Cincinnati Reds 2024 MLB Draft Review

Draft Theme: Post-Hype Prospects

Cincinnati’s 2024 draft class mirrors their 2023 draft after packaging a pair power-conference pitchers with a tooled-up, athletic high school shortstop for the first three picks. Their next few selections all felt like the Reds were buying low on players who could have, or previously did, rank higher on the draft board with better performance. Righthander Luke Holman is the exception here because he posted all spring in the SEC, but I think getting the No. 40 prospect at pick 71 is great value. Players like OF Mike Sirota, 2B Peyton Stovall and LHP Tristan Smith all have the tools and profile to have gone higher if their college careers were a bit more consistent. All three have flashed exciting upside and could wind up looking like steals in pro ball. 

Most Interesting Day 2 Pick: RHP Luke Hayden, 8th round

Hayden split time as a starter and reliever in his first two college seasons with Indiana, then transferred to Indiana State for the 2024 season where he has pitched as a full-time starter. A 6-foot-1, 195-pound righthander, Hayden primarily works off a fastball/slider combination. He averages 93 mph with his fastball and has gotten the pitch up to 96 though it has modest riding life and doesn’t miss many bats. His low-to-mid-80s slider is the bat-misser and a pitch he throws nearly 40% of the time with solid glove-side sweeping action. Hayden also has a mid-80s changeup but has less feel for the pitch than his fastball and slider and throws it around 5% of the time. He’s a below-average strike thrower who might fit best as a reliever in pro ball.

Most Interesting Day 3 Pick: RHP Will Cannon, 12th round

Cannon is a 6-foot-1, 201-pound righthander who has struggled with control as a reliever in his two seasons with Auburn, but scouts are intrigued with his pure arm talent. He has a three-pitch mix and sits around 94 mph with a fastball that gets up to 97 and mixes in a mid-80s slider and mid-80s changeup.