Cincinnati Reds: Aristides Aquino set to punish in the big leagues

“The Punisher” is making his way to the Queen City. The Cincinnati Reds selected the contract of Aristides Aquino from Triple-A Louisville and the slugger brings unprecedented raw power with him.

Get ready Reds Country. “The Punisher” is coming to town. The Cincinnati Reds made a few moves today post-trade deadline in order to fill out their 25-man roster. One of those moves included selecting the contract of Aristides Aquino from Triple-A Louisville. Aquino led the Louisville Bats in homers this season with 28.

Aquino, or The Punisher as he’s called, made his Major League debut with the Reds last season. Some players get what’s referred to as a cup of coffee in the big leagues. This typically refers to a short-stretch of time spent at the Major League level. Aquino barely got a sip, making just one at-bat and striking out before being sent back to the minors.

Aquino was signed as an International free agent back in 2011 out of the Dominican Prospect League. He played that season in the Dominican Summer League for the Reds and spent there following season there as well.

“The Punisher” slowly worked his way up through the Cincinnati Reds minor league system with stops in Rookie-Level Billings (2013-2014), Single-A Dayton (2015) and Advanced-A Daytona (2016). While playing with the Tortugas, Aquino won the Florida State Player of the Year while slashing .273/.327/.519 with 26 doubles, 12 triples, 23 home runs, and 79 RBIs.

Aquino has dominated the Triple-A circuit this season. After being non-tendered in the offseason, the Reds re-signed Aquino to a minor league deal a few days later. The 6’4″, 220-pound right fielder is a monster at the plate. On the season, Aquino is slashing .299/.356/.636 with 28 bombs and 53 RBIs. There’s been several balls that Aquino has sent out of Louisville Slugger Field.

With the Reds reshuffling the lineup, it’s likely that Josh VanMeter finds a home at second base with an occasional start going to Derek Dietrich or José Peraza. Jesse Winker should get the majority of playing time in right field and Phillip Ervin should see an uptick in playing time.

However, don’t count out a few starts in the coming days and weeks for Aquino. The Reds didn’t call him up just to be a bat off the bench. As we’ve seen with players like VanMeter, consistent at-bats can be the difference between a player excelling or regressing. Against left-handed starters, don’t be shocked to see Aquino grab a start or two in right field.

For those Reds fans that will miss the phenomenal defense of Yasiel Puig, who was traded to the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night, keep an eye on Aquino. The 25-year-old has an absolute cannon for an arm and opposing teams that want to test Aquino may come up shaking their heads.

The ceiling for Aquino is through the roof. Don’t forget that just two years ago, Aristides Aquino was a Top 10 prospect in the Reds organization. That potential is still there, he just has to find a way to maximize it. Hopefully Aquino gets some consistent opportunities with the Reds over the next two months. This guy flat-out punishes the baseball.