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.

8. Alexis Diaz, Reds relief pitcher

After his performance the past two games, one could make the argument that Alexis Diaz deserves to be ranked even higher on this list. Diaz recorded his ninth save of the season against the Miami Marlins on Saturday, going 1.2 innings and getting the final out of the game with the bases loaded.

But that performance was just another example of how crucial Diaz is to the Reds success in the future. That's high praise for a player who only appears late in games when his team has the lead.

Diaz has been outstanding on the season and is only building off a terrific rookie campaign in 2022. There were rumors all offseason that Diaz was attracting plenty of trade interest, but those rumblings can go take a long walk off a short pier. The Reds will need a pitcher like Diaz as they begin to piece together a championship-level contender.

Outside of fellow reliever Lucas Sims, everyone else in the Reds bullpen is either a veteran on a one-year deal or a developmental prospect. Sims is still returning to form after missing almost all of the 2022 season and will be a free agent at the end of next season.

Alexis Diaz has turned into, not just a dependable arm that Reds manager David Bell can deploy as needed, but a dominant reliever that can get outs routinely when the pressure is at its highest. It may not be too much of an overstatement to say that Diaz is one of the best closers in the game today.

7. Jonathan India, Reds second baseman

Jonathan India is back to playing like the player he was back in 2021 when he took home the National League Rookie of the Year trophy. India slimmed down during the offseason, added some speed, and has developed into the leader that this Reds team needs heading into the future.

There are certainly questions about India's long-term future at second base. Some fans are dead-set on the idea of moving India to left field or making him the team's exclusive designated hitter. There's no way the latter is going to happen, and even the former seems like a stretch.

India may just be one of the key players who's hitting, speed, and leadership are so valuable that his liability as a defender is acceptable. While India had a near MLB-worst -14 defensive runs saved in 2022, Former AL MVP Jose Altuve was dead-last with -15 DRS. If your bat is good enough, the manager will ignore a flawed defensive performance.

Jonathan India will be arbitration eligible after this season. While a lot of Reds fans would love to see the team secure India's services beyond the next three years, the team does have quite a bit of middle infielders in the farm system. But it's India's intangibles that make him indispensable. The former Florida Gator will be a key piece of the Reds organization for years to come.

6. Tyler Stephenson, Reds catcher

Tyler Stephenson was the most difficult player to rank on this list. If the Cincinnati Reds continue to experiment with Stephenson playing multiple positions and limiting his overall time behind the plate, then he could easily fall off this list all together.

But, if Stephenson is inserted back into the starting lineup as the team's regular catcher for 90-plus game per season, then his value increases dramatically. The Reds have been experimenting with three catchers on the roster this season, and the results haven't really yielded what most fans were expecting.

The idea was sound; move Stephenson from behind the plate on a regular basis and use him as the team's DH and also shuffled him to first base on occasion. Lately, fans have been seeing a lot more of Stephenson as the designated hitter. The problem is, Stephenson's bat has been lacking pop in 2023.

Tyler Stephenson can be a difference maker for the Cincinnati Reds over the long haul, but two things have to hold true for that to occur. First, Stephenson has to be behind the plate more than 50-percent of the time, and second, he's got to find that power stroke that was so prevalent during his first two seasons in the big leagues. Over the past week, Stephenson has been hitting much better.

5. Graham Ashcraft, Reds starting pitcher

Graham Ashcraft is a bit of an enigma, which is why he finds himself ranked No. 5. By the end of the season, the right-hander could find himself atop this list. That's how valuable Ashcraft could be to the long-term future of the Reds franchise.

Ashcraft is made for the hitter-friendly confines of Great American Ball Park. The former sixth-round draft pick keeps the ball on the ground. Ashcraft has a career ground ball-rate above 50-percent, and when the opposing hitter does loft one into the sky, it's likely not leaving the yard.

The debate is going to rage on for quite some time among the Cincinnati faithful - who is the Reds ace? Hunter Greene has the 100-plus mph heater. Nick Lodolo has that wicked breaking ball. But it's Graham Ashcraft's cutter that may be the best pitch of the three. If the right-hander continues to develop his slider, Ashcraft will be difficult to stop.

For now, let's comfortably slot Ashcraft at No. 5 with the understanding that he could vastly improve over the next couple of year. The rumors have already been swirling about a potential contract extension for the 25-year-old, so the fanbase should stay tuned.

