Three Prospects The Cincinnati Reds Could Take In The 2017 MLB Draft

Brendan McKay – 1st Base/Left Handed Pitcher

Brendan McKay is currently the second best prospect in the draft according to MLB Pipeline. McKay has won the John Olerud award the past two seasons, which is given to the best two-way college baseball player in the nation.

Declaring after his junior year at Louisville, McKay has appeared in 50 games on the mound and 181 games in the field. As a batter, McKay hit .333 with 25 home runs and 122 RBIs. As a pitcher, McKay held a 29-10 record with a 2.10 ERA and a 361/103 K/BB ratio.

The pitching stats are the important ones to monitor as per multiple sources, including MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo, the Reds prefer McKay on the mound rather than 1st base.

In terms of his pitching prowess, MLB Pipeline wrote of McKay:

McKay usually opens games on the mound by working with a 90-94 mph fastball that loses a couple ticks of velocity by the middle innings. He could add more velo and maintain it better if he focused on pitching full-time, and his fastball command is so good that his heater is effective in the upper 80s. McKay’s curveball is a consistent plus pitch and he’s working on refining a changeup that he hasn’t needed much to this point in his career.

McKay has the makings of a front-line starting pitcher if he focused on it full-time.

With the Reds he would have a chance to be the team’s ace of the future and would automatically be a top five prospect in the organization.

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The Louisville slugger has been mocked to the Cincinnati Reds in multiple projections, including John Manuel’s most recent for Baseball America. He does note however that the Twins like McKay and could draft him as a hitter at #1 overall.

The Reds would do well to add a player of Brendan McKay’s caliber at number two in the draft. They would be adding a potential ace at a vital position of need.

He made need some fine tuning in the minors to hone his craft, but it could be hard for Cincinnati to pass on the Louisville product come draft night.

Hunter Greene – Shortstop/Right Handed Pitcher

Hunter Greene is another two-way prospect with massive power at short and an even more powerful arm on the mound. He is one of the most highly touted high school prospects in recent memory and is considered the best prospect in the draft by MLB Pipeline.

In his four years at Notre Dame High in California, Greene has appeared in 114 games as a hitter and 30 as a pitcher. He held a career .337 batting average with 13 home runs and 72 RBIs. On the mound, Greene pitched to a 12-5 record with a 1.62 ERA and a 145/31 K/BB ratio.

While some feel that Hunter Greene could remain at shortstop, the majority opinion is that the high schoolers future is on the mound.

MLB Pipeline agrees with that stance in their write up of Greene, saying:

Greene is also a talented hitter and infielder — he would be a first-rounder as a position player as well — but it’s become clear his future is on the mound. It all starts with a plus plus fastball that has touched triple digits consistently this year. Greene will regularly be 97-101 mph early in starts and then settle into sitting in the 95-98 mph range, and he does it without a ton of effort. He’ll throw two breaking balls, and they’ll run into each other occasionally, with some thinking he’ll focus on a slider in the future, with a chance for that secondary pitch to be at least Major League average. He doesn’t need to throw his changeup much, but he’ll mix in some good ones in every start. He is always around the strike zone and rarely walks batters, especially impressive given how hard he throws.

Hunter Greene has drawn comparisons to Mets starter Noah Syndergaard based on his fastball.

Sitting in the upper 90s with the ability to go triple digits will make him one of the scariest power pitchers in the league. He could continue to pound the zone with his impressive fastball while adding a secondary pitch. Then he could be on a fast track to the MLB and potentially stardom.

The only problem for Greene is his age. At just 17, he could need multiple years in the minor leagues before he is ready for Cincinnati. However if the Reds are willing to commit to the process, they could be getting an elite prospect in Greene.

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Another factor is working in the Reds favor. No team has ever drafted a high school level right hander first overall. Greene  also certainly has the talent to be the first. However,  Minnesota may be unwilling to take a chance, leading to him ending up with Cincinnati.

Greene to Cincinnati has been one of the more talked about projections in mocks around the league.

Recently ESPN’s Keith Law had the prep star mocked to the Reds, saying that he feels the team would be willing to take a chance on his talent.

It could come down to McKay and Greene. Then the Reds will need to decide if they prefer Greene’s raw talent or McKay’s college experience. Regardless, Hunter Greene looks like the real deal. He  could potentially be the best high school player in a MLB draft ever. However, it’ll be up to Cincinnati to take a chance on him.

Kyle Wright – Right Handed Pitcher

Kyle Wright is arguably the best college pitcher in the 2017 Draft. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the third best prospect in the class. In three years with Vanderbilt Wright appeared in 59 games, pitching to an 18-10 record with a 2.57 ERA and a 273/82 K/BB ratio.

Wright is of the “safest” prospects in the draft. He has spent his three years at Vandy focusing on pitching. He has more experience than both McKay and Greene. That experience and comfort on the mound could lead to Cincinnati feeling better about Wright’s chances of success. Then they may use the second overall pick on him.

In terms of his ability on the mound, Pipeline writes:

As Wright has gotten bigger and stronger in college — he has grown an inch and added 40 pounds — his velocity has improved from 87-90 mph in high school to 91-94, with a high of 97. His best secondary pitch is a hard curveball that he employs against left-handers, and he mixes in a harder slider/cutter against righties. Wright is also developing a changeup.

The site does note that Wright needs to improve on his control, but he has gotten better and better all three years in college.

He started out as a reliever as a freshman, before becoming a solid back-end starter his sophomore year. Now he has the makings of a dominant front-line starter.

At 21, Wright could make short work of the minors before reaching the bigs. After struggling to find a consistent pitching prospect, the Reds could use a player like Wright. McKay or Greene provides a higher upside. Taking a guy like Wright proves that Cincinnati feels they’re close to reaching the playoffs.

The only problem for the Reds, is that the Twins have the same idea. Minnesota is close to reaching the playoffs. In fact, they currently lead the AL Central. The Twins may be better off taking a guy like Wright. They can build on their short-term success rather than taking a chance on a guy like Greene.

While there’s no favorite, many are beginning to project Wright to the Twins. As for the Reds, John Sickels of Minor League Ball thinks there’s a chance of Wright landing with Cincy, as he listed the projection in his first mock draft.

Next: Top Prospect Report - Alfredo Rodriguez

Hunter Greene and Brendan McKay are more flashy picks for the Reds. However, Kyle Wright provides one of the best “sure-fire” arms in the class. Adding him to the Reds farm system gives Cincinnati a definite ace of the future. He is without a doubt a top five organizational prospect.

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to continue the conversation on Twitter: @blogredmachine or @DFappiano14