Cincinnati Reds: Draft analysis After Hunter Greene

  The Cincinnati Reds are in the middle of a rebuild.

During the past couple years, the Cincinnati Reds have been in the middle of a teardown. They have stockpiled a farm system that ranked 10th before the season. It is a gruesome grind for fans, but the outcome could be a World Series title. The front office’s direction is working, and soon the next good Reds team will come about.

The MLB Draft is a great place to start developing a core of players for the future. This one was no different. Unfortunately, I swung and missed on my predictions for the draft. With some young players already in the Major leagues, the system will supplement the Reds imminent success.

Cincinnati Reds draft another high school shortstop

It’s not Derek Jeter, but its Jeter Downs. Cincinnati drafted him with the #32 overall pick. The Miami commit has ” good instincts at the plate and in the field” via MLB.com. He bats righty and has quick hands that will result in solid line drives. Downs has above average speed for a shortstop, as the ” ball comes off hard” according to Perfect Game. The 18 year-old could hit 15-20 home runs, with doubles mixed in. The average exit velocity for him is 90 MPH, but his best is 104 MPH. On the defensive end, Downs “shows lots of range to both sides of on defense” and has a cannon of an arm. The righty has developed a good  baseball I.Q. at the keystone. In my mind, Jeter Downs is a good pickup due to his defensive skills and above average power at his position.

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Cincinnati Reds draft an outfielder from Seattle

With the #38 pick, Cincinnati took Stuart Fairchild. The outfielder is known for his above-average bat and defensive athleticism. The Wake Forest product had hit .360 with 17 home runs in 61 games. Reds VP of player development Chris Buckley said that Fairchild ” has a chance to become a 5-tool player, to be a complete player.” The right-handed hitter has a level swing that will constantly produce hard contact. On his defensive skills, GM Dick Williams says he is ” a more advanced college player who does a tremendous job defensively.” Fairchild speed is a factor as well, due to his 21 stolen bags in his 61 games. Stuart Fairchild is a good pick, he has 5-tool potential and is a great defender.

An interesting high school southpaw

Jacob Heatherly was the #77 in the 2017 MLB Draft. He is a left handed pitcher with a good curveball and slider. The Cullman, Alabama native has a 4-year commitment to Alabama. Heatherly’s fastball can touch 95 MPH, but he usually sits around the low-90s. His plus pitches are his off speed, as the slider ” has a sharp bite and good spin.” The curveball can be thrown for strikes consistently, and has shown ” good shape at times.” He’s a strong southpaw that shows potential. The lefty was a solid addition to the farm for his fastball command as well as his feel for his breaking pitches.

Next: Where does Hunter Greene fit in?

Overall, the Cincinnati Reds had one of their best drafts in recent years. Moving forward, it will be intriguing to see the evolution of these players. With this MLB Draft, the Reds have expedited their window of climbing back to contention, and stabilizing it.