3 Cincinnati Reds prospects who've fallen woefully short of lofty expectations

2. Reds C Chris Okey has fallen short of expectations.

The Cincinnati Reds spent a second-round draft pick on former Clemson backstop Chris Okey. The Reds were said to have coveted Louisville's Will Smith in the 2016 MLB Draft, but the Cardinals' catcher was taken near the end of Round 1 by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Seeing how the two catchers measure up to one another, it's painfully obvious that Smith was the cream of the crop in that draft class. To make matters worse for Cincinnati, the Reds first-round pick that year was Nick Senzel. While he's no longer a prospect, Senzel has not met the lofty expectations the organization had for him either.

Okey played nine games for Triple-A Louisville in 2019 and missed all of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. Okey began the 2021 season back with the Bats, but only garnered 38 starts behind the dish.

In his limited ABs, Okey displayed a good eye at the plate (11.3% walk-rate), but has a lifetime slash line in the minor leagues of just .207/.282/.326. Okey was never viewed as a bat-first catcher, but he had potential to be a solid overall backstop

Chris Okey's prospects of finding his way onto the Cincinnati Reds took a hit following the ascension of Mark Kolozsvary last season. While Tyler Stephenson is in need of backup next season, Kolozsvary will be the favorite in-house candidate to land that spot.