Updated prospect rankings highlight fast-rising Reds slugger fans will love

Alfredo Duno was named one of the Cincinnati Reds representatives on the National League roster for the Futures Game last week, and if that wasn't enough encouragement for Reds fans, he received more recognition from the national media. MLB Pipeline released their updated top 100 prospect rankings, and the 19-year-old backstop happened to see his name sneak into the back of the list.

For any fans that have been keeping tabs on Duno as of late, this shouldn't come as much of a surprise. In his first two professional seasons, he flashed some potential but hadn't played in a full season to prove it over a longer sample size. His 2024 season was unfortunately shortened due to injury, but Duno proved he had the talent to be one of the top catching prospects in baseball.

Duno was nursing an elbow injury until his Low-A debut in 2024. His first stint with Daytona was his first taste of professional catching and he proceeded to throw out nine of 31 would-be base stealers. Catchers typically need that extra year or two of development before slotting into full-season ball at such a young age. That's why high school catchers are the rarest demographic selected in the MLB Draft and are typically not drafted until they've spent 2-3 years in college. Duno's defensive maturity proved to be well beyond his years.

Updated rankings highlight fast-rising Reds prospect Alfredo Duno

The Venezuelan product has maintained an excellent level of success behind the plate, throwing out 27.6% of base-stealers while being regarded as both an above-average blocker and receiver. He is well past double the amount of games he had caught in his professional career prior to 2025, so he is doing a good job of withstanding the wear and tear of a longer season despite his past injury history.

On top of the defensive prowess, Duno has proven to be one of the better hitting catchers in the minor leagues as well. In 296 plate appearances thus far, he has hit seven home runs on his way to a .272/.419/.457 slash line which is good for an .876 OPS and a 150 wRC+.

Duno has made the necessary adjustments at the plate that you typically like to see from international prospects after they come state-side for the first time. He has become much more patient at the plate and is making more contact. His walk rate is up to 18.6%, and his strikeout rate is down to 21.3% from 28.8% a year ago. His contact skills still need some refinement, but his mature approach at the plate has allowed him to tap into more game power.

Between the above-average defense along with the bat that has proven to be one of the best in the Reds farm system, Cincinnati could be looking at potentially their next franchise catcher. It's a bold claim to make for a player his age, but there are no prominent catchers ahead of him in the system that will stop him from tracking smoothly to the big leagues.

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