3 Reds prospects who could join Edwin Arroyo in the Arizona Fall League

Though the 2024 Major League Baseball regular season is coming to a close, the Arizona Fall League is just around the corner. While nowhere near as fascinating as the major league season, the AFL is a proving ground for a number of prospects throughout MLB.

Over the past few years, several Cincinnati Reds players like Tyler Stephenson, Jonathan India, and Matt McLain have all seen time in Arizona. This year, Edwin Arroyo will be headed to the desert for some extra reps.

The Reds top shortstop prospect suffered an injury this spring and underwent season-ending surgery in March to repair a torn labrum. The AFL will provide Arroyo with some added playing time after missing the 2024 season, but there are other Reds prospects who could join the 21-year-old in Arizona this autumn.

Austin Hendrick, Reds outfield prospect

Oh boy! If there's one Reds prospect who needs as many reps as he can get, it's Austin Hendrick. At one time at top-100 prospect, Hendrick has fallen woefully short of expectations. Hendrick missed all of his 2020 high school season due to the coronavirus pandemic, and it's debatable if he'd have been selected as high as he was had scouts been able to get a better evaluation.

But that's in the past, and the Reds would love to focus on Hendrick's future with the organization. That said, if the 23-year-old can't figure out how to fix the hole in his swing, his future looks rather bleak. Hendrick has a career-strikeout rate of 36.6% according to FanGraphs.

The West Allegheny High School product has immense physical gifts and perhaps the most pop in the entire Reds farm system. Giving the outfield prospect more instruction at the Arizona Fall League could be beneficial and help put Hendrick on the path to the big leagues.

Leo Balcazar, Reds shortstop prospect

Leo Balcazar drew rave reviews early last season, but an injury stopped him in his tracks. Balcazar turned heads with his play at the Arizona Complex League in 2022 and showcased incredible talent during his brief stint in Daytona last season. But less than 20 games in to the 2023 season, Balcazar suffered torn ACL.

Balcazar, as one should have expected, started slowly this season. The first two months of his 20245 campaign, Balcazar hit just .248/.291/.280. But since July 1st, the young shortstop has put up much more impressive numbers. Though still lacking in the power department, Balcazar is hitting .294 with a wRC+ of 116 over the past two-plus months.

Balcazar is just another, in a long line of shortstop prospects, currently in the Reds farm system. Cincinnati sent both McLain and Noelvi Marte to the AFL in 2022, and could do the same with Arroyo and Balcazar in 2024.

Ryan Cardona, Reds pitching prospect

There's always a handful of pitchers who make their way to the AFL, but oftentimes, the Reds send a few rather obscure names to the Phoenix area in October. Cincinnati sent Jayvien Sandridge and Andrew Moore to the AFL in 2023, and the year prior, Sam Benschoter and Jake Gozzo represented the Reds as members of the Glendale Desert Dogs.

Perhaps Ryan Cardona will head to Arizona this fall. Cardona was the Reds' 19th-round draft pick three years ago out of Marist College in New York. The right-hander has steadily worked his way up through the Reds minor league system, and is currently part of the Dayton Dragons starting rotation.

Cardona has struck out nearly 30% of the batters he's faced this season and owns a 3.34 FIP. The 24-year-old is Rule 5 Draft eligible this offseason, and while unlikely to be selected by another organization, the Reds would probably like to get an even better look at Cardona before the offseason comes together.

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