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Cincinnati Reds: Predicting the starting rotation for Triple-A Louisville Bats

ByDrew Koch|
CINCINNATI,OH - AUGUST 27: Buddy Bat of the Louisville Bats connects with a pitch during the annual Mascot Tee Ball game prior to the game between the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals on August 27, 2011 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Reds defeated the Nationals 6-3. (Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI,OH - AUGUST 27: Buddy Bat of the Louisville Bats connects with a pitch during the annual Mascot Tee Ball game prior to the game between the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals on August 27, 2011 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Reds defeated the Nationals 6-3. (Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images)
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – SEPTEMBER 15: Trevor Bauer #27 of the Cincinnati Reds (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)

4. Tejay Antone, Right-handed pitcher

Not many fans had heard of Tejay Antone before last season. A fifth-round pick back in 2015, Antone split last season between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville. The 26-year-old was added to the 40-man roster earlier this offseason and don’t be shocked if Antone draws a spot start at some point this season.

Antone is currently ranked No. 28 in the Reds farm system according to MLB Pipeline and will likely find a home in Louisville to begin the 2020 season. After 13 starts for the Chattanooga Lookouts in 2019, Antone received a promotion to play for the Louisville Bats where he drew the start in 13 games as well.

Antone missed all of the 2017 season following Tommy John surgery, but he returned the following season and played 17 games for Advanced-A Daytona. According to FanGraphs, Antone has seen a slight uptick in strikeout-rate since returning to action in 2018.

Unlike Vladimir Gutierrez and Tony Santillan, Antone is not going to blow hitters away with the fastball. Typically, Tejay Antone’s heater stays in the low-to-mid 90s. However, Antone’s fastball does have some sink to it, which led to him owning a ground ball-rate above 50% at both Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville last season.

I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Antone making his major league debut in 2020, especially if one of the Reds relievers is expected to be out for a significant amount of time. While he’s likely to see thee majority of his time in Louisville as a starter, the Reds may use Antone in a similar role to what we saw from Lucas Sims last season.

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