Cincinnati Reds have seven players in Scottsdale of Arizona Fall League

With the Arizona Fall League just starting up, the Cincinnati Reds have seven players representing the organization.

The Cincinnati Reds have seven players that are playing in the Arizona Fall League.  If things go the right way, two or three of these players could be in Cincinnati at some point next season.  Figuring out which ones are the most likely is the hardest part.

The headliner of the group this season is 2015 third round pick Blake Trahan.  Trahan, who just turned 24, has a good understanding of the strike zone with 52 walks.  Unfortunately, he has had trouble batting since moving up to Double-A, batting only .222 for the season, after making a run at the big league club out of spring training because of his hitting.

The other player that fans in Cincinnati are excited about is left-handed pitcher and Oak Hills graduate, Joel Bender.  Right now Bender projects as a multi-inning reliever that can face batters from both sides of the plate.  Long term, his strikeout rate will need to increase for him to maintain that sort of role.

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Another pitcher that Reds’ fans may recognize is right-handed reliever Jake Ehret of UCLA.  He is a closer by trade, but has had issues with allowing runs and not striking out enough batters.  He has plus stuff, but the results have not shown up, yet.

The other four players have lower profiles for the Cincinnati Reds, but are still on the right path to MLB success.

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The Reds sent a second left-handed pitcher to the AFL in reliever Brennan Bernardino.  He is a single inning reliever that the Reds drafted in the 26th round in 2014.  Unlike the duo previously mentioned, Bernardino strikes out batters at a high rate.

Third baseman Taylor Sparks is a slow to develop talent that was caught up in the Nick Senzel hype.  With Senzel past Sparks in the organization, Sparks has the chance to continue with his progression.  Sparks has a long way to go as he projects as an all glove, no bat player at the high minors and beyond.

The Reds also sent the son of former Pittsburgh Pirates Jay Bell, infielder Brantley Bell from Ole Miss.  After Trahan, Bell is the highest profile player from the Reds’ organization.  He has a ways to go as an offensive player, but his control of the strike zone appears in line with a high OBP player.

The Reds also sent catcher Chad Tromp.  Each organization is urged to send one to spread out the catching duties.  Tromp is undersized for a backstop and likely will only see time to spell the other catchers.

Next: Reds Top Prospect Report - Tony Santillan

With Trahan and Bell on the team there is a great chance to see a player that could be in Cincinnati as early as 2018.  With three relievers in Scottsdale any one of them could catch fire.  That is what is great about baseball, in the end it is a true meritocracy.