Cincinnati Reds Top Prospect Report – Pitcher Scott Moss

How did the Cincinnati Reds top prospects do during the 2017 season?

While the Cincinnati Reds struggled to a record of 66-84 so far this season, there is plenty of reason for hope in the future.  The team is loaded with talented prospcets across all of their minor league teams and many of those plays began with promising starts in their careers.

Let’s take a look at how some of the Reds’ top thirty prospects (per MLB Pipeline at the end of the minor league regular season) performed as we head into the off-season.

Scott Moss (LHP)

2017 Stats (Single-A) Dayton: 13-6, 3.45 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 135 ⅔ IP, 156 K, 48 BB

Like so many starting pitchers in the minor league system for the Cincinnati Reds, Moss is a solid prospect that hasn’t shown that he can consistently pitch deep into games.  With 156 strikeouts in 135 ⅔ innings, Moss has elite stuff and the killer instinct.  He also only walked 48 batters in that same time.

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The negative of the above is that at least 204 batters from the combined walks and strikeouts saw at least three pitches from Moss.  Those pitches mount up.  Because of this Moss averaged just over five innings per start.

The Cincinnati Reds make sure that they move Scott Moss along slowly to avoid an injury relapse.

More from Reds Prospects

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• Reds prospects: Bryce Bonnin excelling at every minor league level
• 3 Reds prospects who should not be added when rosters expand
• Reds: Outfield prospect Michael Siani has failed to make the leap in 2021

The Reds drafted Moss in the fourth round of the 2016 draft out of the University of Florida.  Moss spent his first two years in Gainesville rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.  Moss didn’t appear truly healthy until the end of his junior season, but that was enough for the Reds.

Because of the injury, Moss is pitching a full schedule for the first time in his career.  Despite this, Moss can still reach back and get a his fastball up to 95.  He also has a plus slider.

Recently, Moss lead the Dayton Dragons, having perhaps their best season since 2010, to a must win victory in the A-ball playoffs.  Moss went six innings, allowing three hits.  He also walked one and struck out five.

Next season, Moss will likely start out in rotation in Pensacola.  Three of the pitchers that were originially penciled into the Pensacola roation this season are in the plans for tne Cincinnati rotation in 2018 in Luis Castillo, Sal Romano, and Tyler Mahle.

Next: Tyler Mahle continues to develop

That is the move that Moss wants to emulate.  He wants to start in Pensacola and end up in Cincinnati.  However, he is among a group of pitchers trying to do just that.