Resilient Reds prospect's performance gathers attention after injury-plagued season

The Cincinnati Reds have so many talented shortstops in their minor leagues that it can be difficult to remember every single one of them. Cincinnati just added another this past July after drafting Tyson Lewis with their second round pick.

But while players like Lewis, Sammy Stafura, Edwin Arroyo, and Ricardo Cabrera steal most of the attention, Leo Balcazar is back from injury and showing exactly why he was so highly-rated heading into last season.

Balcazar is currently buried all the way down at No. 29 among the Reds' top prospects according to MLB Pipeline. Last season, however, he was sitting at No. 24. So why did Balcazar tumble down the Reds' farm system rankings?

Resilient Reds prospect Leo Balcazar gathers attention after injury-plagued season

Quite simply, an early-season knee injury robbed Balcazar of all but 18 games played last season, and it's taken the young infielder several months to get back on track. Balcazar caught the eye of scouts after posting a .322/.411/.476 slash line at the Arizona Complex League in 2022, and picked up where he left off upon his return to the minor leagues in 2023.

But a torn ACL stopped him in his tracks, and Balcazar needed some time this season after rehab in order to get back to the player he was before the injury. Through the month of June, Balcazar was hitting just .233/.268/.269. But the 20-year-old started hitting better in July and then turned it on in a big way during the month of August.

In the 23 games Balcazar has played this month, he's failed to reach base in all but one game. Balcazar is hitting .341/.368/.560 and has four home runs and 19 RBI. The biggest area of improvement Balcazar will need to work on moving forward is his patience at the plate. While not necessarily a free swinger, Balcazar owns just a 3.2% walk rate. That number needs to improve.

Balcazar needs to continue to hone his craft, but it's fantastic to finally see him making strides after injuries really crippled his performance in 2023. Look for Balcazar to finish the year at High-A Dayton, and maybe even start there once again in 2024.

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