Ranking the 10 most important young players for the Reds future

The Cincinnati Reds are a young team. As a matter of fact, the Cincinnati Reds are a very young team. Until Hunter Greene signed a contract extension last month, no one on the Reds roster had a guaranteed contract beyond this season.

For all intents a purposes, it would seem as though 2023 is going to be Joey Votto's last season in a Reds uniform. The youth movement is coming, and with players like Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain on the cusp of receiving a call-up, the future looks to be very bright for the ole Redlegs.

But if you were to rank the 10 most important young players for the future of the Reds franchise, who are you taking? For this exercise, every player on the list is 26 years old or younger and has yet to enter their arbitration window. Let's look at some the Reds best young talent who could be crucial to the team's long-term success.

10. Chase Petty, Reds pitching prospect

Let's begin with Chase Petty. The right-hander is a former first-round draft pick and was actually selected by the Minnesota Twins, not the Cincinnati Reds. Petty came to the organization by way of the trade that sent Sonny Gray to Minneapolis.

Petty was drafted in 2021, making last season his first full year as a professional. Petty went 1-6 with a 3.48 ERA and 96 strikeouts in less than 100 innings pitched. Most fans thought they'd see more Ks from the hard-throwing right-hander, but Petty was learning how to hone his craft and was less worried about just blowing away the opposition.

Petty began the 2023 season on the IL with an elbow injury but was recently reinstated and is now part of the Dayton Dragons roster. The flamethrower will join a rotation that includes Jose Acuña, Thomas Farr, and Julian Aguiar.

The Reds don't necessarily need Chase Petty to be a frontline starter, but he'll be given that opportunity. Cincinnati has several top-flight starters in the organization and will be looking for someone like Petty to project as part of the rotation.