Futures Game spotlight proves Reds' prospects have some real firepower

The 2025 All-Star weekend festivities are right around the corner, and with that, the Futures Game rosters have been announced. For those unfamiliar, the Futures Game is an annual event that takes place during All-Star weekend at the All-Star game's host site, that being Truist Park in Atlanta this year.

On July 12th, some of baseball's top prospects will take the field in a game featuring the future of the league in an American League vs National League match-up. The Cincinnati Reds will be represented by Sal Stewart, their third ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and Alfredo Duno, another top-10 prospect.

Since Stewart entered the Reds system in 2022 as the 32nd overall pick, he has been one of the more promising young stars in the organization. He has also been one of the most consistent for a few years now, playing at an above-average level at each of his stops in the minors. With Double-A Chattanooga, Stewart is putting up his best season to date.

Reds prospects gets national shine with Sal Stewart and Alfredo Duno on their way to the MLB Futures Game

At 21 years old, Stewart is still well ahead of schedule in terms of his development. He's really blossoming into a professional hitter as if he wasn't before, and his production at the plate has shown just that. In 292 plate appearances thus far, Stewart is up to nine home runs and is well on pace to surpassing his career high of 12. His .327 batting average, .498 slugging percentage, .889 OPS, and 157 wRC+ are career highs for him as well.

Among qualified hitters aged 21 or younger at Double-A, Stewart's batting average ranks the best, while his slugging percentage, OPS, and wRC+ all rank within the top three. All of those numbers are also the best among all qualified Reds minor league hitters in full season ball aged 21 or younger. His success this year has really solidified him as one of the premier prospects in the Reds organization, and he has certainly earned his right to showcase his ability at the Futures Game.

In his first healthy season, Duno is proving why he was one of the top international catching prospects in 2023. At only 19 years old, Duno has put himself in the conversation along with Stewart, and other prospects like Cam Collier as one of the top position players in the Reds organization.

In 287 plate appearances thus far, Duno is up to seven home runs and a .269/.422/.453 slash line. Both his OPS (.875) and wRC+ (150) rank fifth among all qualified catchers aged 21 or younger, while his on-base percentage ranks second.

The production at the plate isn't the only thing Duno brings to the table. He is one of the better defenders at the catching position in the minors as well. He has a plus arm that has gunned down 25 would-be base stealers so far this year, and has also shown an above-average ability to block and frame pitches. It's tough to find the package that Duno provides, especially at his young age. A Futures Game selection could be the first of many accolades for this young catcher.

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