2019 Red Reporter Community Prospect Rankings: Stuart Fairchild is #14!

The Reds’ 2nd round pick from 2017 spent some time on the ballot this year, but finally won over the voters. After having solid performances in Billings and Dayton, his advancement to Daytona saw him struggle. Hopefully he can turn that around in 2019 and continue to show why the Reds thought so highly of the former Demon Deacon.

Mariel Bautista, OF, 21

Highest 2018 Level: Rookie (Billings)

Eye-Poppingest Fact: K% (12.4%) with a .211 ISO is yee-fuckin’-haw

Most Worrisome Fact: He’s not yet played full season baseball at this point, and is now 21 years old.

Alias(es): Maury, Drax the Destroyer

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Mariel was signed as a 17 year old out of the Dominican Republic way back in 2014, and, you know, he’s been slow to really put himself on the Reds prospect map. He’s done so now.

Mariel’s jumping in here because it’s worth it, based on what little we’ve seen. He was listed 21st on MLBPipeline’s list as late as whenever they updated that thing (probably mid-season?). He got 233 PA as a 20 year old at Billings this season and hit 8 HR with a .330/.386/.541 slash line. That’s right in line with a +.300 average for his “pro” career, but he finally tapped into his power in a meaningful way, bopping 24 extra base hits as well.

The athleticism put him on the Reds radar to begin with. At 6’3” and a frame to build on, with what’s reported as speed for days, he seems like the Reds next five-toolsy player to dream on. Except, in this case, he doesn’t necessarily have to fix a strike out problem.

Keury Mella, 25, RHP

Highest 2018 Level: MLB (Reds)

Eye-Poppingest Fact: 3.00 ERA across 108 AA and AAA innings, 8.4 K/9, 3.1 BB/9

Most Worrisome Fact: He’s gotten destroyed at the MLB level, slow development, and can he start?

Alias(es): Hella Mella, Mellow Yellow, Hot Keury

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It feels like this guy has been around forever, and he kind of has. The Reds traded for Keury Mella in 2015, when he was 21 years old, as the headliner in the trade for Mike Leake. Adam Duvall was more of the throw in after thought until he started bashing the ball. Mella was the Giants #1 prospect so he was obviously the big snag. Ever since, he’s been toiling around in the Reds minors where he shows flashes of brilliance and at other times frustration.

To be honest, I was unsure about adding Mella to this list even at this point. However, the experts have him slotted around this spot so I’m going to err towards their expertise. Mella is a power pitcher with a hard mid to high 90’s fastball, an above average slider, and an average change up. While that all sounds real nice, he often has problems locating those pitches and can lose his control completely. This tends to lead to higher walks, and in his case getting smacked around a bit too much. Even then, his superior stuff hasn’t always translated to great strikeout numbers.

Mella has helped out the Reds the past two years by coming up when the rotation and/or the bullpen was short and proving so much needed relief for the parent club. However, most of those outings were disastrous for his final line and put some speculation into some as to whether he’s really got the stuff. Still, scouts are pretty high on his arm even if there is more belief in him being a reliever. With the recent moves the Reds have made, and the short time they have to control him, it’s very likely the pen is his new home. Based on his 2018 minor league season and that stuff, there is still reason to believe he could reach that potential of mid rotation starter.

Hendrik Clementina, 21, C

Highest 2018 Level: A (Dayton)

Eye-Poppingest Fact: 18 HR, 33 BB in 376 at bats. .229 ISO

Most Worrisome Fact: Speculation about whether or not he’ll be able to hit advanced pitching and his skills behind the plate. 26.3% K% last year.

Alias(es): Oh My Darlin’ Clementina, The Mighty Hendrik, Sweet Juicy Clementina

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Hendrik Clementina has been with the Reds for a relatively short time (a little more than a year). He was brought to town in the trade where the Reds shipped off Tony Cingrani to the Dodgers. Quietly, Clementina had one of the better years out of anyone at Dayton. He hits for some obvious power and isn’t adverse to getting on base. His year totaled up for a .268/.327/.497 slash line. He hit a total of 41 extra base hits while being Dayton’s full time catcher for the most part.

The knock on Clementina will probably always be whether or not he’ll be able to advance his hit tool against more superior pitching talent. He’s had his ups and downs in his career but really had a strong 2018. Scouts also worry about his ability to stick behind the plate. His arm is pretty decent and his pass ball numbers and caught stealing numbers were pretty normal. Everything here makes Hendrik look like quite project going forward but there’s some obvious upside to be had. Hopefully, he continues to pound the hell out of the ball in Daytona.