Cincinnati Reds: 5 Hyped Prospects to Watch in Spring Training

The Cincinnati Reds have a bevy of medium/high-risk and high-upside prospects in their farm system. Some of these young players will have a chance to showcase their talents against advanced competition at spring training in Goodyear, Arizona.

In this piece, we'll take a look at five of these players and why fans should keep a close eye on them throughout their stay in camp. Some names will be familiar to fans, but each of these players, regardless of his name recognition (or lack thereof), deserves a great deal of attention this spring.

The group will take us through the starting rotation and the outfield, and all five players could develop into major pieces of the Reds' blueprint for the future.

To begin, we'll take a look at a relative newcomer to the American professional ranks, Raisel Iglesias.

Raisel Iglesias (RHP)

A Cuban defector who found his way into the MLB free-agency pool last season, Raisel Iglesias chose Cincinnati as his home for the next seven years.

The 25-year-old is listed by Baseball-Reference.com as 6'2", 165 pounds, but that may be slightly generous given his initial billing of 5'11", 165 pounds, per MLB.com. Regardless of his size, Iglesias has the goods to be a solid mid-rotation starter or, at worst, a force at the back end of a contending team's bullpen.

Iglesias combines a mid-90s fastball with a sharp-breaking curveball and an average changeup with heavy sinking action.

The right-hander is a polished pitcher and should find his way into the bullpen right out of spring training. However, in assessing his arsenal as well as his mechanics, it's clear that this young man is destined for work in a starting rotation.

Iglesias will get a year in the bullpen and have some time to work on his changeup and curveball while also helping to shore up what was really a dreadful unit for the Reds in 2014. That said, after 2015, it's hard to see a situation in which Iglesias does not wind up as a starter.

The Reds could decide to keep him in the bullpen, however, depending on what they choose to do with Aroldis Chapman when his contract comes up.

Either way, fans should be excited to see one of the brightest young stars in the Reds system this spring.

Yorman Rodriguez (OF)

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Yorman Rodriguez is my favorite prospect in a Reds system that's full of outfielders.

The 22-year-old outfielder made his way through the Double-A level last year, earning a late-season call-up to the big league level. Over 119 games with Pensacola, Rodriguez managed a .262/.331/.389 triple slash with nine home runs, five triples, 20 doubles, 40 RBI, 69 runs scored and 12 stolen bases.

He has raw power for days and has the potential to serve as a 20-20 guy at the big league level. The Achilles' heel of his game has always been his strikeout potential, and that problem persisted in 2014.

Over his 119 games, he logged 502 plate appearances with a strikeout rate of 23.3 percent. That 23.3 percent rate is troubling on its own, but it's down from his career rate of 25.7 percent.

Against more advanced pitchers, Rodriguez was able to improve upon his career strikeout rate while also improving upon another weakness in his game, his walk rate. Over those same 502 plate appearances, he managed a 9.3 percent walk rate, which was good for a 2.1 percent increase over his 7.2 percent career average.

Rodriguez has all the tools to be an All-Star-caliber, five-tool player in his big league career. He just needs to put it all together in a comprehensive manner. If he does, the Reds will have their hands full trying to figure out who stays and who goes in their outfield.

Amir Garrett (LHP)

Amir Garrett is one of the biggest question marks in the Reds system, but the raw talent and potential are undeniable.

Garrett, a former high school basketball standout and player for the St. John's University men's basketball program, is a big, 6'5", 210-pound lefty with a power arm. The 22-year-old is capable of ramping his fastball up into the mid-to-high 90s with relative ease, and his curveball and changeup showed signs of life in his first full season of pro ball.

Garrett is raw, and understandably so given his relative lack of experience playing professionally (just 211 career innings).

What this California native does possess, though, is elite athleticism. He shouldn't have much difficulty in refining his mechanics, and as he does, he should continue to improve on his walk totals (3.4 BB/9 in 2014 down from 4.1 BB/9 in 2013).

If he fulfills his lofty potential, Garrett should slot in as a No. 3 starter. Even if he misses the mark, he should be able to refine his breaking ball enough to make him a competent reliever in high-leverage situations.

Watch the way Garrett attacks the strike zone against more advanced hitters. He may not log many innings, but he can tell us a lot about his development in the way he goes after opposing hitters this spring.

Robert Stephenson (RHP)

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Robert Stephenson's stock took a bit of a hit in 2014, as the 21-year-old muddled through 26 starts (27 appearances), allowing a 4.75 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP over 136.1 innings pitched.

Control issues reared their ugly head, and at times, Stephenson looked timid in the way he attacked the strike zone, allowing a career worst 4.9 BB/9. Despite his disappointing walk totals, the young righty maintained high strikeout totals, averaging a solid 9.2 K/9 last year.

His arsenal signals the potential for him to develop into a front-end starter. The California native pairs a plus-plus fastball with a curveball that is currently a plus pitch and a potentially above-average changeup that is still developing.

Stephenson's question mark has been—and until he straightens things out, always will be—his control.

There is some violence and effort in his delivery, and it will be interesting to see what (if any) changes he has made this offseason. If he's able to make strides this spring and in the season that follows, Stephenson could step into the rotation as soon as mid-2015.

This spring, be sure to watch for big numbers on the radar gun and, aside from his strikeout totals, low numbers in the final box score.

Jesse Winker (OF)

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Despite the presence of Robert Stephenson (who was already profiled in this piece), Jesse Winker may just be the best prospect in the Reds system.

Winker, a 21-year-old outfielder from Orlando, Florida, possesses offensive intangibles beyond his years including outstanding plate discipline and a refined approach that could make him an on-base-machine as soon as mid-to-late 2015. 

Calling him an on-base-machine isn't a knock on his hit tool though—it seems to be used that way when referencing Joey Votto—as Winker's hit tool is arguably the best of any left-handed hitter in the minors.

Last season, Winker had a banner year despite missing a big chunk of the second half with a wrist injury. In just 74 games, he managed a .287/.399/.518 batting line with 15 home runs, 20 doubles, 57 RBI, 57 runs scored and a ratio of 68 strikeouts to 54 walks.

The young outfielder managed those impressive numbers despite missing nearly half the year, but what he did in the Arizona Fall League was equally impressive.

While coming back from his wrist injury, Winker logged 68 at-bats in the AFL, winning the league's batting title while posting a .338/.440/.559 batting line with three home runs, four doubles, 18 RBI, 14 runs scored and a ratio of 17 strikeouts to 14 walks.

Winker's bat has never been in question, but some believe that his defensive abilities will present a challenge at the big league level. These concerns seem overstated though, as Winker has proved to be a competent left fielder in the minors.

The Olympia High School product displays solid instincts and a purposeful first step, which generally allows him to take efficient routes to the ball. He's not going to win any Gold Gloves, but he's not going to cost the Reds games either.

Keep an eye on Winker this spring and you might just catch a glimpse of a future All-Star in the making.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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