5 prospects the Reds must protect from the Rule 5 Draft and 2 who should be left exposed

The Reds must protect Jacob Hurtibise from the Rule 5 Draft

This is a player who's been gaining some recognition in recent weeks, due mainly to his assault on Triple-A pitching since his promotion. Jacob Hurtibise will reming a lot of Reds fans of TJ Friedl; a speedy outfield who hits for contact.

Hurtibise, just like Friedl, went undrafted. Hurtibise is a graduate of West Point and is on the cusp of making it to the major leagues. One of Hurtibise's greatest attributes is his ability to get on base. In 36 games at Triple-A Louisville, the outfielder drew 29 walks to 14 strikeouts.

Hurtibise is off to the Arizona Fall League this offseason, where the Cincinnati Reds hope the 25-year-old will continue to develop. Hurtibise even began hitting for power this season, posting a .482 slugging percentage while splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A.

Not only will Jacob Hurtibise be added to the Reds 40-man roster this offseason, he may very well find a spot on Cincinanti's Opening Day roster. The one drawback is the fact that Hurtibise, just like Friedl, Jake Fraley, and Will Benson, is a left-handed hitter. But that won't stop the Reds from protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft.