the five-tool player that many thought he could be.

9. Aristides Aquino

2015 Stats: .226/.288/.321, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 XBH, 1 SB, 3 BB, 18 K (Low-A)

After a breakout 2014 season with the Reds’ rookie affiliate, the Billings Mustangs, Aquino has struggled in his limited playing time with the Dayton Dragons this season. Aquino didn’t have much time to acclimate to the higher level of baseball, as he’s been out since April 24 with a fractured wrist. The right fielder has plenty of promise, though, as he’s only 21 years old and nearly had a 20-20 season (16 HR, 21 SB) in only 284 at-bats in 2014.

8. Nick Travieso

2015 Stats: 3-4, 3.46 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 43 K, 15 BB, 52.0 IP (High-A)

The Reds’ 2012 first-round draft pick has adjusted quite well to his promotion this season following his breakout year with the Low-A Dayton Dragons in 2014. In each of his seasons in professional baseball, Travieso has increased his strikeout rate and that’s been no different this year, as he’s up to 7.44 strikeouts per nine innings this season compared 7.19 last year. He’s also decreased his walk rate for the second straight year (2.60 BB/9 in 2015, 2.78 in 2014). Travieso is still several years from making an impact in Cincinnati, but the Reds have to be pleased with his progress.

7. Amir Garrett

2015 Stats: 2-4, 2.40 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 54 K, 18 BB, 48.2 IP (High-A)

Travieso’s teammate Amir Garrett has also been quite impressive in his first season in High-A. Garrett ranks fourth in the Florida State League in strikeouts with 54 for an impressive strikeout rate of 9.99 K/9. The 6-foot-5 lefty’s last start was his most dominant to date as he fired seven shutout innings and struck out 12. Like Travieso, he’s probably at least a couple of years from seeing time in the big leagues, but he’s shaping up to be the Reds best left-handed pitching prospect since Tony Cingrani.

6. Anthony DeSclafani

2015 Stats: 3-4, 3.41 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 41 K, 25 BB, 58.0 IP (MLB)

The Reds have to feel like they got away with highway robbery in the trade that brought DeSclafani to Cincinnati. While Mat Latos has struggled with inconsistent performance and injury in Miami, DeSclafani has quietly put together a strong rookie season. After some struggles in late April and early May, his last two starts have been brilliant as he’s allowed just three runs on 11 hits in 13 innings. His walk rate has been higher than it was throughout his minor league career (3.88 BB/9 compared to 2.0 BB/9 in the minors), but that figures to come down as he gets more big league experience under his belt.

Next: How are the top 5 prospects doing in 2015?

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