The 3rd round pick out of Louisiana-Lafayette comes in as our 24th best prospect. The former Ragin' Cajun had a solid start to his professional career in Billings, before struggling with his cup of coffee in Daytona. The 22 year-old infielder will hope to use his solid speed, defense, and plate approach to take some steps forward in 2016.
Tanner Rainey, 23, RHP
Highest 2015 Level: Rookie (Billings)
Eye-Poppingest Fact: Mid 90's fastball. 15 games started in 2015, 8.7 K/9
Most Worrisome Fact: Lack of experience, age, durability
Alias(es): Rainey Skies, Tanner Mom, Danny Tanner Rainey, Tanner I Hardly Knew Her
BB-Ref Page
Tanner Rainey was the Reds 2nd round pick out of West Alabama University with a big arm. He was a two way player for the Division II West Alabama, leading the division in home runs and slugging percentage, but the Reds plan on using his big right arm on the mound. Rainey sits in the mid 90's and touches 97 on the radar gun with a potential plus slider. He also throws changeup that he can throw for strikes but doesn't look to be a great pitch.
Rainey is a big guy at 6'2 235 pounds. He played 1B at West Alabama which explains where all that power came from. The things he has working against him right now is his age and lack of a third pitch. As the Reds have with most college relievers, they'll try and see if he can stick as a starter first. However, he looks to be a guy you'd look to fast track for a major league bullpen. He has definite closer potential.
Jose Lopez, 22, RHP
Highest 2015 Level: Rookie (Billings)
Eye-Poppingest Fact: 10.6 K/9 in his pro debut. 1.91 ERA with a 6.14 K/BB over his final 7 starts in 2015.
Most Worrisome Fact: High likelihood of ending up in a bullpen role.
Alias(es): No known aliases.
Jose Lopez fits the mold of hard throwers with low mileage on their arms that the Reds can't seem to stay away from. Lopez, a New Jersey native, was taken in the 6th round of the 2014 draft out of Seton Hall, where he logged just 99 innings between his freshman and sophomore seasons. With a fastball that could touch 98, as well as a power slider, Lopez was predicted to be a high-round pick before he blew out his elbow and ended up needing Tommy John surgery. The Reds took a risk selecting Lopez in the 6th round, but they hope that with a full recovery, they could end up with a steal in the 6'1" righty.
Lopez made his debut in Billings this past season, and the Reds were careful with the young hurler as he slowly upped his innings after a long break from the mound. Midway through the short season, the Mustangs let off the reins a bit, and Lopez dominated over the home stretch. All told, he finished the season with a 3.16 ERA over 57 innings, striking out 67 and walking 19.
He's still a long way from the majors, and the Reds may be a bit more conservative upping his innings year to year if they want to keep him in a starting role. However, with a high 90's fastball, and an above average slider, they could choose to fast-track him for a bullpen role in the more near future.
Jake Cave, OF, 23
Highest 2015 Level: AAA (Scranton)
Eye-Poppingest Fact: .339 OBP in .592 Plate Appearances
Most Worrisome Fact: 2 home runs all season
Alias(es): Bat Cave
I'm getting to the point where I'm really scrambling for names. Out of most of the lists I've seen Jake Cave has been put in the mid to low 20's. So, I guess I'll give you a chance to vote on him. He's only here because he put up better numbers than Kyle Waldrop and he's younger, surprisingly.
Jake Cave was a former 6th round pick by the Yankees in 2011, and he came to the Reds via the 2015 Rule 5 Draft. This means that Cave has to spend the entire year on the Reds 25 man roster or on the DL or he has to be shipped back. There is a very high likelihood that Cave could realistically become the 5th outfielder type just so the Reds don't lose him. It also wouldn't be that bad of an idea. Cave has realistically no power, but he will take a walk, doesn't strikeout too much, and has some good speed. He's also a good defender in center field. The only problem is he has very little experience at AAA.
Wyatt Strahan, 22, RHP
Highest 2015 Level: A (Dayton)
Eye-Poppingest Fact: 2.79 ERA in 164.1 innings pitched. 2.9 BB/9
Most Worrisome Fact: 7.3 K/9
Alias(es): Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Derp,
Wyatt Strahan was a 3rd round pick out of USC in 2014, and he spent the entire season in Dayton where he pitched pretty well. He put up a good ERA and a respectable 1.284 WHIP, though I'd like to see it a little lower. Strahan is obviously a higher pick who has performed well. His strikeouts are a bit low for a pitcher who is supposed to be as polished as he is.
Strahan got a lot of innings under his belt and he's a definite candidate to be a starter in the future. I wouldn't say his ceiling is awfully high, but he could be a quick mover through the organization. Teams don't typically give former college picks a ton of time if they're doing well. I'd come up with some scouting reports, but I'm feeling super lazy. Check out the bb-ref page.
Seth Mejias-Brean, 24, 3B
Highest 2015 Level: AA (Pensacola)
Eye-Poppingest Fact: Great defense; 12.8% BB% in AA
Most Worrisome Fact: Power significantly dropped in AA
Alias(es): Brean Burrito, Seth Matthews Band
Selected in the 8th round of the 2012 draft out of Arizona, Seth showed a lot of promise in his first two seasons in the Reds organization. He crushed the ball in Dayton and Bakersfield, enough so to get the call to AA Pensacola for the second half of 2014. He saw his power significantly drop in 2014 and, while there was a slight improvement, things didn't go much better in 2015 where he posted a .247/.352/.360 line. His plate approach has stayed consistent throughout his minor league career, posting a solid OBP, K%, and BB% at every stop he has made. He also brings solid defense to the hot corner with above average range and a good arm. He turns 25 this season, so his clock is ticking for him to make some serious improvements this year.