2018 Red Reporter Community Prospect Rankings: Jose Siri is your #6 prospect!

Jose Siri makes his debut in the Community Prospect Rankings at number 6. I guess tearing up the Midwest League and having all the right tools will do that for you. Siri’s departure from the ballot brings on a catching prospect who had his best minor league season derailed by an injury.

Antonio Santillan, RHP, 20

Highest 2017 Level: A (Dayton Dragons)

Eye-Poppingest Fact: 9.6 career K/9.

Most Worrisome Fact: 4.4 career BB/9.

Alias(es): Santigold, Guns Up Tony.

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The Reds selected Santillan in the 2nd round of the 2015 draft out of Seguin, TX. While the right-hander has been known as a fireballer that will blow people away, he struggled with command during his first two minor league seasons. His first full season in MiLB showed why the Reds thought so highly of him back in 2015, as he put up his best season of his young career with Low-A Dayton. He improved his command and posted a career-best 3.9 BB/9 in 2017 while still striking out 9 per 9 innings. His best start in 2017 came back on May 8, where he dominated Cedar Rapids by striking out 10 over 6 innings while giving up only 1 run and no walks.

He will be 21 for most of the 2018 season, so he has plenty of time to continue to work out his control issues. Hopefully he uses his strong 2017 to continue to improve in 2018. Santillan will most likely start the 2018 season in Daytona.

Shed Long, 2B, 22

Highest 2017 Level: AA (Pensacola)

Eye-Poppingest Fact: .922 OPS in A+ Daytona with with 30 extra base hits in 279 plate appearances. 11.9% BB rate in AA with a drop in his K%

Most Worrisome Fact: Defense is shaky according to scouts, and his numbers slid when promoted to AA with .227/.319/.362 line.

Alias(es): Tool Shed, Shed To Bed, Shed Blockers, Shed Shocked

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Shed Long was drafted in the 12th round of the 2013 draft out of Jacksonville, Alabama as catcher. You’ll notice he doesn’t play catcher anymore (just like Joey Votto), the last time playing the position coming in rookie ball. Not much was known about the kid until he reached Class A Dayton at the age of 19, and he’s never really looked back.

Shed is a guy that does a lot of things right. He won a wiffle ball HR derby at Reds Fest in 2016 one handed because he was recovering from surgery. That’s just really cool. He’s also one of those toolsy players the Reds are coveting that seem to know how to take a walk. His career line in the minors is .279/.353/.444. That’s plenty of power from a 2B, and he can run pretty well. However, the stolen base is not a huge part of his game.

There are some iffy parts though. It’s been speculated that Shed might not be able to stick at 2B, and he did hit a slide on his first go around at AA. Much of that seems to be BABIP driven as it dropped from .368 to .271 once he was promoted. For the rest of his career he’s sported BABIPs in the mid .300s, but even if it reverted to league average his numbers would have looked much better. One glimpse of hope is that this was could be just a fluke. He showed more patience and struck out less once reaching AA. Look for Long to start the season once again in AA, but look for a mid-season promotion to Louisville. With Senzel, Blandino, Scooter, and Dilson Herrera all vying for crowded infield and outfield spots in the near future, having a guy like Shed Long is a good problem for the Reds.

Vladimir Guttierez, RHP, 22

Highest 2017 Level: Class A+ (Daytona)

Eye-Poppingest Fact: 8.2 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, 4.95 K/BB ratio

Most Worrisome Fact: 4.46 ERA in 103 innings pitched.

Alias(es): Gooter, Little Vlad, Vlad The Impaler

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At the end of the 2016 season, the Reds signed the 6’0 190lb right handed pitcher out of Cuba for $4.75 million. He’s recently just pitched his first season in the Reds organization, and outside of some late season wearing down did nothing to show the signing wasn’t warranted. In fact, he’s one of the more exciting arms in the system.

Guttierez is a pitcher who sits in the 92-95 MPH range, but can dial it up to 97 if he needs to. Scouts have stated his curveball is a plus pitch, but he needs to refine a third pitch to be successful in the majors. I’ve heard he’s a lot like Iglesias in that he will throw his curveball at multiple angles and speeds. That may lessen his need for a improved third pitch, but it wouldn’t hurt to add one. Vlad is also known for his wonderful control, which was on full display last year. Only Tyler Mahle has shown a better grasp at getting batters out while still striking them out and limiting walks.

The one concern about Guttierez is whether or not he’ll be able to stick in the rotation. He has all the stuff, like Iglesias, but he also gets all the negative comparisons of Iglesias. Vlad is slight of size for what you’d normally consider a starting prospect, and he did tend to wear down near the end of the season. I’d like to chalk that up to him being younger, and it does appear the Reds are being much more cautious with the young man. They also have the time to do so. Coincidentally, Gutierrez’s ERA’s went down with each month last year, until his last start, but so did his strikeouts. Going from a 11.7 K/9 to a 5.2 K/9 average in July and August. Even with all the concerns, you can’t ignore his upside, which is why you find him as a choice at this point.

Tyler Stephenson, C, 21

Highest 2017 Level: Low-A (Dayton Dragons)

Eye-Poppingest Fact: 12.6% walk rate and .374 OBP in 2017.

Most Worrisome Fact: Has not been able to stay healthy over the last 2 seasons, power has dropped since arriving in MiLB.

Alias(es): Ty Steve, “Kennesaw”, “Bat Flippin’”

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Tyler Stephenson was drafted in the first round of the 2015 draft as the 11th overall pick. Profiling as a catcher who could hit for both average and power, he came into the Reds’ system with plenty of hype. He was even slated as the number 2 overall catching prospect heading into the 2016 season by mlb.com.

The biggest issue facing Stephenson so far has been his ability to stay healthy. His 2016 season was pretty much derailed by injuries, as he suffered a concussion early in the season and then hit the DL three other times with left wrist issues. A drop in power was also an issue in 2016, as he only collected 8 extra-base hits over 39 games in Dayton. How much of that had to do with his wrist issues would remain to be seen.

Thankfully in 2017, we got a glimpse of what he could do when he was healthy. In 80 games in Low-A Dayton, he hit .278/.374/.414 with 6 home runs and 22 doubles while walking 44 times against 58 strikeouts. Unfortunately, in the middle of July when he was going on an absolute tear at the plate, his season ended with a torn ligament in his right thumb that required surgery. Hopefully 2018 will bring better luck on the injury side and we can see what he can do over a full season. Look for him to start in High-A Daytona this year.

Up to date Community Prospect Rankings for 2018:

1. Nick Senzel
2. Hunter Greene
3. Taylor Trammell
4. Jesse Winker
5. Tyler Mahle
6. Jose Siri
7. ?????????