2012 Draft Report Cards: Cincinnati Reds

By John Manuel
October 22, 2012

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See also: Draft Report Card Index

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POSITION PLAYERS

QUICK TAKE

The Reds put a premium on finding bats going into the draft but couldn't pass up Travieso. Then they landed potential impact position players in Winker, Gelalich, Mejias-Brean and Peterson.

Bonus spending: $7.5 million

Best Pure Hitter: OF Jesse Winker (1s) established a reputation for a balanced, strong swing as an amateur, when he worked out with ex-big leaguer David Eckstein and his brother Rick. Winker enhanced his reputation by hitting .338/.443/.500 in the Rookie-level Pioneer League. Best Power Hitter: 3B Seth Mejias-Brean (8) hit only one homer in the spring for College World Series champion Arizona, then hit eight in the Pioneer League after adding loft to his swing. At 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, he has the strength and size to maintain his power jump. Fastest Runner: OF Jeff Gelalich (1s) has plus speed, giving him a slight edge over fellow Pacific-12 Conference products OF Beau Amaral (7), his former teammate at UCLA, and Mejias-Brean. Best Defensive Player: While he's no burner, Amaral has tremendous instincts and is a quality center fielder. Mejias-Brean moves well for his size and has the hands and arm strength for third.

PITCHERS

Best Fastball: The first two pitchers Cincinnati drafted have fastballs that sit in the mid-90s. RHP Nick Travieso (1) hit 98 in the spring and topped out at 96 this summer. RHP Dan Langfield (3) hits 97 mph regularly in shorter stints and may do so as a starter after smoothing out his delivery with professional coaching. RHP Jeremy Kivel (10) blew out his knee and missed most of the spring, but a fastball clocked up to 95 mph before he got hurt earned him a $500,000 bonus. Best Secondary Pitch: Langfield's downer curveball has power and depth. Travieso's slider lacks consistency but shows flashes of becoming a plus pitch with mid-80s power. He didn't start throwing it much until last spring.

Best Pro Debut: Winker led the Pioneer League in on-base percentage and ranked third in batting. Mejias-Brean nearly matched him with a .925 OPS. Langfield shined with a 2.68 ERA, 54 strikeouts and one homer allowed in 37 Pioneer League innings. Best Athlete: Amaral, Mejias-Brean and SS Brent Peterson (12), a versatile middle infielder who runs well, all deserve mention. Most Intriguing Background: Peterson has a brother in the Army and spurned the Reds as a 17th-round pick out of high school in 2010 to attend West Point. He hit .255 as a freshman before transferring back home to Bakersfield (Calif.) JC in 2012. Amaral's father Rich was a big league utilityman for parts of 10 seasons. Unsigned OF Kyle Wren (30) is the son of Braves GM Frank. Closest To The Majors: Langfield, particularly if it's as a reliever. Best Late-Round Pick: Peterson. Also keep an eye on RHP Jackson Stephens (18), who touches 94 mph, and SS Zach Vincej (37), a grinder out of Pepperdine who batted .336 at Billings. The One Who Got Away: LHP Matt Boyd (13) improved significantly this summer in the Cape Cod League, hitting 96 mph before returning to Oregon State, and will be one of the top seniors in the 2013 draft.