Elly De La Cruz, Noelvi Marte, Arroyo
As the Cincinnati Reds navigate through another rebuilding season, a lot of attention will be paid to their farm system.
The Reds have a wave of prospects in the upper levels of the minor leagues. There are several prospects who are candidates to reach the majors in the second half of the season if they take a step forward in their development.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had our own players at the upper levels,” Reds farm director Shawn Pender said. “Those guys understand because they’ve been with us for three or four years, the expectations, how we play together, how we play hard, how we run the bases, those kinds of things.”
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Here’s a look at where the Reds’ top prospects, based on Baseball America’s rankings, are beginning the season:
Louisville Bats (AAA)
Position players: SS Elly De La Cruz (No. 1, IL), 1B Christian Encarnacion-Strand (No. 5, IL), SS/2B Matt McLain (No. 12) and CF Michael Siani (No. 19).
Pitchers: LHP Brandon Williamson (No. 10), RHP Levi Stoudt (No. 16), RHP Ricky Karcher (No. 23) and RHP Casey Legumina (No. 30).
De La Cruz (hamstring) and Encarnacion-Strand (back) started the season on the injured list. They’re expected to return this month, and they were both deemed ready for Triple-A after spending only two months each in Double-A. McLain will share time at shortstop once De La Cruz is healthy, but he’s looking to build off a strong spring training.
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Williamson and Stoudt competed for spots in the Reds’ starting rotation. If they show more consistency and remain healthy, they should make their major league debuts this year. Legumina was acquired from Minnesota in the Kyle Farmer trade and pitched well during spring training.