Top Storylines To Follow in the Reds’ Farm System
These are the most important things to watch for in Cincinnati's minor league system, from Single-A Daytona to Triple-A Louisville.
| | 
The minor league season will be in full swing starting this weekend, as the lower minors begin their schedules. The Cincinnati Reds might not have a top-tier farm system, but they are considered by most to be around the middle of the pack.
Here at Just Baseball, our own Aram Leighton has three Reds listed in his top 100, with Sal Stewart at No. 15, Alfredo Duno at No. 42, and Rhett Lowder coming in at No. 89. Stewart and Lowder are both on the Reds major league roster and will graduate before the next update, which could drop the team down farm system rankings.
Although their presence in the top 100 will shrink, there are still a number of players and storylines to follow at each level. Today, I’m going to highlight what I’ll be watching for from Triple-A Louisville to Single-A Daytona.
Louisville Bats (AAA)
Key Pitchers: Julian Aguiar, Tejay Antone, Hagen Danner, Zach Maxwell, Luis Mey, Kyle Nicolas, Chase Petty, Andrew Chafin
Key Position Players: Edwin Arroyo, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Michael Toglia, JJ Bleday, Rece Hinds, Hector Rodriguez
I think this is the most talented Bats team in at least the past 10 years, if not longer. A blend of solid Triple-A veterans, young players with MLB experience, and prospects on the rise has led to Louisville jumping out to a 4-1 start while scoring the second most runs in the International League.
Veteran Bullpen Options – Tejay Antone has been a story to follow for some time now. Making a return from his third elbow surgery is remarkable, and he showed in spring training that there’s still something left in the tank. Cincinnati has a couple of bullpen spots that are far from locked down, making Antone, and a few other arms, ones to watch.
Andrew Chafin has had a weird streak of having to sign minor league deals, finding his way to a bullpen, producing, and being moved at the deadline. The veteran lefty isn’t quite the pitcher he once was but will solidify the Bats’ bullpen and give the Reds another southpaw option.
Kyle Nicolas and “older prospect/minor league veteran” Hagen Danner have plenty of intrigue, and Danner nearly made the team out of camp.
Chase Petty Re-Establishing His Promise – Petty’s 2025 season is one you hope he can flush and forget about. Not only did he struggle in his brief stint with the Reds, but also faltered across 26 Triple-A starts. His fastball is not the type of pitch that can carry him through an outing, making his secondaries that much more important.
For Petty, command and learning to mix his pitches is what I’ll be looking for. I don’t think we will get the high strikeout numbers some had hoped for, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a quality pitcher. Now on the 40-man roster, the clock is ticking for him to learn how to work through an order multiple times and find ways to get batters out. A crucial year for him, at least as a starter.
Outfield Competition – Rece Hinds, Hector Rodriguez, Blake Dunn, and JJ Bleday make for a very good Triple-A outfield. Hinds took massive steps forward in 2025 and had a big spring training this year. His improved strikeout rate without sacrificing power makes him a quick option to get an early call-up. Don’t forget, Hinds is a fantastic athlete, too.
Bleday has established himself as at least a fringe MLB talent. I’m sure Triple-A will not be much of a challenge, and his path to the roster likely will be determined by Will Benson‘s success.
Rodriguez is the young prospect of the group who brings plus bat to ball skills, along with enough juice to make him interesting. He’ll need some time to work on his defense and adjust to higher-level pithing, but he does have a chance to join the Reds this season.
Does Edwin Arroyo Grow into More? – Arroyo is a switch-hitting shortstop and plus defender with good enough bat-to-ball skills. Profiles like that should not be given up on quickly and typically are given every chance to succeed. I think his floor is high and he’ll be a major leaguer, but the question is, does he follow the path of someone like Brayan Rocchio, or will he find more ceiling?
Arroyo missed 2024 with a shoulder injury, and many players don’t get back to 100% until two years later, making 2026 an important season. He had little power last year and will need to show more in order to re-establish himself as a highly regarded prospect.
Chattanooga Lookouts (AA)
Key Pitchers: Jose Acuna, Will Cannon, Javi Rivera, Nick Sando
Key Position Players: Leo Balcazar, Cam Collier, Jay Allen II, Austin Hendrick, Carlos Jorge
With all due respect, the Lookouts’ initial roster comes with the least amount of intrigue in the Reds system. It’s fairly common to see Double-A and Triple-A flip-flop each year in regard to talent, especially early in the season.
The current roster has two of MLB Pipeline’s top 30 organizational prospects: No. 7 Cam Collier and No. 17 Leo Balcazar. You’ll likely have to wait for promotions until you gain much interest.
Can a Pitcher Breakout? – Jose Acuna and Javi Rivera are the two pitchers I like the most of the bunch. Rivera has intriguing stuff and has strikeout upside but missed last season due to injury and will need to work back. Acuna will start in the rotation, but I think his best path forward will eventually be out of the bullpen, where his stuff can play up and command issues can be minimized.
