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

The Reds should not protect Yerlin Confidan from the Rule 5 Draft

Yerlin Confidan has tremendous upside. But there's absolutely no reason for the Cincinnati Reds to protect the hard-hitting prospect from the Rule 5 Draft. While Confidan is eligible, he's got at least two more years of seasoning in the minor leagues before he'll even be close to stepping onto a major league diamond.

In 2021, Confidan hit 11 home runs in the Arizona Complex League and was one of the hottest young players in the Reds farm system. But an injury in 2022 slowed the young outfielder and he's struggled in 2023 as well.

The results speak for themselves. Confidan hit just .197/.273/.339 at Low-A Daytona in 2023. His power was virtually nonexistent with only three homers in 73 games with the Tortugas.

At just 20 years old, it's very difficult to see another club taking the risk of selecting Confidan in the Rule 5 Draft. Again, if a team makes that commitment to taking a player in the Rule 5 Draft, he must remain on the active roster all season long. You'd have to squint pretty hard to see a team take on that type of risk.

The Cincinnati Reds may still have something in Yerlin Confidan. In fact, there are many within thw organization that think he's got the potential to follow in the footsteps of Elly De La Cruz. The raw talent is there, but pitch recognition and reps will be crucial for his development in the years to come.