We are back today to move on to the third part of the 2026 Cincinnati Reds Top 25 Prospects list. Everyday this week we will unveil five new spots on the list, working our way through the best 25 prospects in the organization. If you were supporting the site on Patreon then you would have already been able to see the entire Top 25 list last week and had early access to this and plenty of other benefits throughout the year. Click here to see what all you can get for helping keep the site alive and kicking via support through Patreon.

These write ups are not full scouting reports. Those will be included with the Season Reviews, which will start next week – first working my way through the Top 25 prospects before then branching out into another group of 20-25 prospects that are outside of that top 25 through the remainder of the offseason.

*To be eligible for the list a player must have 2026 Rookie of the Year eligibility (Fewer than 130 at bats in the big leagues, fewer than 50 innings pitched, or less than 45 days on the active MLB roster)*

All ages listed are as of April 1st, 2026

11. Adolfo Sanchez | OF | Age: 19

2025 Teams: DSL Reds | Acquired: International FA, 2024 | Height: 6′ 1″ | Weight: 185 lbs | B/T: L/L

What to like: After struggling in his professional debut in 2024, Sanchez went to work in the offseason and changed up his swing mechanics. Those changes helped pay off in a big way as he crushed the ball in 2025. Not only did he hit well but he also cut his strikeout rate from 34% to 14% while maintaining a high walk rate.

What he needs to improve on: A bit of everything. He has yet to play outside of the Dominican Republic at this point in his career and he just turned 19-years-old in late September. There’s a lot of development ahead of him.

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2025 Stats

12. Leo Balcazar | SS | Age: 21

2025 Teams: Dayton/Chattanooga | Acquired: International FA, 2021 | Height: 5′ 11″ | Weight: 190 lbs | B/T: R/R

What to like: After struggling for much of 2024 when he came back from ACL surgery, Leo Balcazar looked like the player he was before the injury. The athleticism was back and he made big improvements in his contact rate, dropping his strikeout rate to 13% and it was 11% in Double-A. He’s been in the Arizona Fall League over the last five weeks and he’s been showing off impressive exit velocities.

What he needs to work on: He showed off solid power while in Dayton in the first half, but when he got to Chattanooga his power disappeared. Part of that was due to his groundball rate jumping up, so he’s going to need to elevate the ball a bit more moving forward.

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2025 Stats

13. Liberts Aponte | SS | Age: 18

2025 Teams: DSL Rojos | Acquired: International FA, 2025 | Height: 6′ 0″ | Weight: 160 lbs | B/T: R/R

What to like: The biggest international signing by the Reds this year, Aponte was know for his advanced glove at shortstop. While he’s still expected to be a good defender, he out-homered the rest of his team as he hit seven home runs while the team only had 13 total on the year. He walked nearly as often as he struck out and showed off plenty of tools in his debut.

What he needs to work on: Generally speaking he needs to work on everything. He turned 18 last week and has never played a game outside of the Dominican Republic as a professional. While he’s known for his defense, he did post a .907 fielding percentage and will need to clean some things up – time will almost assuredly help with that, but so will better fields and usually better first basemen. He also hit just .247 this year despite making plenty of contact, so that’s going to have to improve.

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2025 Stats

14. Carlos Jorge | OF | Age: 22

2025 Teams: Dayton | Acquired: International FA, 2021 | Height: 5′ 9″ | Weight: 160 lbs | B/T: L/R

What to like: He’s a standout defender in center field. His speed also stands out and he uses it well on the bases. After struggling in Dayton in 2024 he took steps forward at the plate, lowering his strikeout rate from 31% to 19% and raising his on-base percentage by 50 points.

What he needs to work on: With more contact in 2025 came less power. Jorge isn’t likely going to ever be a real power hitter, but he’s shown solid pop in the past but this year was far and away the lowest amount of power he’s hit for in his career.

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2025 Stats

15. Aaron Watson | RHP | Age: 19

2025 Team: Did Not Play | Acquired: 2nd Round, 2025 Draft | Height: 6′ 5″ | Weight: 205 lbs | B/T: R/R

What to like: He’s a big-bodied pitcher who is already throwing four pitches that are all average or better. Watson threw plenty of strikes in high school and there’s a solid starting pitcher upside here.

What he needs to work on: He didn’t make his pro debut in 2025 like most draft picks. He’s going to have to show that he can get out other professionals. His frame suggests there’s room for plenty of projection, but he’s got actually do that over the next few years.

Click here to see the other parts of this series.