The Reds received a scare when Johnny Cueto was placed on the disabled list with a strained lat muscle. As he returned to Cincinnati for further testing yesterday, the minor leagues’ hottest pitcher took the mound in Louisville awaiting to hear whether he would replace Cincinnati’s ace. In three Triple-A starts, Tony Cingrani destroyed the International League: he struck out 26 batters in 14.1 innings. But is he ready? Read the rest of this entry »
The Cincinnati Reds organization features some high-ceiling talent at the top of the Top 15 list but the depth in the organization is lacking. There are some impact arms at the top but the up-the-middle offensive players are somewhat lacking, other than Billy Hamilton.
#1 Billy Hamilton (SS)
| Age | PA | H | 2B | HR | BB | SO | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA |
| 21 | 678 | 173 | 23 | 3 | 93 | 125 | 165 | .300 | .398 | .408 | .371 |
Hamilton is probably one of the most hyped prospects in recent memory because of his plus-plus speed and 100+ stolen base totals that he’s racked up in each of the past two minor league seasons. Some patience is required with the prospect, though, as he’s not a finished product. One thing that excites the Reds, though, is that he could develop into an impact lead-off hitter. A contact stated, “It’s hard to find guys with the mentality and desire to be a good lead-off hitter… It’s not always a glamorous spot.”
Hamilton, 22, was shifted from shortstop, his natural position, to center field late in 2012 so the coming season will be key in his defensive development. He has all the skills necessary to develop into a plus fielder — above-average range, good arm and developing reads. The contact I spoke with said the defensive move had nothing to do with the organization’s feeling that Hamilton could not handle shortstop. “It’s more about what he can do, rather than what he can’t, with this move… He’s going to be one of the best [in center field].”
Hamilton split 2012 between high-A and double-A before finishing the year off in the Arizona Fall League. The contact I spoke with said Hamilton got off to a low start in double-A when he moved up and that might have been one of the best things for his development. It might be shocking to hear, but the talent evaluator said the struggles were “good to see,” adding that it often doesn’t help prospects when their first tastes of adversity come at the big league level. “It can really crush a guy,” he added. Hamilton should open 2013 in triple-A and his defensive development will dictate when he’s ready to contribute at the big league level. Read the rest of this entry »
Seeing prospects in person is my passion. In 2012, I was fortunate enough to visit parks in five different leagues — collecting information and video on 200 legitimate prospects or more. The lists released over the next few weeks will highlight the best prospects I’ve seen in person at each position during the 2012 season. The rankings will be adjusted based on projected position at the major league level, not present position (in italics if ranking includes position shift). After writing the first three lists, I realized there’s really no way to keep statistical information out of the equation completely and focus on scouting/projection alone. This has caused me to hedge my bets a bit on high ceiling talents and focus more on the complete player. Additionally, understand this is not meant to be a complete list of the best prospects at each position across all of Minor League Baseball, but the best of what I’ve seen.
Previous Rankings:
The Catchers
The First Basemen
The Second Basemen
The Third Basemen
The Shortstops
The Corner Outfielders
The Center Fielders
The Relief Pitchers
The Right Handed Starting Pitchers
1. Danny Hultzen, Seattle Mariners
With a 1.73 ERA including a 172/58 strikeout-to-walk ratio across two levels, Cincinnati Reds prospect Tony Cingrani was arguably the best pitcher in minor league baseball from a statistical standpoint. That success earned the left-hander a call up to the show where Cingrani has struck out eight, while walking only a single batter in four-plus innings pitched. Drafted in 2011, the former third round pick has made a meteoric rise to the big leagues. To put it in perspective, the only 2011 first round pick to reach Major League Baseball faster was Arizona Diamondbacks Trevor Bauer.
Video after the jump
Rob Brantly, C, Detroit Tigers
Current Level: AA
2012 Top 15 Prospects Ranking: 6th
Current Value: Monitor Closely
Left-handed hitting catchers carry a ton of value, and Brantly is a good example of this market deficiency. A former third round pick out of the University of California-Riverside, he has been moved quickly through the system and reached double-A in just his second full season. Brantly handles the bat well and doesn’t strike out much – but he also doesn’t walk. He’s currently hitting .375 with 10 extra base hits in 14 games. The extra base power is new for the catcher so if he can keep that up it adds that much more value to him. Scouts are still torn on Brantly’s ability behind the plate as he still needs a lot of polish although he does a nice job with the running game. With big league starting catcher Alex Avila also swinging from the left side, the prospect may end up as trade bait if his value continues to rise.
The minor league season is now well underway with a plethora of high-level performances by intriguing names from triple-A all the way down to low-A. Below is just a snapshot highlighting five strong starts to the season.
Tony Cingrani, LHP, Cincinnati Reds
Current Level: A+
2012 Top 15 Prospects Ranking: 8th
Current Value: Holding Steady
It’s not easy jumping from short-season ball to high-A ball but Cingrani made it look easy. His first start – in which he allowed just one hit in 6.0 innings – was all the more impressive when you realize it took place in the hitter friendly California League. The southpaw also walked a batter but he struck out five. Of the balls put into play, Cingrani recorded more outs via the fly ball than the ground ball so that gives him something to work on for his next start.