Cincinnati Reds Top Prospect Report – Sebastian Elizalde

Here is a look at one of the Cincinnati Reds’ lesser known prospects in 2017.

While the Cincinnati Reds struggled to a 68-94 record last year, there is plenty of reason for hope in the future. The team is loaded with talented prospects across all of their minor-league teams, and many of those players started off with promising starts in their careers.

Let’s take a look some of the lesser known prospects during the 2017.  This is a special look at those prospects that were not on the top ten list to start the season, but could be close to by the end.

Sebastian Elizalde (OF)

2016 Stats (Double-A):

Pensacola: .297/.324/.387, 16 2B, 5 HR, 54 RBI, 18 BB, 61 K, 5 SB

The Cincinnati Reds signed Elizalde from Monterrey in the Mexican Pacific League in 2013.  2012 was Elizalde’s first year playing full-time in Mexico and he hit .276 with an OBP of .351.  He also played part of 2013 before an injured elbow held him back.

In 2014 Elizalde split time between Dayton and Bakersfield batting a combined .289 with an OBP of .380.  He had career highs in home runs and walks with 16 and 60 respectively.  He also split his time defensively among all three outfield positions and first base.  In 2015 he made the BlogRedMachine’s All-Minor League Team.

Sebastian Elizalde is in the mold of Jesse Winker and some of the other current Cincinnati Reds’ prospects.

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Elizalde opens the 2017 as Louisville’s everyday first baseman with Jesse Winker in right and Phil Ervin in left.  After being groomed in the low minors primarily as a right fielder, he is now viewed as a combo left fielder/first baseman.  His ability to play first may determine the amount of playing time Elizalde gets this season.

Elizalde is another one of the Reds’ new age offensive players.  He gets one base and makes contact, but isn’t fast.  He also doesn’t have great power.

The hope for players like Winker and Elizalde is that their line drives clear the fences as they become better hitters.  That is a bit optimistic.  The good news is that most MLB line-ups can absorb two OBP specific batters at the two and six holes.

This spring, Elizalde played first, left and right in big league games.  In those 18 games he batted  .276 with an OBP of .323.  That is pretty close to what he has been doing in the minors.

Next: Reds should be contenders in 2019

He may not be ready for Cincinnati this year.  He is behind Winker and Hernan Iribarren in the organizational depth chart, but he could climb.  Of course, Winker has been the top prospect since 2014, so things more slowly.  A left-handed corner outfielder may be nice as a bench player later on this season and as a low end prospect the Reds may be willing to take an early look.