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.

2. Robert Stephenson was the Reds top prospect in 2014.

The 2011 MLB Draft was loaded with talent. Looking up and down through the first-round, countless All-Stars litter the draft board. George Springer, Javier Baez, Anthony Rendon, Gerrit Cole, Sonny Gray, Blake Snell, Trevor Bauer, Francisco Lindor, and Mookie Betts were all taken in the 2011 MLB Draft. So was former Reds pitcher Robert Stephenson.

The Reds were not wrong to take Stephenson with the No. 27 overall pick in the draft, but the right-hander never materialized into the type of pitcher the organization expected. Slated to be a future frontline starter, Stephenson was the Reds first high schooler taken the in the first-round since Devin Mesoraco was taken in 2007.

Stephenson had the makeup of a No. 1 starter. His fastball lit up the radar gun, and the right-hander also possessed a slider, curveball, and changeup. Command was always an issue for Stephenson who once proclaimed that walks were part of his game. In fact, during his brief major league stint in 2018, Stephenson’s BB/9 was an appealing 9.26 according to FanGraphs.

The new coaching staff seemed to help Stephenson get on track during the 2019 season, one in which he was moved to the bullpen. He enjoyed his best season to date and looked to be a key piece of the Cincinnati bullpen heading into the 2020 season. But a poor showing in the pandemic-shortened season saw Stephenson’s standing with the Reds become precarious.

Robert Stephenson was dealt to the Colorado Rockies along with Jameson Hannah for another former first-round pitcher, Jeff Hoffman. Cincinnati also acquired 2020 fourth-round pick Case Williams in the deal.