Reds prospect Mike Siani's refinement in this area will hasten his promotion to the big leagues

One of the Cincinnati Reds top prospects, Mike Siani, is currently at Double-A Chattanooga. The maturation process for Siani may seem slow to some fans, but the former fourth-round pick has made great strides so far this season.

Last night, Siani went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs in the Chattanooga Lookouts 10-1 victory over the Rocket City Trash Pandas. Siani also stole a base, bringing his season total to 16.

One area where Siani has really improved this season is the strikeouts. Siani is not a power-hitting outfield prospect, but rather a glove-first speedster who needs to get on base with regularity in order to affect the game.

Reds prospect Mike Siani is cutting down on his strikeouts.

Last season was probably Mike Siani's worst in terms of production at the plate. With High-A Dayton, the outfielder hit just .216/.321/.327. While Siani's on-base percentage was buoyed by a 12.3% walk-rate, his 103 strikeouts in 408 plate appearances left him with a strikeout-rate of 25.2%.

That's not good at any level, but seeing as how Siani doesn't have that above-average power in his arsenal to offset a high strikeout-rate, his profile was looking more like that of a fourth outfielder rather than a potential starter.

Siani was sent to the Arizona Fall League after last season, and that trip out west seemed to turn things around for the 22-year-old. Siani hit .300/.451/.450 in 14 games with the Surprise Saguaros.

This season, according to FanGraphs, Mike Siani has lowered his strikeout-rate to 14.1% through 45 games at Double-A Chattanooga. That, combined with Siani's 12.1% walk-rate, will help him quickly ascend through the Reds farm system.

Mike Siani ranks as the Cincinnati Reds' No. 17 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The outfielder is teeming with Gold Glove potential. If Siani can keep his strikeouts to a minimum and just put the ball in play, he has a chance to be a regular in the Reds lineup for years to come.