Full Scouting Reports for Cincinnati Reds' Arizona Fall League Prospects

The Surprise Saguaros are the Arizona Fall League team home to several notable Cincinnati Reds prospects this season. The team houses the prospects of other organizations, too, including the Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers. The Saguaros are managed by Delino DeShields. 

The following are the Reds prospects included on this roster: Jesse Winker, Kyle Waldrop, Juan Perez, Seth Mejias-Brean, Ben Klimesh, Nick Howard, Carlos Gonzalez and Ryan Dennick.

Reds fans will immediately recognize some of these names, especially Winker, arguably the organization's hottest outfield prospect, and Dennick, who was with the team in the final month of September. Here is the full scouting report on each Reds prospect contributing to the Surprise Saguaros.

1. Jesse Winker, OF

Prospect361.com lists Winker as the Reds' No. 2 prospect in the organization, and for good reason.

Per The Cincinnati Enquirer's Reds beat writer C. Trent Rosecrans, the 21-year-old Winker was just named Arizona Fall League (AFL) Player of the Week for the league's first week. 

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In three games for the Surprise Saguaros, Winker was 5-for-11 with a home run, two doubles, four runs, seven RBI and four walks in three games. Winker was a Futures Game participant at the All-Star Game in Minneapolis, but missed most of July and all of August with a wrist injury suffered in a car accident.

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Winker seems to be recovering well from his season-ending wrist injury so far. His performance is critical to determining what the Reds will do with a potentially vacant left field. If he's anywhere near ready, the Reds probably won't have to seek a long-term option out there and instead may try a rental player.

In 2014 between High-A and Double-A, Winker slashed .287/.399/.518. He currently leads the AFL in RBI.

2. Kyle Waldrop, 1B/OF

Per Rosecrans, Waldrop is currently leading the AFL in hitting. The 23-year-old left-hander is hitting .421 to open the year. He is 8-for-19 with a home run, a double and five RBI.

Waldrop is coming off a solid year in the minors, slashing .338/.385/.516 between High-A Bakersfield and Double-A Pensacola. He was named the "Top Star" in the High-A California League All Star Game. This young slugger is definitely worth keeping an eye on as he progresses through the Reds' minor league system.

3. Juan Perez, 2B

This left-handed-batting 23-year-old has played in only one game so far for the Saguaros, a game in which he went 1-for-4 with a hit and a run scored. He also drew a walk and stole a base.

Perez was selected by the Reds in the 26th round of the 2011 first-year player draft out of College of the Canyons. Since 2011, he's slashing .267/.307/.427. High-A Bakersfield is the highest Perez has played thus far.

4. Seth Mejias-Brean, 3B

There is a lot to be excited about regarding this young right-handed hitter. Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth round of the 2012 MLB June amateur draft from University of Arizona (Tucson, Arizona), Mejias-Brean has done nothing but rake ever since.

In three seasons of minor league experience, he's slashing an impressive .291/.376/.448. But he did have a slow finish to the end of 2014 while playing at the highest level he had played at, Double-A Pensacola, where he finished hitting .235/.333/.323 after 65 games.

So far, he's hitting .263/.278/.541 in four games in the AFL.

5. Ben Klimesh, RP

Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 15th round of the 2012 amateur draft from Trinity University (San Antonio), this right-handed relief pitcher has tallied three seasons of work. In that time frame, he's posted an 8-6 record with a 5.03 ERA.

Kimesh performed decently at High-A Bakersfield, where he went 4-1 with a 4.34 ERA, but struggled at Double-A Pensacola, where he went 1-1 with a 6.19 ERA in just 16 innings of work. 

Since 2012, his first year in the minors, Klimesh has posted an ERA beneath 4.00 only once, in 2013 for the Dayton Dragons. Beyond that, it's been rough sailing for the 24-year-old.

Ted Kirk/Associated Press

6. Nick Howard, SP

Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round (19th) of the 2014 amateur draft from University of Virginia, this young right-hander seems poised for big things. According to Prospect361.com, Howard is the organization's No. 6 prospect.

The 21-year-old played in just 11 games for the Dayton Dragons last season, finishing at 2-1 with a 3.74 ERA in 33.2 innings of work.

He recorded 23 strikeouts compared to just 11 walks and finished the season with a 1.15 WHIP. Masterball lists Howard and Winker as the two biggest Reds prospects on the Saguaros. 

More from Masterball's Perry Van Hook:

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Howard, 21 this season, was drafted in June out of the University of Virginia where he was the Cavaliers' closer when he wasn't in the lineup, profiles as an MLB starter with a fastball in the mid-90s (can touch 98) and a sometimes good slider (can become flat at times). He will need to develop his changeup to be successful but the Reds have confidence he can be successful in the big leagues eventually.

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7. Carlos Gonzalez, RP

Selected by the Reds in the 21st round of the 2011 first-year player draft out of Cal State Northridge, Gonzalez was a starting pitcher who was converted to a bullpen arm. In four minor league seasons, Gonzalez has recorded a 14-9 record with an ERA of 3.93.

He ended the 2014 season in Double-A Pensacola, where he pitched 22.1 innings and went 3-0 with an ERA of 3.63 and a WHIP of 1.88. So far this far, he's pitched in two innings, allowed no runs, struck out three and walked just one batter.

8. Ryan Dennick, RP

Drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 22nd round of the 2009 amateur draft, Dennick made his way to the Reds following the 2012 season. Since his arrival, he's pitched in Double-A and Triple-A and was also a September call-up during the final month of the Reds' 2014 season.

In six minor league seasons, the 27-year-old left-hander is 27-31 with an ERA of 3.87 and a WHIP of 1.208. His short September stint was forgettable, as he went 0-0 with a 11.57 ERA in just 4.2 innings of work. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-reference.com unless noted otherwise and are current to October 15, 2014.