Spring Training Notebook: Reds Hitting Prospects Put On A Show

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — If you hear lots of loud noises coming from the Reds’ player development complex this summer, don’t be alarmed—it’s just batting practice.

The volume was hard to ignore on Tuesday when some of Cincinnati’s brightest prospects took their hacks before their games with Cleveland. Hitter after hitter, most of whom had size that would have fit perfectly on a basketball court or a football field, demolished baseballs over fences and off of the batter’s eye.

If that’s not enough to pique your interest, consider this: Elly De La Cruz wasn’t even in the mix.  

Instead, the eyebrow-raising swings came from players who predominantly spent 2021 in the Dominican Summer League. The list includes players like 18-year-old outfielder Ariel Almonte, 18-year-old shortstop Carlos Jorge and 19-year-old outfielder Yerlin Confidan.  

Almonte posted a .398 on-base percentage in the DSL in his first turn as a pro, while Jorge—a compact ball of twitchy muscle—slashed and burned his way to a 1.015 OPS with a league-best 10 triples.  

“I had Jorge and Almonte down in the D.R. last year … Almonte said he put on almost 20 pounds this offseason. They both can handle fastballs really well and they both have a really good feel to hit,” said Jason Broussard, the Reds hitting coach in the DSL in 2021. “Obviously Almonte’s a really big human and has a ton of power, but I think the one thing that was awesome with Almonte last year was that he showed his power to all fields instead of being just a pull hitter—he really showed a mature approach. 

“Jorge just has a really good feel to find the barrel. He’s a natural mover in the box and just sprays the ball around the field. He’s a really high-energy player, a high-IQ player and it’s really fun to watch when those guys get going.” 

Confidan played in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League last summer and led the league with 11 home runs. He signed with Cincinnati out of the D.R. for $200,000 in 2019 but had his official pro debut scuttled by the pandemic. A year later, he skipped the DSL and moved to the U.S. for his first official action.  

“I had Confidan in our D.R. instructs last January. He’s a very strong lefthanded hitter with a ton of bat speed who also has power to all fields,” Broussard said. “He’s an exciting player with a ton of bat speed. He’s very aggressive and gets after it.” 

All three players’ success has come at the lowest levels of the minor leagues, so there’s plenty of development remaining. Still, the tool sets on all three players are extremely loud, giving hope that any or all of them could build on 2021 and shoot their way into the top half of the system’s Top 30.  

“I think the thing is to keep challenging them,” Broussard said. “They’re going to see better pitching, and just to keep helping them continue to develop both physically and in their approach. All three have developed approaches for 18- and 19-year-olds, and that’s what makes them really special.”

 

 

KEEP AN EYE ON: Later Tuesday, the Rockies and Diamondbacks put on a tremendous show under the lights at Salt River Fields. On the Low-A field, Colorado prospects Adael Amador and Yanquiel Fernandez opened the game with a pair of very loud extra-base hits, including a triple off the right-center field wall for Amador. Fernandez in particular was impressive, showing a whip-quick swing with plenty of power and leverage as well. He showed body control later in the game, too, when he kept his hands back on a pitch on the outer half of the plate but still had the strength to drive it to left field … On the Arizona side, Jordan Lawlar showed off the gorgeous swing that made him one of the best amateur prospects in the country in 2021. His cut on an early-game single was quick, balanced, compact and powerful with a path that kept the barrel in the strike zone for a long time …  Batting one spot after Lawlar was Deyvison De Los Santos, a breakout prospect in Arizona’s system in 2021 who looks poised to continue bullying his way into the mainstream. De Los Santos slammed two home runs in the game, including an epic blast the opposite way in the later innings. His frame and swing are geared for damage, and he showed it on Tuesday … Earlier in the day, Guardians righthander Gavin Williams showed off an impressive power arsenal fronted by a fastball that sat in the 96-98 mph range and was complemented mostly by a wicked slider that garnered plenty of swings and misses. He also showed a changeup in the low 90s and a developing curveball. Reds prospect Tyler Callihan homered the opposite way on a hanging version of the latter pitch. In his second inning, Williams struck out the side on 10 pitches … A few days prior in Cubs camp, a pair of young infielders showed why they’re names to watch this coming season. Reggie Preciado and James Triantos, each playing for the High-A team, ripped singles with swings that allowed the barrel to stay in the strike zone for an extended period. Preciado and Triantos, among others, should make Low-A Myrtle Beach one of the more intriguing low-level clubs come Opening Day.