After getting a taste of the big leagues, this Reds prospect can enhance his resumé in the Arizona Fall League

On Friday the Arizona Fall League rosters were announced for the upcoming season. The Cincinnati Reds had eight players named to this year's Surprise Saguaros team. 

Of those eight players, 25-year-old Carson Spiers leads the way for the pitching staff. Spiers has spent most of the year in Double-A Chattanooga but recently has made appearances in the big leagues following injuries to the pitching staff. 

It has been a rough go of things for Spiers at the big league level. But he has put together a nice season in Double-A. If Spiers pitches well in the AFL season, could he have a shot at the big league roster next year?

After getting a taste of the big leagues, this Reds prospect can enhance his resumé in the Arizona Fall League

Since 2019, the Cincinnati Reds have had five players make their debut with the team after participating in the Arizona Fall League the year prior. The only exception was 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic cancelled the AFL. 

Carson Spiers has already made his big league debut with the Reds, so he won’t follow into that category. But the right-hander has one of, if not the best chances to land on the Opening Day roster out of the eight AFL participants. 

The biggest issue this season for the former Clemson Tiger has been the number of walks issued. Over 83 innings in Double-A, he has a 11.3-percent walk-rate according to FanGraphs. In his three starts with the Reds, those issues carried over with seven walks in 10 innings (13-percent walk-rate).

It's worth noting, Spiers made the jump from Double-A to the big leagues. That's a rather uncommon practice. If his play in the Arizona Fall League sees a decrease in the number of walks issued, a spot on the 2024 Opening Day roster isn't out of reach.

Carson Spiers may not be a shoo-in for the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day roster. But as the 2023 season, especially the final few months, has illustrated, you can never have enough pitching.