ESPN just identified two young Reds who should anchor the franchise long term

Reds fans have heard “the future is bright” for a while now, even when the present hasn’t always felt that way. So it hits a little different when ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel drops a birth-year ranking of the best 16-to-25 talent in baseball and Cincinnati shows up with two names in the top 10 of the same age group: right-hander Chase Burns and infielder Sal Stewart. 

They landed in the 2003 group (22-year-olds), with Burns at No. 6 and Stewart at No. 8 — sitting in the same neighborhood as Jackson Merrill, Jackson Holliday, and Junior Caminero.

Reds fans get a needed reminder of the plan after ESPN spotlights Chase Burns and Sal Stewart

Here’s the part Reds fans will appreciate: this isn’t just prospect perfume. Both Burns and Stewart already got a taste of the majors in 2025, which makes the “anchor the franchise” line feel a lot less like a brochure and a lot more like a real plan.

Burns’ 2025 MLB line doesn’t scream “instant ace” on first glance — 0-3, 4.57 ERA across 13 games (8 starts) and 43⅓ innings. But look a little closer and you see the shape of the monster:

• 67 strikeouts in 43.1 innings
• Mixed role usage (starter and relief) while Cincinnati figured out how to deploy him down the stretch.
• Also: he was downright disgusting in the minors before the call, going 7-3 with a 1.77 ERA and 89 K in 66.0 innings 

FanGraphs’ Steamer projections basically treat Burns like a real rotation piece immediately. They have him putting up 134 innings, a 3.73 ERA, with a 10.23 K/9 that hints the bat-missing is going to play even when the league adjusts. 

Stewart’s 2025 major-league sample was short, but it popped: 55 at-bats, 5 homers, .255 average, .293 OBP, .545 slugging (good for an .839 OPS). And the bigger story is what he did in the minors before that call-up: .309/.383/.907 OPS with 20 homers and 17 steals over 437 at-bats. 

Stewart also bounced around the dirt — logging time at first and third base — which matters for a Reds roster that’s constantly trying to solve the same puzzle with six different box tops. Steamer is also pretty bullish on Stewart becoming a useful big leaguer in 2026: 351 PA, 13 home runs, .272/.339/.453, with decent defensive value baked in. 

Both have the projection of players that can stabilize an organization. Not necessarily MVP fireworks (yet), but the kind of steady production that lets everyone else slide into roles that actually make sense.

The ESPN list is cool because it’s a snapshot: Burns and Stewart are top-10 talents in their age bucket. The Reds angle is cooler because it’s a blueprint. Cincinnati doesn’t need both of these guys to become superstars to win with them.

Reds fans have earned a season where the “young core” is more than a vibe. Burns looks like he can shorten games from the rotation spot, and Stewart looks like he can change a scoreboard with one swing — which is exactly what “anchor pieces” are supposed to do.

If the Reds get anything close to what FanGraphs is projecting, people will stop talking about the future like it’s a promise and start talking about the present like it’s real.