Cody Reed

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #2 prospect in 2017
  One of three lefthanders the Reds acquired in the 2015 deadline deal that sent Johnny Cueto to the Royals, Reed dominated at Double-A Pensacola in 2015 and impressed at Triple-A Louisville in 2016. That did success did not continue in Cincinnati following his mid-June callup. Reed went 0-7, 7.36 in 10 starts and allowed 67 hits--including 12 home runs--in 48 innings. Reed's big league debut featured many lowlights but also several encouraging signs. He lived in the bottom of the strike zone with a 93-96 mph fastball and a hard 87-89 mph slider that starts on the outer half of the plate and finishes on the hands of righthanded batters. His low three-quarters arm slot gives lefthanded batters a tough look. However, Reed's fastball steadily backed up in the big leagues, in part because he was trying to guide the ball into the strike zone. His slider became less biting and more sweeping. Falling behind in counts, his fringe-average 85-87 mph changeup was effective as a groundball inducer that carries an element of surprise because he throws it so infrequently. Reed's control played as fringe-average in the majors, but his command is a bigger concern after he tended to catch too much of the plate in his debut. Reed still could develop into a frontline starter because he has two potentially plus or better pitches. He will compete for a Reds rotation spot in 2017.
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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #2 prospect in 2016
  The Royals believed that the somewhat-raw Reed had one of the better arms among lefthanders in the 2013 draft, so they made the Mississippi juco product a second-round pick. For two seasons, he flashed big-time stuff but also big-time control issues before it all came together in 2015. The Reds acquired Reed--along with lefthanders Brandon Finnegan and John Lamb--in the Johnny Cueto deadline trade with the Royals. Reed can dominate with two pitches on his better nights. His double-plus fastball will range anywhere from 91-97 mph and it touched 99 in a one-inning stint in the California-Carolina League all-star game. Reed's fastball has late, darting life and his low three-quarters arm slot makes it especially rough on lefthanded hitters, and they hit .163 against him in 2015. His 85-87 mph slider is a second plus offering that received doubleplus grades from some scouts. It's a wipeout offering with hard, late tilt. Reed's changeup is average to a tick above, depending on the outing. He doesn't use it all that often. His control improved significantly in 2015 and his delivery carries no glaring red flags. Reed has a ceiling as a potential No. 2 starter, with his biggest red flag being lack of track record, for he had little success before 2015. He will compete for a spot in the Triple-A Louisville rotation in 2016 and could even be in Cincinnati at some point.
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  Ranked Kansas City Royals #28 prospect in 2014
  Two years at Northwest Mississippi CC served Reed well. He went from an unnoticed high school arm to a power lefty who signed with the Royals for $1.2 million as a second-round pick in 2013. Reed didn't throw particularly hard coming out of high school, but his velocity jumped from 86-90 mph to 92-93 mph (touching 96) as a juco sophomore. The Royals didn't see the same Reed in his first pro exposure and shut him down for nearly two weeks in the middle of the Rookie-level Idaho Falls season because he was throwing with more effort and less stuff, and his fastball sat at 88-92 mph. At his best, he had toned down his formerly high-effort delivery. He flashes an above-average slider, though it's inconsistent. His changeup is fringy at best. Reed's biggest problem is he has yet to demonstrate that he can consistently throw strikes. He walked 4.7 batters per nine innings in junior college and was even worse in Idaho Falls (7.0 BB/9). Scouts see Reed ending up in a relief role. Though he's raw, he should open with low Class A Lexington to start 2014.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #104 prospect in 2013 draft
  Little known out of high school in Horn Lake, Miss., just south of Memphis, Reed was an all-conference freshman in junior college, tossing a no-hitter and striking out 65 in 64 innings. Still, he wasn't drafted after pitching at 87-89 mph with his fastball. After going 8-2, 2.15 with 93 strikeouts for Northwest Mississippi this season, he could go in the top 50-100 picks thanks to improved velocity. Reed's stuff is raw but his arm strength is undeniable. Big and physical at a listed 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, he'll pop 94-95 mph heaters in the early innings before settling in at 88-92. He also has shown better aptitude this season, cleaning up his delivery to help his arm work easier. His slider and changeup are rudimentary at this point, but he's athletic and coordinated and has shown enough ability to spin it to get scouts to believe in him in a down draft year. Committed to Mississippi, Reed is considered signable, which also could push him up draft boards.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked International League #18 prospect in 2016
