Baseball America ranked the Cincinnati Reds’ top prospects on Tuesday.
Check out the top five options below, including our own analysis and insight from Jeremy Farrell, the Reds’ senior director of player development:
1. Rhett Lowder
Lowder was the seventh overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft. The right-hander started the season with High-A Dayton and quickly worked his way up to Double-A Chattanooga.
After struggling in his first 10 starts in Double-A with a 6.85 ERA, Lowder settled down and had a 0.62 ERA over his next five starts, earning him a promotion to Triple-A Louisville. He played just one game in Louisville, pitching six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts before earning a call-up to the major leagues.
He continued to impress in his six Major League appearances. In over 30 2/3 innings, he had a 1.17 ERA along with 22 strikeouts. He did not allow a run in four of his six starts.
«Obviously Lowder flew the system,» Reds senior director of player development Jeremy Farrell said. «He found some things in Double-A that would prepare him for the run he had in the big leagues. I feel like he’s only going to get better as he gets more comfortable with the pro game.
2. Chase Burns
Burns was the second pick in the 2024 draft. Burns played two seasons at Tennessee before transferring to Wake Forest for his final season.
In 2024, Burns went 10-1 with a 2.70 ERA. He struck out 191 batters in 100 innings and had a WHIP of just .920.
The 21-year-old didn’t pitch in the Reds’ system in 2024, but did pitch in Arizona’s instructional league and will be available for spring training in 2025.
«Chase hasn’t competed this year, but he’s healthy, he’s ready to go,» Farrell said. «No red flags here. But he finished the instructional league with a few outings here in Arizona and he’ll be ready to head to the affiliate in the spring.»
3. Chase Petty
Petty was taken over by Sonny Gray in March 2022. After a dominant 2023 campaign between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga, the righty made 30 starts between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024.
The 21-year-old struck out 130 batters with a 4.20 ERA in 137 innings. However, if you take out his first four starts of the season, his ERA drops to 3.50 over his last 24 starts.
«A tremendous year for Chase Petty. He took the ball and stayed healthy,» Farrell said. “Not only has he matured in what he’s tried to do as a passer and hitter, but also in the way he’s gone about his business. Whether it was the preparation or the way he ran the game, we challenged him with Triple-A at the end of the year and I thought overall it was a really, really good year for Chase.»
4. Alfredo Duno
The Reds signed Duna in 2023 when he was just 17 years old. MLB.com ranked Duno as the fourth best player in this year’s international signing period.
Duno played just 32 games in 2024 due to a broken rib and slashed .267/.367/.422 in 139 plate appearances with Low-A Daytona.
«One of the best catchers I’ve seen come out of Latin America,» said Trey Hendricks, the Reds’ director of international scouting. “He gets a lot of notoriety from various baseball publications and for good reason. He is a really talented kid.”
5. Cam Collier
The Reds drafted Collier in 2022 with the no. 18. The 19-year-old played the entire season at High-A Dayton. He slashed .248/.355/.443 to go along with 20 home runs.
After a struggling offense, Collier finished strong, slashing .265/.404/.466 with a wRC+ of 151 over the final 65 games of the season. He helped lead the Dayton Dragons to their first playoff berth since 2017.
There were guys who took big steps forward this year,» Farrell said. «Look at Cam Collier and how his season went. I got off to a hot start. The league adjusted to him a bit and he adjusted back and finished very strong, combining quality, consistent hitting and hitting for power. It’s been a tremendous year for Cam.»
You can see the complete Baseball America Reds possible team rankings here. Read Farrell’s analysis of the Reds’ top prospects here.
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