The Cincinnati Reds have landed five players on the Baseball Prospectus Top 101 Prospects list that was released on Friday. The list was the second top 100(+1) list released in the last two days – with Baseball America releasing their list on Thursday.
The Baseball Prospectus list sees the first Reds prospect show up at #5 overall with Elly De La Cruz. This is the highest rankings for the shortstop so far this offseason. After he burst onto the prospect world in 2021, De La Cruz took it to another level in 2022 when he split his season between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga and hit .304/.359/.586 with 31 doubles, 9 triples, and 28 home runs. He also added 47 stolen bases. His season was good enough for him to win the Triple Crown among the players in the farm system – marking only the third time that’s happened dating back to 1960 (the first year in which there are full records that I have access to), and the other two guys who did so were 29 and 32-years-old – De La Cruz did it while he was 20.
Noelvi Marte showed up on the list next, coming in as baseball’s 29th best prospect. A trade deadline acquisition from the Mariners, Marte hit .279/.371/458 for High-A Everett (Mariners) and High-A Dayton (Cincinnati) with 23 doubles, 19 home runs, and he stole 23 bases. He headed to the Arizona Fall League and struggled to find hits, going 15-71 (.211), but walked nearly as often as he struck out (12 walks, 14 strikeouts) as he got experience at third base after spending his entire career at shortstop up to that point.
Cam Collier, the Reds 1st round pick (18th overall) makes three Cincinnati prospects in the top 50 as he shows up at #49 on the list. Collier graduated high school early and headed off to Chipola Junior College when he should have been a junior in high school. He hit .333/.419/.537 there and was then selected by the Reds in the draft this past summer. He only played in a handful of games following the draft, but hit .370/.514/.630 in 35 plate appearances out in Arizona at the complex with the team’s rookie level affiliate.
Edwin Arroyo, another shortstop who came over at the trade deadline from the Mariners, checks in at #61 on the list. He split time between the Mariners Single-A affiliate Modesto and the Reds Single-A affiliate Daytona during the 2022 season. A good defender up the middle, Arroyo broke out at the plate as an 18-year-old last summer and hit .293/.366/.480 to go along with 25 doubles, 10 triples, and 14 home runs. He also stole 27 bases in 33 attempts.
The last Reds player to make the list is yet another prospect that was acquired in 2022. Connor Phillips made the list at #96. The right-handed pitcher came over in spring training from Seattle in the trade that included Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez. In the first half he was dominant with High-A Dayton, posting a 2.95 ERA with 32 walks and 90 strikeouts in 64.0 innings. A promotion to Double-A Chattanooga saw the 21-year-old battle consistency with throwing strikes as he posted a 4.93 ERA with 34 walks and 60 strikeouts in 45.2 innings.
Matt Reynolds accepts outright to Triple-A
On Thursday the Cincinnati Reds outrighted Matt Reynolds to Triple-A Louisville. The infielder had cleared waivers, but he had the choice between accepting his assignment or becoming a free agent. He’s decided to remain with the organization.
