2020 Red Reporter Community Prospect Rankings: Tejay Antone Is #19!

Obligatory opener... Good morning... now vote.

Ivan Johnson, 21, SS/2B

Highest 2019 Level: Rookie (Greeneville)

Eye-Poppingest Fact: .255/.327/.415 slash line with six dinger and 11 steal.

Most Worrisome Fact: Probably can’t play short stop. Not flashy.

Alias(es): Ivan The Terrible, Ivana Johnson, Russianwurst

BB-Ref Page

Advertisement

Ivan Johnson was drafted in the 4th round of the 2019 draft out of community college. He’s a guy that was signed slightly under slot, about 100k, which helped sign Tyler Callihan and Rece Hinds. But, don’t let that fact fool you about Ivan Johnson. He’s a fun prospect in his own right. He is a guy that can play the middle infielder and is considered a higher floor prospect due to the belief that he can hit. In his first season of pro ball, he did show that he has some plate discipline and power in his bat. He also played at a level that was honestly pretty realistic coming out of community college. You’d like to see a better average but it was a good showing.

The problems with Johnson come from the idea that he’s rather boring. He grades out decently well as a hitter up the middle, but his defense doesn’t really play at short stop. He didn’t even play short stop in community college because they had a better defender than him. Luckily, he seems to be a very coachable kid and was willing to go to second. His bat should help him continue to grow, but we’ll have to see how he matures from year to year. Maybe he’ll start the year in Dayton but that could also be too aggressive. The downside in his development is his age. How patient are the Reds going to have to be?

Andy Sugilio, OF, 23

Highest 2019 Level: A+ Daytona

Eye-Poppingest Fact: Hit .294 with a .331 OBP in 485 plate appearances

Most Worrisome Fact: .360 slugging.

Alias(es): The Sluglord, Suge

BB-Ref Page

Andy Sugilio has been with the Reds for a long time. In fact, he’s been with the Reds for about six years or so being signed as an international free agent. He really started pop as a prospect in 2017 when he went .345/.390/.472. He had a bit of a bump in the road at Dayton but then turn in a real good year last year against more advanced pitching. He also stole 23 bases. Sugilio has a decent bat, but below average power. There is some belief that he could turn into a line drive gap hitter with decent pop. He doesn’t have the best plate discipline but is willing to take a few walks while limiting the strikeouts.

He seems to have grown a bit in maturity but his overall tool set isn’t the greatest. He plays the field well and should be good enough to stick in CF. His wheels, defense, and possible offense could make him into a decent bench option in the future. But, due to his age, level, and bat that probably limits his potential as a starter. Still, he’s not a bad depth option for a farm system.

Jose De Leon, 27, RHP

Highest 2019 Level: MLB (Tampa)

Eye-Poppingest Fact: 73 strikeouts in 51.1 AAA innings. 3.51 ERA

Most Worrisome Fact: 4.7 BB/9

Alias(es): The Delorean, De Jose

BB-Ref Page

Are you looking for boom or bust? Well, this is your guy. Jose De Leon once was one of the best prospects in all of baseball before having his career wrecked due to injuries. He had several different injuries in 2017 which caused him tons of issues, while still striking everyone out, before his elbow exploded and he needed Tommy John surgery. De Leon was a top 30 prospect in 2016 and 2017, originally be drafted by the Dogers and traded to the Rays. He did get a small cup of coffee last year with the Rays where he struck out 7 batters in 4 innings. Where he really made strides was the 51.1 innings in AAA where he had a 7.2 H/9, 0.7 HR/9, 4.7 BB/9, and a 12.8 K/9. The Reds were able to pick this guy up for merely some cash considerations, and I think they have big plans for the guy.

I don’t know if he’s going to make a starting rotation, but he is certainly an exciting idea for the bullpen. He has been hitting 91-96 since returning from Tommy John coupled with a nasty 60 grade changeup. He is also able to throw a good slider to keep hitters off balance. Obviously, the worry right now is his control, which is always slow to come back after a lengthy time off and Tommy John surgery. But, if there is any consolation it’s that De Leon didn’t have control issues until he got hurt. If he can stay healthy, the Reds may have lucked into finding a dominate arm for either the rotation or the bullpen which is super awesome. In his minor league career he has a 3.1 BB/9 and a 11.9 K/9.