Cincinnati Reds: 3 biggest draft disappointments since 2010

Who are the Reds biggest draft disappointments since 2010?

With Robert Stephenson off to the Colorado Rockies following a trade earlier this week, the Cincinnati Reds have moved on from, perhaps, one of their biggest draft disappointments over the last decade. But Stephenson is not the only player recently selected by the Reds to have fallen short of expectations.

Drafting a player, especially a high school pitcher is always a gamble. Cincinnati recently acquired a young, talented prep pitcher from the Rockies in right-hander Case Williams. Hopefully the 18-year old’s trajectory is much better than that of Stephenson. Let’s take a look at a few of the most recent draft picks to have missed the mark.

1. The Reds took outfielder Jeff Gelalich in the supplemental first-round.

The Cincinnati Reds selected Nick Travieso with the the No. 14 pick in the 2012 MLB Draft. While Travieso fell well short expectations himself, most of that was due to injury. I’m not going to be too harsh with criticism towards Travieso, but fellow first-round pick Jeff Gelalich does deserve some criticism. The former UCLA Bruin was a big disappointment.

Gelalich was taken with the No. 57 overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft. He, along with fellow outfielder Jesse Winker, were taken in the supplemental first-round. Winker was selected nine picks ahead of Gelalich and has carved out a nice role with the Cincinnati Reds over the past few seasons.

Gelalich, on the other hand, never produced at the minor league level. His best season came in 2014, hitting .238 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs while splitting time between the Dayton Dragons and Bakersfield Blaze. Gelalich was released by the Reds in 2017 and picked up by the Chicago White Sox. Gelalich never played in the major leagues.