5 Reds prospects to watch at High-A Dayton in 2023

The upper-levels of the Cincinnati Reds minor league system is loaded with talent. Elly De La Cruz, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Andrew Abbott are just a few names that will be appearing in both Louisville and Chattanooga this season.

But don't sleep on the talent in the lower-levels of the Reds farm system either. Remember, players like De La Cruz and Abbott began last season at High-A Dayton before being promoted to Double-A Chattanooga.

The Reds made a concerted effort to upgrade the talent in their pipeline through trades and the draft. Which top prospects who will likely debut at High-A Dayton in 2023 should Reds fans keep an eye on?

1. Reds prospects to watch at High-A Dayton in 2023: Tyler Callihan

Tyler Callihan has endured some difficult situations since being drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in Round 3 of the 2019 MLB Draft. Injuries have stifled any real growth, but Callihan was able to get back onto the field after Tommy John surgery shelved the infield for the better part of a year.

Callihan is bat-first infielder without any real defined position. The 22-year-old has a smooth swing, and while he doesn't possess elite power, Callihan has enough pop in his bat to reach double-digit home runs.

If Callihan enters the 2023 fully healthy, then perhaps he'll reach his ceiling and begin to climb up the minor league ladder. While he has seen time at both second and third base, Callihan is not going to wow you with his glove.

The Cincinnati Reds have a right-handed version of Tyler Callihan on the team right now in the form of Spencer Steer. Callihan could serve a similar role to Steer if he's able to stay on the field during the upcoming season. After receiving fewer than 250 at-bats with the Dayton Dragons in 2022, it's a goof bet that Callihan returns to High-A to begin 2023.

2. Reds prospects to watch at High-A Dayton in 2023: Logan Tanner

The Cincinnati Reds really need one of the catching prospects to develop into a major league-caliber starter. Their best chance for that may lie with former Mississippi State backstop Logan Tanner. The Redlegs selected Tanner with their second-round pick a year ago.

Tanner is known more for his bat than his glove, but he is more than capable of holding down the catcher's spot over the long haul. He may not have the best arm, but the 22-year-old's receiving skills are good enough and he's not afraid to get down a block a wild pitch.

The Reds are at a crossroads with their current crop of catchers. Tyler Stephenson spent three separate stints on the IL in 2022 and the Reds QB1 heads into this season with more of a platoon role. Stephenson will see time behind the plate, but also at first base and DH.

Looking up and down the Reds farm system, Tanner represents the best possible replacement for Stephenson if the Reds decide to make his move to first base permanent. Cincinnati also has Daniel Vellojin and Mat Nelson in the pipeline, but neither has stepped up and grabbed the bull by the horns at this point in their professional careers.

Logan Tanner played just 16 games at Low-A Daytona in 2022, so the possibility exists that he'll head back to Florida at the outset of the 2023 season. Tanner has the pedigree to be a starting catcher at the major league level, but he'll need to prove himself in High-A first.

3. Reds prospects to watch at High-A Dayton in 2023: Chase Petty

It sounds as if there are some injury concerns with Chase Petty to begin the season. The Cincinnati Reds plan to keep the pitching prospect in Arizona after the teams breaks and heads north. Hopefully, the elbow issues that Petty is dealing with are minimal and this is just precautionary.

If it is, then get ready to watch one of the Reds top prospects take off in 2023. The Reds acquired Petty from the Minnesota Twins prior to last season. In return, Cincinnati shipped Sonny Gray to the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Petty was known as a fire-baller coming out of high school, which led to the Twins taking him with their first-round pick in 2021. But last season saw Petty take a deeper look into his repertoire with an eye toward becoming a pitcher rather than just a thrower.

Some critics will point to Petty's lack of strikeouts in 2022, and there's merit to that argument. But the one things that really stuck out was the small number of walks issued from a 19-year-old hurler that can touch 100-plus on the radar gun.

In 20 starts, Chase Petty kept his walk-rate below 8.0-percent. That extremely encouraging for such a young hurler, and if the right-hander is able to command his secondary pitches, Petty could be a frontline starter within the next few years.

5. Reds prospects to watch at High-A Dayton in 2023: Austin Hendrick

Oh boy! We've all heard about Austin Hendrick before, right? Former first-round pick with tremndous power. Hendrick, surprisingly, opened last season at Low-A Daytona despite playing 63 games with the Torgugas the year before.

Having played 73 games with the Dayton Dragons in 2022, it seems rather likely that Hendrick will return to High-A to begin his 2023 campaign. If there was any one prospect that the Cincinnati Reds organization is hoping to see "figure it out" during the upcoming season, it's Hendrick.

Not just because the team spent a first-round pick on the outfield prospect back in 2020, though that certainly has something to do with it. But because the Reds are so thin when it comes to top-notch outfield prospects that the club needs a player like Hendrick to live up to his potential.

Hendrick made some strides last season, but also to posted a strikeout-rate above 35-percent. Hendrick had 42 extra-base hits in 2022, half of which were home runs. The power is there, but with a walk-rate below 10-percent and a batting average of just .212, one has to wonder if Hendrick is ever going to live up to the lofty expectations that come with being a top draft pick.

It's easy to forget that Austin Hendrick had his entire senior season of high school wiped out due to the coronavirus pandemic and then limped through an injury-plagued 2021 season. Last year, was Hendrick's first full year as a professional. If he can build off that, the Reds might truly have something.

Make no mistake, the Cincinnati Reds did not reach to take Hendrick with the 12th-overall pick in 2020. There were plenty of teams that were projected to take the Pennsylvania native ahead of them in that year's draft. It's unfair to call 2023 a make-or-break season for Hendrick, but the organization is definitely expecting to see some big improvements when it comes to plate discipline.