Reds prospect creates fresh buzz after a standout Fall League showcase

While the Cincinnati Reds spend the offseason seeking high and low for a big bat to add to the middle of the lineup, they have a future big bopper putting on a show out in the Arizona desert. It's only been a short time, but top prospect Alfredo Duno is racking up the accolades and showing that the high praise is warranted.

Duno is still two months shy of his 20th birthday, and prior to this year, hadn't been on the field much due to injury. But now that the young catcher has gotten a chance to get regular reps, he's been showing out all over the place. The Reds' No. 2 overall prospect was selected to be a participant in the 2025 All-Star Futures Game, and now he's getting his opportunity to turn heads in the premier postseason prospect showcase.

Duno produced a three-homer game in a semifinal matchup during the Arizona Fall League playoffs and was named Hitter of the Week after his trifecta of long balls traveled an astonishing 1,290 feet.

Reds top prospect Alfredo Duno put on a show in the Arizona Fall League

Since that three-homer outburst, Duno has added another, giving him four in the AFL playoffs. It took him a bit to find his groove in the autumn showcase. During AFL regular season play, Duno hit just .213 with a .298 slugging percentage, though he managed to draw 11 walks to generate an impressive .356 on-base percentage.

That patience at the plate is even more impressive when put in the context of the competition. The AFL attracts the best and brightest of baseball's next wave of stars, and at 19, Duno is nearly three years younger than the average participant.

That age discrepancy is nothing new for the Venezuelan native, who is finally healthy, and put up a .287/.430/.518 line with 18 homers and a 19.2% walk rate against an 18.4% strikeout rate at Single-A Daytona while being nearly two years younger than his competition.

To say the future is bright would be an understatement. While Duno works on putting the exclamation point on his Fall League activities, he'll go into 2026 with some questions to answer.

Chief among them is where his future defensive home will be. Duno has the tools, a strong arm, and a knack for receiving the baseball to stick behind the dish, but his hulking, stocky frame makes it a question as to whether or not he'll be able to stick at catcher and hold up under the rigors of the position.

What is for sure is that his bat is special, and the biggest concern for Cincinnati should be keeping him healthy and maximizing his reps, rather than focusing on the defensive value an elite offensive backstop can provide. The potential is there for an elite bat, and the Reds must do everything in their power to nurture that part of his game moving forward.