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Reds: 3 surprise prospects whose hot starts are worth watching

By Drew Koch

Cincinnati Reds third baseman Alfredo Rodriguez (69) rounds third on a solo home run in the seventh inning of the MLB Cactus League Spring Training game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Oakland Athletics at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz., on Monday, March 1, 2021. The Reds fell 13-5 in seven innings. Cincinnati Reds At Oakland Athletics Spring Training
Cincinnati Reds third baseman Alfredo Rodriguez (69) rounds third on a solo home run in the seventh inning of the MLB Cactus League Spring Training game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Oakland Athletics at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz., on Monday, March 1, 2021. The Reds fell 13-5 in seven innings. Cincinnati Reds At Oakland Athletics Spring Training /
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Cincinnati Reds third basemen Alfredo Rodriguez (69) looks down the line.
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.

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