  The Reds acquired Reed last July as a part of the trade that sent Johnny Cueto to the Royals. Reed reached the majors in his first full year with his new organization, debuting in June. After a strong start to the season with Louisville, he struggled in Cincinnati and finished the season in the Reds' bullpen. Reed's fastball sits 93-94 mph with late life. He throws from a three-quarters arm slot that makes him especially tough on lefthanded hitters. His slider is a swing-and-miss offering that earns plus grades. While he relies on his fastball-slider combination, he will also mix in an adequate changeup. During his time with the Reds, Reed's pitches seemingly lacked some of the sharpness they had in the minors. He worked on a mechanical change to get better extension and take advantage of his 6-foot-5 frame. If that fix works, he has the size, stuff and control to be a solid starter.
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  Ranked Southern League #10 prospect in 2015
  SL scouts won't be surprised if Reed--and not the more heralded Brandon Finnegan or John Lamb--turns out to be the best pitcher acquired by the Reds when they traded Johnny Cueto to the Royals in July. Unlike most prospects traded at the deadline, Reed pitched enough for his new organization to qualify for a League Top 20 Prospect lists by averaging more than six innings and 25 batters faced in his eight starts for Pensacola. Reed pitches at 93 mph and ranges from 91-95 with a heavy fastball that darts all over the hitting zone. That makes him difficult for batters to square up, and they hit just .235 against him in 146 innings across three stops in 2015, connecting for just seven home runs. Reed throws an above-average slider that frequently flashes plus and completely befuddles lefthanders, who logged a .402 OPS in the SL. He also flashes an above-average changeup. Command will determine Reed's ceiling. While his pitch quality is high, his high-maintenance delivery is difficult to repeat and costs him precision within the zone, which is why scouts view Reed as anything from a future No. 2 starter to a high-leverage reliever.
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  Ranked Carolina League #6 prospect in 2015
  Overlooked in a Royals system dominated by premium draft arms such as Brandon Finnegan, Sean Manaea and Kyle Zimmer, Reed proved this year that he deserves quite a bit of recognition. He did so primarily with his performance in the first half, but he received an additional profile boost when Kansas City traded him--plus Finnegan and John Lamb--to the Reds for Johnny Cueto. Reed is a power lefty who combines a mid-90s fastball that touches the uppers and a mid-80s slider that features excellent, sharp tilt to get swings and misses. He also throws a mid-80s changeup that projects as average down the line. He accentuates his arsenal with the deception he gets from a low three-quarters arm slot and his uber-competitive attitude. Reed has command kinks to be worked out, but he has the ingredients to be a mid-rotation piece, especially after cutting his walk rate from 3.9 per nine innings at low Class A Lexington last year to 2.4 at Wilmington in 2015.
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  Ranked Pioneer League #14 prospect in 2013
  Reed wasn?t drafted out of high school or after his first year of junior college, but a jump in velocity from the high 80s to the mid-90s last spring propelled him into the second round of the draft, where he signed for $1,198,500. PL managers liked Reed?s combination of size, overpowering arm strength, athleticism and projectable stuff. His fastball sat 93-95 mph with some movement, but he struggled with control. Reed throws an above-average slider that falls into the ?nasty? category when it?s on, and hitters just don?t get a good look at the ball when he delivers it. Reed eventually will need to add a changeup to his repertoire, but if he doesn?t, then he projects as a power arm out of the bullpen. Perfecting a third pitch and learning to consistently throw strikes will settle the matter.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #69 prospect in 2017
• Ranked Baseball America's #34 prospect in 2016

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: One of three lefthanders the Reds acquired in the 2015 deadline deal that sent Johnny Cueto to the Royals, Reed dominated at Double-A Pensacola in 2015 and impressed at Triple-A Louisville in 2016. That success did not continue in Cincinnati. Scouting Report: Reed's big league debut featured many lowlights but also several encouraging signs. He lived in the bottom of the strike zone with a 93-96 mph fastball and a hard 87-89 mph slider that starts on the outer half of the plate and finishes on the hands of righthanded batters. His low three-quarters arm slot gives lefthanded batters a tough look. However, Reed's fastball steadily backed up in the big leagues, in part because he was trying to guide the ball into the strike zone. His slider became less biting and more sweepy. Falling behind in counts, his fringe-average 85-87 mph changeup was effective as a groundball creator that carried an element of surprise because he threw it so infrequently. Reed's control played as fringe-average in the majors, but his command is a bigger concern after he tended to catch too much of the plate in his debut.
  
  The Future: Reed still could develop into a frontline starter because he has two potentially plus or better pitches. He must improve his command and control.