Cincinnati Reds 2011 Top 20 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review

by John Sickels on Jul 30, 2025 4:00 PM EDT

Cincinnati Reds Top 20 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review

I am reviewing my PRE-SEASON list of Top 20 prospects for 2011 for each organization, continuing today with the Cincinnati Reds. This list was originally published December 21, 2025. We will look at the Detroit Tigers tomorrow, followed by the Atlanta Braves on Monday, the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, the San Diego Padres on Thursday, and the New York Yankees on Friday.

This is a review of the 2011 Pre-Season Top 20 list. IT IS NOT A NEW LIST.

The 2012 list and new grades won't be ready until the season is over and I start writing the book.

1) Aroldis Chapman, LHP, Grade A: Erratic command and injuries have held him back somewhat this year, but he still has a 3.86 ERA and a 45/25 K/BB in 30 major league innings, with NINE hits allowed.

2) Devin Mesoraco, C, Grade B+: Hitting .305/.376/.496 with 38 walks, 73 strikeouts in 351 at-bats for Triple-A Louisville. Has caught 25% of runners. Very strong year confirms '10 was not a fluke.

3) Yonder Alonso, 1B, Grade B+: Just promoted to the majors, as you know. Hit .296/.374/.486 with 46 walks, 60 strikeouts in 358 at-bats for Louisville. No complaints here.

4) Billy Hamilton, 2B-SS, Grade B+: Hitting better recently after slow start, currently at .256/.320/.343 with 75 steals in 394 at-bats for Low-A Dayton, 37 walks, 96 strikeouts. Amazing speed. 30 errors and poor range factor at shortstop.

5) Yasmani Grandal, C, Grade B+: .296/.410/.510 with 41 walks, 57 strikeouts in 206 at-bats for High-A Bakersfield, .291/.354/.477 with seven walks, 23 strikeouts in 86 at-bats for Double-A Carolina. Has caught 34% of runners, though passed ball rate is quite high. Overall I'm pleased.

6) Juan Francisco, 3B, Grade B-: .304/.333/.525 with 10 homers, seven walks, 43 strikeouts in 204 at-bats for Louisville. Still has the impressive power but doubtful strike zone judgment.

7) Todd Frazier, UT, Grade B-: .260/.340/.467 with 15 homers, 17 steals, 34 walks, 82 strikeouts in 315 at-bats for Louisville. 4-for-15 so far in the majors with two doubles. Can contribute in many ways.

8) Donnie Joseph, LHP, Grade B-: 7.86 ERA with 52/22 K/BB in 45 innings for Carolina, 52 hits. The ERA is misleading but he hasn't had a good year, and hasn't lived up to the aggressive ranking I gave him. Effective against lefties (.237) but right-handers kill him (.324 with lots of power).

9) Kyle Lotzkar, RHP, Grade B-: 5.71 ERA with a 36/11 K/BB in 35 innings for Dayton, 29 hits, back on the DL. Still has loads of talent if he can stay on the mound.

10) Yorman Rodriguez, OF, Grade C+: .257/.320/.399 with seven homers, 24 walks, 82 strikeouts, 20 steals in 276 at-bats for Dayton. Very young at 18, power/speed combo intriguing but he's still raw.

11) Zack Cozart, SS, Grade C+: Hit .310/.357/.467 with seven homers, 23 walks, 51 strikeouts, nine steals in 323 at-bats for Louisville. Now in the majors, hitting .324/.324/.486 in his first 11 games. Good glove too.

12) Brad Boxberger, RHP, Grade C+: 1.31 ERA with 57/13 K/BB in 34 innings for Carolina, 16 hits. Promoted to Triple-A, 4.30 ERA with 18/7 K/BB in 15 innings so far, 10 hits. Much better than last year, impressive K/IP ratio.

13) David Sappelt, OF, Grade C+: Hitting .310/.374/.464 with 27 walks, 36 strikeouts in 274 at-bats for Louisville. Another guy having a fine campaign and ready for a major league trial.

14) Ismael Guillon, LHP, Grade C+: 6.00 ERA with 23/25 K/BB in 30 innings for Billings in the Pioneer League, 35 hits. Sample is small, but serious command troubles are evident.

