The Cincinnati Reds are next on our Players Likely to Debut series. In case you missed it, we have already rolled out over half the league.
AL East: Red Sox — Yankees — Orioles — Blue Jays — Rays
NL East: Marlins — Braves — Phillies — Mets—Nationals
AL Central: Tigers — Royals — White Sox—Twins—Cleveland
NL Central: Cardinals
Below, you will find a list of three prospects from the respective organization. Each prospect will have a number score next to their name — this number will represent the estimated amount of time we anticipate that player seeing at the big-league level. Players that have already made their big-league debut will not be included on this list.
BREAKDOWN OF TIME ON ROSTER SCORES:
1 — September call-ups / guys that are likely to see less than 20-25 games on the roster
2 — 1/4 of the season (roughly 40 games on roster)
3 — 1/2 of the season (roughly 80 games on roster)
4 — 3/4 of the season (roughly 120 games on roster)
5 — Full season on the MLB roster
Cincinnati Reds
Position — Name (Time on Roster Score)
RHP — Tony Santillan (3)
The loss of Trevor Bauer is not to be taken lightly. Coupled with the fact that Sonny Gray and Luis Castillo have heard their names in numerous trade discussions, this starting rotation could look significantly different at season’s end.
While he was once viewed as one of the best prospects in their system, Santillan has seen his stock slip over the last couple seasons. He’s likely to make a couple spot-starts on an as-needed basis with the majority of his work coming in a relief role.
LHP — Nick Lodolo (2)
This is the name that Reds fans are likely most excited to see on a big league field. Their first selection in the 2019 draft, Lodolo is the best left-hander — possibly the best pitcher overall — they have in the minors. Standing 6-foot-6 and pumping mid-90s heat from the left side can be intimidating by itself. However, there’s likely room for him to add a few pounds to his 205-pound frame.
His arsenal of fastball, slider, and changeup are enough for him to be an effective starter, but it’s his ability to throw strikes and control the zone that will truly carry him to the middle of the starting rotation. If you’re looking for something to balk at, you’ll find it by simply looking at the lack of experience — he’s only thrown 18.1 innings of professional ball. That said, they were about as impressive as you could ask for. During the 2019 campaign he faced a total of 74 batters — he struck out 30 of them. For those of you keeping score, that’s a 40% K%.
SS — Kyle Holder (1)
Players that are garnering the Time on Roster Score of ‘one’ are typically going to be guys that get a September call-up. That’s not the case with Holder as he was a recent acquisition — having been traded by the Phillies soon after they selected him from the Yankees in December’s Rule 5 Draft. The reason he is unlikely to see much time is simply because he has never played above Double-A, doesn’t possess much upside, and won’t do much to help the Reds win games. Was that too harsh?
When the calendar hits June, you should not be surprised to see someone else starting at shortstop for Cincinnati. Unfortunately for them, the free agent market has all but dried up. However, Jose Garcia has much more upside and could be a much better option without having to acquire talent through trade. If that’s not the route they want to go, Kyle Farmer is the only other option currently on the 40-man roster.
Notable
The big name that was left off here is Vladimir Gutierrez. Similar to Santillan, he’s another guy that has seen his stock drop and will likely be best served as a bullpen fixture where he can spotlight his breaking ball, potentially developing the control to serve as a spot-starter or backend rotation piece. Riley O’Brien and Jared Solomon are a pair of right-handed pitchers that are currently on the 40-man roster and could work their way into a few innings as taxi-squad regulars.
Photo Credit: Cincinnati.com