Nick Sando was an undrafted free agent in 2023 with a 3/4 arm slot from the left side. He has enough funk to him to be intriguing and has pitched well in the lower minors. Double-A will be a big test, but as a lefty out of the bullpen, I think there’s a chance he can impress.
Cam Collier Pivotal Season – Collier was a first-round pick in 2022 and only recently turned 21 years old. There’s still plenty of time for him to prove his value, but he becomes Rule 5 eligible this December. Last season, he dealt with injury and produced next to no power, which is the tool that will determine his future.
Questions about his defense will likely drive him to a 1B/DH role. He’s hit well in the minors, but Double-A is going to continue to be a learning curve for the young player. I think the talent is there, but I also see Collier as a trade piece the Reds could look to move to improve the major league team.
Dayton Dragons (A+)
Key Pitchers: Luke Hayden, Victor Diaz, Trent Hodgdon, Nestor Lorant, JeanPierre Ortiz, Drew Pestka, Cole Schoenwetter
Key Position Players: Alfredo Duno, Ryan McCrystal, Alfredo Alcantara, Carlos Sanchez, Esmith Pineda, Kien Vu
Cole Schoenwetter’s Stock Rebound – The 105th overall selection in the 2023 draft was given a significant bonus to sign with the Reds and has struggled to start his career. Nothing about his offerings truly jumps off the page, but he has enough quality pitches to become a viable prospect once again.
His fastball played well high in the one with a curveball that is a big bender, giving him enough to be interesting. The issue has been command, not only with walks, but also with finding too much of the zone. There’s time for Schoenwetter to figure it out, but he needs to flip his current trend.
Alfredo Duno’s Continuous Rise – Duno was a high-priced international free agent catcher who dealt with injuries to start his career. In 2025, he was healthy, and the potential showed with a .287/.430/.518 slash and 18 home runs in a league that doesn’t produce much power.
Duno is clearly the Reds’ best catching prospect in the system and offers the type of power that could make him a top 20 prospect in all of baseball. If he continues to develop behind the plate, he could move relatively quickly through the system and land in Chattanooga later in the year.
Alfredo Alcantara Could Be a Breakout Player – I have not been able to watch enough of Alcantara to have much confidence behind a breakout pick, but I do like what I have been able to see. He’s on the smaller size but has a solid build, a big leg kick, and packs some power.
The tools are there and impressive for a 20-year-old. To see him start in Dayton tells you the organization thinks they have something here. He played in only 38 games in Single-A but did hit six home runs and steal three bases. He’ll be a fun one to follow with more video available this season.
Daytona Tortugas (A-)
Although games have started to be broadcast more in Single-A, it is not always a guarantee, and the quality, angles, and ball tracking often resemble your Dad’s videos from when you played in high school. There are a lot of new players coming from rookie ball with little video, so I’ll mostly highlight names to follow instead of scouting reports.
The Tortugas will have MLB Pipeline No. 5 prospect Tyson Lewis, No. 11 Sheng-En Lin, No. 13 Mason Morris, No. 16 Arnaldo Lantigua, No. 22 Mason Neville, and No. 25 Stharlin Torres.
Key Pitchers: Mason Morris, Sheng-En Lin, Ovis Portes, Stharlin Torres, Kyle McCoy
Key Position Players: Ichiro Cano, Tyson Lewis, Arnaldo Langtigua, Mason Neville
Sheng-En Lin Focusing on Pitching – Lin was trying to make it as a two-way player, but it looks like that will come to an end. I was expecting him to drop hitting as the struggles were not worth taking away from his pitching, where he has a legit shot to develop into a useful arm.
The grainy, low-quality video that I have seen shows a fastball with some ride and a slider that could develop into a nice swing-and-miss pitch. He’s on the smaller side for a pitcher, which comes with certain limitation but he’s one that is worth following this season.
Tyson Lewis Powering Through Growing Pains – Lewis caught fans’ attention last season with some ridiculous exit velocities, especially for a teenager. A 2024 second-round pick, Lewis saw a taste of Single-A in 2025 with mixed results in a 35-game sample. A 35.4% strikeout rate was concerning, but he still managed a .268/.347/.417 slash.
The tools are loud. A plus athlete with power from the left side that plays shortstop (could end up at third) is going to catch prospect evaluators’ eyes. Seeing how he handles his first full season in affiliated ball will be a fun watch.
Intrigue in the Outfield – The two names I’ll be watching are Arnaldo Lantigua and Mason Neville. Lantigua is a raw player with a lot of power potential. He’s a big body that stands out and needs time to adjust but has a chance at developing into an option down the road.
Neville, a 2025 fourth-round pick, is another big-bodied outfielder but swings from the left side. He launched 26 home runs in his final year at Oregon but did struggle in his first taste of professional ball. Finding a way to balance out the strikeouts without losing his power is the next step and something I’ll be keeping my eye on throughout the season.
Become a Member of Just Baseball
Subscribe and upgrade to go ad-free!
* Save 25% by subscribing annually.
Written by