The Venezuelan Winter League starts up on Tuesday, October 14th. But on Wednesday night the league held their annual draft. There were two Cincinnati Reds prospects that were taken among the 10 rounds and 73 players who were selected.
Pablo Nunez was a 1st round pick, going 6th overall to the Aguilas del Zulia. Nunez signed with the Reds out of Venezuela back in January of 2024. He played for the Dominican Summer League Rojos that season and hit .257/.371/.343 with 11 steals, 24 walks, and 16 strikeouts in 46 games.
This past year he spent his entire 2025 season with the Dominican Summer League Reds and he made some big improvements. In his 36 games with the Reds he hit .327/.542/.413 with 16 steals, 41 walks, and just six strikeouts. The left-handed hitting 18-year-old was brought to the US once the Arizona Complex League season came to an end and he participated in the bridge league and instructional league with the Reds from the end of July through September. Those games are all unofficial and we don’t have stats for them. With his moving up, though, it’s a likely sign that Pablo Nunez will be in Arizona next year for the minor league season.
(Video of Pablo Nunez while in the Dominican Summer League in 2025)
Anthuan Valencia was taken in the 8th round, 57th overall, by the Tigres de Aragua. The journey for Valencia from signing day to draft night was a bit longer. Valencia signed with the Reds in January of 2022 and he spent the 2022-2024 seasons in the Dominican Summer League. He improved his numbers each season, but he didn’t stand out.
In 2025 he joined the organization’s team in Arizona and in his 34 games he broke out for the Arizona Complex League Reds. The 20-year-old played left field, right field, shortstop, second base, and third base this season and while in Arizona he hit .313/.382/.458 with 12 extra-base hits. He then spent a seven games with Single-A Daytona before his season came to an end at the end of July. Valencia set career highs in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, doubles, and extra-base hits.
You can see the career stats for Anthuan Valencia here.
Just like in the Dominican Winter League draft, being selected does not necessarily mean that a guy will be playing. This just means that if they do decide to play in the league one day that this team will have the rights to them.