Reds: 3 surprise prospects whose hot starts are worth watching

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JULY 26: Detailed view of a Cincinnati Reds (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

The minor league season is officially underway, and while we’re barely a week into the action, several young prospects within the Cincinnati Reds organization have already gotten off to blazing hot starts. Who are some of the surprise players that are worth keeping an eye on as the season progresses?

The Reds reshuffled two of their minor league affiliates over the winter, with the Daytona Tortugas now earning the designation as the club’s Low-A franchise and the Dayton Dragons joining the ranks of High-A ball. The Louisville Bats still represent the Reds Triple-A affiliation and the Chattanooga Lookouts are Cincinnati’s Double-A affiliate.

Just last week, many of the rosters were filled out with some of the best prospects from within the Reds’ farm system. Top pitching prospects Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene headed down to the Tennessee, while former first-round pick Austin Hendrick is starting his professional career with off the Atlantic Coast in Florida.

While fans certainly expect big things from the trio of Lodolo, Greene, and Hendricks, who are some of the lesser-known prospects who’ve made their mark during the first week of the minor league season?

1. Brian Rey, Reds outfield prospect

Reds outfield prospect Brian Rey has began the 2021 season with a bang. In four games for Advanced-A Dayton, Rey has four home runs, nine RBIs, and a 1.188 slugging percentage. Not surprisingly, all those stats lead the High-A Central Division.

But who exactly is Brian Rey? The Florida native was a 13th Round pick of the Reds in 2018. Having gone to school at Miami Dads Community College, Rey wasn’t on a lot of scouts radars. During his first professional action in 2018, Rey hit .269/.347/.345 at Rookie-Level Greenville.

The following season in then Low-A Dayton, Rey posted a .789 OPS and was promoted later that season to Advanced-A Daytona. The right-handed hitting Rey didn’t fair as well while playing for the Tortugas, as he hit just .146 in 16 games to close out the 2019 season.

Rey can hit; he’s proven that. The question has always been if he can hit for power. Well, four home runs in 16 at-bats seem to answer that question with a resounding yes. If Rey continues to pound the baseball into oblivion, the Reds will have no choice to move the 23-year-old up to Double-A rather quickly.

Cincinnati Reds third basemen Alfredo Rodriguez (69) looks down the line. /

2. Alfredo Rodriguez, Reds shortstop prospect

Reds fans have been waiting for quite sometime for Alfredo Rodriguez to reach his lofty potential. Will it finally come to fruition in 2021? If the first week of the season is any indication, the answer may be yes. To this point, Rodriguez has hit .417/.588/.583 in five games and has twice as many walks (4) as punch outs (2).

Rodriguez was a high-dollar international signing in 2016, and until 2019, it was questionable if the offensive side of his game would ever come around. However, while playing for Double-A Chattanooga in 2019, Rodriguez hit .296/.325/.347. Given how good his glove is, if Rodriguez could maintain that level of offensive production, he’d have a chance to make it to the bigs.

But, a 23-game stint with Triple-A Louisville netted Rodriguez a meager .169 batting average and .261 on-base percentage. That just won’t get it done, and while he received a few chances this spring, Rodriguez never had any legitimate shot to earn a spot on the 26-man roster.

However, his hot start to begin the 2021 minor league season is something to keep an eye on. If Alfredo Rodriguez can maintain an OPS of around .750, I wouldn’t put it past the Reds front office to give the Dominican native a taste of the big leagues. Cincinnati is short on shortstops, so a productive 2021 season could find a way for Rodriguez to sneak onto the roster.

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 07: A pair of Franklin batting gloves and a Cincinnati Reds batting helmet. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

3. Allan Cerda, Reds outfield prospect

Allan Cerda will be one of the more interesting Cincinnati Reds prospects to follow this season. An international signing of the Reds in 2017, Cerda is beginning his 2021 season at Low-A Daytona, but I don’t expect the 21-year-old to stay there for long. That’s especially true if Cerda maintains his current OPS of 1.444.

Cerda is among the Top 20 prospects in the Reds farm system according to MLB Pipeline, and has seen time in the Dominican League and the Appalachian League. But, 2021 is the young outfielders first foray into A-Ball. Thus far, Cerda is dominating opposing pitchers, racking up seven hits in 18 at-bats, including two home runs, two doubles, and a triple.

Cerda is on the same power-packed Tortugas team with Austin Hendrick, Tyler Callihan, Rece Hinds, and Ivan Johnson. However, I think Cerda has the opportunity to leave all the others in the dust, and the 6-foot-3 outfielder has shown his ability during the first week of the season.

Next. Gutierrez could join the Reds rotation this season

Allan Cerda raw power from the right side is his calling card and he has the arm and speed to stay in center field if he doesn’t outgrow the position. The Daytona Tortugas could be one of the more fun minor league teams within the Reds farm system to watch this season, as they are loaded with talented bats up and down the lineup.

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