4. Cam Collier, Reds infield prospect

If this feels high for last year's first-round draft pick, that's because it is. The Cincinnati Reds received the steal of the 2022 MLB Draft when Cam Collier fell all the way to No. 18. Cincinnati happily swooped in and secured the services of Collier.

Where will Collier ultimately play? Who knows. The 18-year-old was brought up as a third baseman, but Collier's bat will be his carrying tool. In his first professional experience last season, Collier made 35 plate appearances in the Arizona Complex League and posted a wRC+ of 203 according to FanGraphs.

The son of former big league Lou Collier, Cam has an advanced approach for such a young player. Beginning the season with Low-A Daytona, Collier hasn't experienced the same level of success with the Tortugas that he did in the ACL, but that's to be expected.

Being that Cam Collier is so young, and the Cincinnati Reds have more infielders than they know what to do with, there's absolutely no reason to rush him to the big leagues. However, there are those who believe that Collier will make his major league debut by the time his 21 years old.

3. Nick Lodolo, Reds starting pitcher

Nick Lodolo has gotten off to a rough start in 2023. After a fine rookie season, the sophomore jinx has hit Lodolo hard. So have the opposing batters. But, there's every reason to believe that the former No. 7 overall pick will get back to the player that he was in 2022.

The Reds spent a first-round pick on Lodolo back in 2019 and he's been dominant at all levels of the minor leagues, so there's every reason to believe that his current struggles won't last for the entire season. Let's not forget the horrific start that former Reds pitcher Luis Castillo endured during the start of the 2021 season.

Lodolo's success is critical to the long-term success of this franchise. There were plenty of Reds fans clamoring for Lodolo to be Cincinnati's Opening Day starter, and there was certainly merit to that discussion. Having Lodolo at his best at or near the top of the starting rotation should produce a winning formula for the Redlegs.

Nick Lodolo needs to get back on track this season - that's a given. There's little doubt in the minds of most Reds fans that Lodolo will bounce back. He, along with the other top pitchers within the Cincinnati Reds organization, is crucial to the long-term success of the franchise.

2. Elly De La Cruz, Reds shortstop prospect

Elly De La Cruz rose to prominence during the 2021 minor league season. Last year, De La Cruz was rated as one of the top prospects in the sport and he showed why. Appearing in both High-A and Double-A last season, De La Cruz was arguably the best player in the minor leagues.

This season has seen De La Cruz slowed by a minor injury to begin the year, but the 21-year-old is gaining steam and quickly making his way to the majors. Whether it's later this summer or later this week, De La Cruz will be a major leaguer, and once that happens, thee rest of the league betteer watch out.

De La Cruz is the most electric prospect the Cincinnati Reds have had since Jay Bruce. The real question as the Reds roster begin to evolve is where he plays. De La Cruz is a shortstop by trade, but with his size, the 6-foot-6 infielder could wind up at the hot corner.

A left side of the infield that features Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain for the next decade would certainly be something to watch. While one could make the argument that De La Cruz is the most important player when it comes to the future of the Cincinnati Reds, there's still one player ahead of him.

1. Hunter Greene, Reds starting pitcher

Okay, obviously this is subjective, but Hunter Greene is the most important young player in the Cincinnati Reds organization. A case can certainly be made for Elly De La Cruz, Nick Lodolo, or even a player like Jonathan India. But with Greene now locked up for the foreseeable future, he becomes the most important player when it comes to moving this franchise forward.

Greene inked a six-year contract extension earlier this season. The Reds have now shown a commitment to pitching, and if Greene lives up to that contract, Cincinnati will have secured his services for an incredible value. Top-of-the-rotation pitching on the free agent market is going for over $30-million per season. Greene's contract has an AAV of less than $9-million.

The fact that the Reds have now put their money where their mouth is speaks volumes about the direction of the franchise. The club is also rumored to have engaged in discussions with Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft about possible contract extensions as well. Good pitching trumps good hitting.

Greene was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, has come up through the team's farm system, and finally debuted last season. His rookie year presented some challenges, but there's little doubt that Greene has the raw tools to be the ace of this Reds rotation for years to come.

Let's not forget that he's only 22 years old. Hunter Greene's fastball/ slider combo has already gotten a ton of swings and misses through one-plus season. If Greene is able to really develop that third offering (changeup), the rest of the league will be hard-pressed to find success.