15) Henry Rodriguez, 2B, Grade C+: Hit .340/.378/.513 with 14 walks, 35 strikeouts in 238 at-bats for Bakersfield. Promoted to Carolina, .281/.317/.382 so far with nine walks, 25 strikeouts in 178 at-bats. Has stolen 22 bases and hit 10 homers. No complaints here.

16) Junior Arias, SS, Grade C+: .206/.274/.340 with seven walks, 34 strikeouts in 97 at-bats for Billings. Young at 18, toolsy, raw. Converting to third base with poor results so far, seven errors in 16 games.

17) Ryan LaMarre, OF, Grade C+: Hitting .280/.354/.378 with 37 steals, 34 walks, 74 strikeouts in 328 at-bats for Bakersfield. Less power than expected, but impressive speed.

18) Jonathan Correa, RHP, Grade C+: Hasn't pitched this year.

19) Ronald Torreyes, 2B, Grade C+: Hitting .406/.444/.524 with eight walks, eight strikeouts, nine steals in 143 at-bats for Dayton. Outstanding since being activated in June, and just 18 years old...but he's just 5-9, 140 pounds.

20) Sam LeCure, RHP, Grade C: 2.34 ERA with 45/12 K/BB in 50 major league innings, 34 hits. A very successful season so far in the majors.

I think Reds fans have a lot to be happy about with their farm system. Some of the tools guys are having issues, but there's a good mixture of players close to the majors with guys at lower levels, guys with upside, guys with skills, and some with both.

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Read More: Juan Francisco (3B - CIN), Ryan LaMarre (RF - CIN), Sam LeCure (P - CIN), Yonder Alonso (1B - SDP), Devin Mesoraco (C - CIN), Todd Frazier (3B - CIN), Zack Cozart (SS - CIN), Yorman Rodriguez (CF - ), Aroldis Chapman (P - CIN), Yasmani Grandal (C - SDP), Donnie Joseph (P - CIN), Junior Arias (2B - CIN), Billy Hamilton (SS - CIN), Ronald Torreyes (3B - CHC), San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves

Comments

Re: Billy Hamilton

4) Billy Hamilton, 2B-SS, Grade B+: 30 errors and poor range factor at shortstop.

The errors are an issue somewhat. He tends to drop his arm and throw side arm/sub mariner at times from shortstop and that is where most of his errors come from. They have been working with him to stop doing it and his error rate has slowed down, but last night I saw him drop his arm twice on throws. Both were on target, but he needs to stop doing that before he reaches the show.

As for his poor range factor… In terms of actual range, he gets to baseballs that pretty good shortstops wish they could get to. He has shown hesitancy on balls to him though, whether to charge the ball or let the ball come to him. He has been doing better with it of late than he was earlier in the season. Eventually Billy Hamilton is going to be a plus defender at shortstop. Right now, he is the epitome of a plus tools guy who doesn’t quite use them all defensively day in and day out.

www.redsminorleagues.com

by dougdirt on Jul 30, 2025 5:03 PM EDT reply actions

Why would you move him to center

Did you just read anything that I wrote? The guy has the tools to be an incredible shortstop.

www.redsminorleagues.com

by dougdirt on Jul 30, 2025 8:54 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs

Very well said

by RedHopeful on Jul 30, 2025 6:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Thoughts on Corcino John?

where might he rank next year?

by pack_fan on Jul 30, 2025 5:07 PM EDT reply actions

He's the only guy

I think was a tough miss, as he was right with Guillon coming into the year and because both probably ranked above Correa. The Top 15 still looks good. No way to know that Cozart would take another step forward and start hitting for average.

by blackoutyears on Aug 9, 2025 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Ronald Torreyes

The Altuve comp is pretty obvious, a small right-handed 2B from Venezuela with an above-average hit tool. Would you bump him up to a B-?

by Metfan on Jul 30, 2025 5:10 PM EDT reply actions

maybe

let’s see how things look in early September

by John Sickels on Jul 30, 2025 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Worth noting

that most evaluators believe Altuve has more power and Torreyes more speed, and they’re built differently, Altuve like a fire hydrant and Torreyes more slender and proportioned. I think Torreyes is going to end up looking very good as CIN doesn’t seem inclined to rush him out of Dayton where he’s raking.

by blackoutyears on Aug 9, 2025 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions

