Tony Cingrani

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #3 prospect in 2013
  Cingrani was so bad as a Rice junior that he asked his coaches if they wanted him to come back for his senior season. The Owls simplified his delivery and fixed a timing issue in which his arm lagged behind his lower half, and the results were immediate. He improved his fastball velocity and control, pitched his way into the third round of the 2011 draft and led the minors with a 1.73 ERA last year before joining the Reds in September. Cingrani's success begins with his fastball, which generates plenty of swings and misses thanks to excellent life and some deception in his delivery. He adds and subtracts from his fastball, varying it from 88-95 mph, and locates it to both sides of the plate. It looks even quicker because he pairs it with a plus change with good fade that gives him a weapon against righthanders. His slider is fringy, as it is too often flat and it lacks bite. He generally throws strikes, though his control slipped at Double-A Pensacola. Cingrani's slider will determine his future role. He can thrive in the bullpen with two pitches, but needs a better breaking ball to succeed as a starter. With a full starting rotation in Cincinnati, he'll head to Triple-A to begin 2013.
• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #15 prospect in 2012
  After breaking former big leaguer Tim Byrdak's single-season and career strikeout records at South Suburban (Ill.) JC, Cingrani transferred to Rice and posted an 8.58 ERA in six starts as a junior. He cleaned up his delivery last spring and became a dominant reliever. After the Reds made him the first college senior drafted in 2011 (third round) and signed him for $210,000, they moved him back to the rotation with much better results. He fell 10 innings shy of qualifying for official leadership, but he topped all Rookie-level Pioneer League pitchers with at least 50 innings in ERA (1.75), strikeouts per nine innings (14.0), K-BB ratio (13.3), opponent average (.190) and WHIP (0.80). Cingrani uses his height to get great extension on the mound, making his 92-95 mph fastball look even faster. He also has a solid changeup with late fade that he's willing to throw in any count. He's trying to refine a slider but it's still a fringy pitch at best. Cingrani will need a better breaking ball to stick as a starter as he climbs the ladder, though he already profiles nicely as a late-inning reliever. His delivery has a lot of moving parts that add deception. Because he's already 22, Cingrani may begin his first full pro season in high Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Southern League #11 prospect in 2012
  A senior sign out of Rice who cost the Reds just $210,000 last year, Cingrani exploded through the minors in 2012, finishing the season in Cincinnati. He won the minor league ERA title with a 1.73 mark and ranked second in the minors with 172 strikeouts in 146 innings. Cingrani fastball sits at 92-94 mph and he backs it up with a solid changeup. A delivery that includes some deception makes him that much more difficult to hit. Cingrani's walk rate nearly doubled from high Class A to Double-A, and some scouts see him more as a reliever. His slider holds the key to his future role. It can be hard to distinguish from his fastball as it comes out of his hands, but his slider also lacks consistency and lags behind his other two pitches.
• 
  Ranked California League #11 prospect in 2012
  A reliever when he came out of Rice, Cingrani has been a revelation since the Reds converted him to starting last summer. He began his first full pro season by making 10 dominant starts for Bakersfield--he didn't permit more than two earned runs in any of them--and finished it in the big leagues. He led the minors with a 1.73 ERA. Cingrani exudes confidence on the mound, pitching off his above-average fastball. His heater works primarily at 91-93 mph and can reach the mid-90s. It has some late life and he doesn't hesitate to pitch inside. Cingrani can locate his fastball and his changeup to both sides of the plate. The changeup is his main secondary pitch and fades away from righthanders, whom he held to a .170/.213/.265 line in the Cal League. His slider lags behind his other offerings, though it improved this year to the point where more scouts believe he can remain a starter.
• 
  Ranked Pioneer League #8 prospect in 2011
  Like Nick Maronde, Cingrani faltered as a starter in college in 2010 before thriving as a reliever this spring and becoming a third-round pick. The highest-drafted college senior in 2011, Cingrani paced all PL pitchers with at least 50 innings in ERA (1.75), strikeouts per nine innings (14.0), K/BB ratio (13.3), opponent average (.190) and WHIP (0.80). He fell 10 innings short of qualifying for official league leadership. Cingrani's secret to success is a deceptive 92-94 mph fastball delivered from a solid 6-foot-4 frame. "Hitters just seem to swing through his fastball because it has so much late action," Billings manager Pat Kelly said. Cingrani shortened his arm swing as a senior, but it's still long enough to concern scouts about his long-term command. He has good feel for an average changeup, which he camouflages with solid arm speed, not to mention flailing limbs. His slider showed improvement during the season as Mustangs catchers called for the pitch consistently. Even if he never hones a third pitch, Cingrani could profile as a high-leverage reliever.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #82 prospect in 2013

• December, 2012 Scouting Report
  Background: Cingrani was so bad as a Rice junior that he asked his coaches if they wanted him to come back for his senior season. The Owls simplified his delivery and fixed a timing issue in which his arm lagged behind his lower half, and the results were immediate. He improved his fastball velocity and control, pitched his way into the third round of the 2011 draft and led the minors with a 1.73 ERA last year before joining the Reds in September. Scouting Report: Cingrani's success begins with his fastball, which generates plenty of swings and misses thanks to excellent life and some deception in his delivery. He adds and subtracts from his fastball, varying it from 88-95 mph, and locates it to both sides of the plate. It looks even quicker because he pairs it with a plus change with good fade that gives him a weapon against righthanders. His slider is fringy, as it is too often flat and it lacks bite. He generally throws strikes, though his control slipped at Double-A Pensacola. The Future: Cingrani's slider will determine his future role. He can thrive in the bullpen with two pitches, but needs a better breaking ball to succeed as a starter. With a full rotation in Cincinnati, he'll head to Triple-A to begin 2013.