MLB team’s young players are worth a second look
If you rewind to March 2021, there were virtually no expectations for Jonathan India. He was a former fifth overall pick back in 2018 who had an inconsistent minor league career, slowed by a nagging wrist injury. India had an impressive spring training in 2021, and, to the surprise of many, found his way on the opening day roster. India started out his 2021 season in the big leagues slowly, and as the calendar turned to June appeared destined to get sent down to AAA when other players returned healthy. Reds manager David Bell stuck India in the leadoff spot on June 5 as a gamble to try to fix a longstanding issue with the team. India never batted anywhere else in the lineup again as his season took off, and he ended up winning the National League Rookie of the Year.
Jonathan India represents a new youth movement among the Reds. The Reds will still have veterans like Joey Votto, but there is a clear direction with the team to get younger talent on the field.
At press time, the lockout in Major League Baseball was still in full effect. The off-season has been covered by a dark cloud of uncomfortable labor negations, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile to take some time to look at the Reds’ younger players as the season fast approaches.
The other young rising star on the Reds is catcher Tyler Stephenson. He was eased into catching duties last season as the Reds still had veteran Tucker Barnhart behind the plate. Stephenson had a great first season and appears poised for a breakout season now that Barnhart is gone. Former Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco said that when the Reds traded Ryan Hanigan, it was a major boost of confidence going into the next season. Mesoraco had an all-star season the next year in 2014. The Reds could have similar results with Tyler Stephenson in 2022.
India and Stephenson have established themselves as big league players, and now it will be time for the rest of the young Reds talent to rise. Baseball America ranked the Reds as the seventh best farm system in baseball. The Reds have multiple players ready—or very close to ready—at the start of 2022. The Reds have a raw, young, but very talented shortstop in Jose Barrero who barely got his feet wet in the big leagues in 2021. Barrero ranks as the 33rd best prospect in baseball according to Baseball America. Barrero is extremely athletic and poised to play a great defensive shortstop, while providing a great deal of power in his bat that should translate well to Great American Ballpark.
The other Reds players ready to contribute in 2022 are two starting pitchers. Hunter Greene was the second overall pick in the 2017 draft and ranks as the 35th best prospect in baseball according to Baseball America. Nick Lodolo was the seventh overall pick in the 2019 draft and ranks just one spot behind Greene at 36th on the top 100 prospects. The two pitchers are very different—Greene will light up the radar gun, while Lodolo is the crafty lefty. Both pitchers have all the talent to be mainstays in the Reds rotation.
The Reds are building a very exciting young core of players as the 2022 season approaches. There will likely be some growing pains along the way, but the future is very bright in the coming years for the Reds. It will be enjoyable to watch this young group rise while one of the greatest Reds of all-time, Joey Votto, finishes off his hall of fame worthy career over the next couple years.
Nick Kirby has been a staff writer for Redleg Nation since 2013. Nick is an active member of the Reds social media community, and his Reds tweets are featured on Bleacher Report. Nick is also the co-host of Late Night Reds Talk, a weekly live Reds show that is ranked as a top 20 Cincinnati podcast by Feedspot.