Any thoughts on a few others having very good campaigns:

Neftali Soto (1B, AA)
J.C. Sulbaran (RHP, A+)
Brodie Greene (2B, A+)
Denis Phipps (OF, AAA)
DiDi Gregorius (SS, A+)

Personally, All these guys are either in or just outside my top-20.
IMO, Sulbaran is the Reds’ best pitching prospect right now, and Gregorius is just behind Hamilton for middle-infielders. And, Soto sure looks like he will be a major leaguer in the near future.

by wanderinredsfan on Jul 30, 2025 6:12 PM EDT reply actions

yeah

Yeah good points here. This is a system that is VERY underrated nationally

by John Sickels on Jul 30, 2025 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Sulbaran better than Corcino?

I wouldn’t rank him higher than Corcino. I would put him #2 right now though until (or if) Stephenson is signed.

www.redsminorleagues.com

by dougdirt on Jul 30, 2025 8:55 PM EDT up reply actions

I've seen both multiple times, and I like Sulbaran a bit better.

Corcino’s recent struggles are a little worrisome, and Sulbaran is starting to get into a groove, it seems. I really like Sulbaran’s fastball and projectable frame more. Corcino could end up as another Cueto, but I really don’t think he has quite the ceiling that Cueto did at this point in Corcino’s career. Furthermore, Sulbaran’s performance this season in Bakersfield is more impressive than Corcino’s in the MWL, IMO.

by wanderinredsfan on Jul 30, 2025 10:43 PM EDT up reply actions

Phipps reminds me a bit of Heisey.

I don’t think he’ll be much more than a 4th OF, but he could be a useful player if he plays good defense.

Not sure I see the hype on Gregorius yet. He’s still a long ways away from the MLB level and he, like all of the other Latin American guys in our system, doesn’t seem to like to walk.

I’d like to see how J.C. does outside of that ridiculous league/hitter’s environment that is Bakersfield. Sure made Grandal look nice while he was there, though.

I’m not sure why Neftali is really that different of a prospect from Francisco. Both guys have a lot of power, but neither walks much. Both make decent contact. Both are limited defensively.

I’m higher on Mesoraco than John is, lower on Hamilton, but not really in love with the Reds’ system anymore. No one besides Mesoraco stands out.

by jsl413 on Jul 31, 2025 2:05 AM EDT up reply actions

the Reds really need someone to emerge as a really good looking prospect

Maybe Sulbaran does that or Vidal maybe. I don’t mind the system being filled with a number of floor guys, but it would be nice to see some more potential impact players thrown in there. The system has had guys like this but they’ve graduated by now, or are close (Alonso).

I’m really high on Mesoraco, and I have faith in Hamilton. Grandal I’m a little hesitant on compared to most, but he’s put together a nice first season. I’ve never been too high on Gregorius. I’d written off Soto before this year which was nice to see, but I’m not a fan of guys who don’t have a position.

by pack_fan on Jul 31, 2025 2:43 AM EDT up reply actions

Soto/Francisco

Soto has a MUCH better K/BB rate, which projects better going forward. He could use a few more walks or a few less strikeouts, but his plate discipline, at least on the surface, is better than Francisco’s is. His swing is a bit shorter than Francisco’s is, similar game power (though I still think Francisco’s raw power is better than just about anyone in the game, minors or not).

With Didi Gregorius…. have you ever seen him play before? The numbers leave a bit to be desired, but if you watch him you can see things the numbers won’t tell you that flash every now and again. High contact guy, some power potential there (though I say that meaning he could be a 15 HR shortstop) and defensively he has above average range and a good arm. Also is a fast runner.

www.redsminorleagues.com

by dougdirt on Jul 31, 2025 9:55 AM EDT up reply actions

DiDi

Man, he’s really cut the strikeouts this year. It’s a nice step forward.

by blackoutyears on Aug 9, 2025 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Correa

He was suspended for age-fraud.

link

by aCone419 on Jul 30, 2025 6:40 PM EDT reply actions

Any idea on his actual age?

If he’s only a couple of years older, he could still be a legitimate prospect. Still, the use of PEDs is suspect. I’m tabling him as a prospect until he shows at least a couple of season’s of legitimacy.

by wanderinredsfan on Jul 30, 2025 8:35 PM EDT up reply actions