Prospect's nosedive in latest rankings justifies Reds reimagined role going forward

MLB Pipeline's latest prospect rankings arrived this week. The Cincinnati Reds made out pretty good. The Reds farm system as a whole ranks just outside the top 10, and Cincinnati had five players recognized among the top-100 prospects in baseball.

The biggest jump in the rankings came from Reds left-handed prospect Adam Serwinowski. The southpaw has quietly been developing in the lower levels of the minor leagues over the past few seasons, and Serwinowski is ready to move from the obscure into the renowned.

But the biggest fall came courtesy of former second-round draft pick Lyon Richardson. The right-hander came in at No. 14 last year, but was nowhere among the Reds' top-30 prospects this spring. While these types of rankings are nothing more than one person's professional opinion, it is a sign that Cincinnati may have the right idea as they look to transition Richardson into a reliever.

Lyon Richardson's nosedive in latest prospect rankings justifies Reds reimagined role

With Nick Martinez installed as a member of the Reds Opening Day rotation, Cincinnati is lacking a long reliever. Last season, though Martinez started and ended the season in the Reds rotation, the veteran had tremendous success working as a reliever. Martinez made 26 relief appearances in 2024, posted a 1.86 ERA over 53.1 innings out of the bullpen, with five outings logging three or more innings pitched.

The Reds would love to have that type of production from someone in their bullpen this season. Richardson, along with Carson Spiers, and maybe even Graham Ashcraft, could all give Reds manager Terry Francona multiple innings in 2025. But while both Spiers and Ashcraft are aiming to make the Reds Opening Day roster, Richardson is likely to begin the year at Triple-A Louisville.

Richardson has already been surpassed in the hierarchy of starting pitchers by Spiers, Ashcraft, Rhett Lowder, Andrew Abbott, Chase Burns, Chase Petty, and perhaps even Connor Phillips. With many players from that unit likely to open the year as part of the Louisville Bats starting rotation, you can understand why Richardson's role has been changed.

But that's not to say that Richardson can't have an impact in 2025. In fact, it might be his last chance to prove that he's got the chops to be a big leaguer. Richardson has just one minor-league option remaining, and with the Reds likely to use it this season, the right-hander's running out of time to prove that he belongs on the 40-man roster.

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