Red Reporter\u2019s annual crowdsourcing is here! The 2026 Community Prospect Rankings begin now!<\/p>\n
Perhaps more than any year in recent memory, the top ranking down on the Cincinnati Reds farm isn\u2019t completely obvious. The club has sported the likes of Chase Burns and Elly De La Cruz atop their minor league rankings over the last handful of years, the type of tantalizing prospects who\u2019ve combined both elite talent and the numbers to match it as they rose to the top of the list. Elite tools that jump directly off the page, with Elly\u2019s speed and power and Burns\u2019 ability to absolutely destroy hitters with 100+ mph heat and an ankle-breaking slider.<\/p>\n
The 2026 edition has several quite incredible prospects, to be sure, it\u2019s just that their skills don\u2019t wow you in an overtly athletic way like Elly and Chase. Speed and velocity are not the calling cards of Sal Stewart, of Rhett Lowder, or of Alfredo Duno. Still, that trio has the makings of a franchise catcher who hits for power, a guy who legitimately could hit .300 or flirt with a .400 OBP, and a rotation cog who may well lead the club in K\/BB for years to come.<\/p>\n
There are also some highly touted prospects still working their way back from injuries like Cam Collier and Edwin Arroyo, guys whose upside isn\u2019t fully reflected in their work over the last year (or more). There\u2019s also the tantalizing upside of youngsters Steele Hall and Tyson Lewis, who project well but simply haven\u2019t had enough time to show it.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what y\u2019all are here for! It\u2019s up to you, the Red Reporter community, to rank these prospects, and rank them we will begin to do just about every day for the next month as we barrel ever closer to spring training in Goodyear, Arizona.<\/p>\n
Now, for the voting on the top prospect in the Cincinnati Reds system, with the the first wave of candidates listed in no particular order. We\u2019ll add more names as the voting rolls on, and if there\u2019s someone not listed you think is deserving let us know in the comments.<\/p>\n
Steele Hall, SS (18 years old)<\/p>\n
2025 at a glance: Drafted 9th overall in the 1st round of the 2025 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds out of Hewitt-Trussville HS (AL); 2025 Mr. Baseball in the state of Alabama, once committed to powerhouse University of Tennessee before signing with the Reds for $5.75 million<\/p>\n
Pros: Speed, and plenty of it; projectable power and potential five-tool player whose defense and arm look like they\u2019ll play plenty well at short; just 17 years old when drafted after reclassifying a year early<\/p>\n
Cons: It\u2019s all still \u2018projectable\u2019 as, again, he just turned 18 after the draft and has zero professional PA to show for it<\/p>\n
Hall reclassified to the class of 2025 despite originally being part of the class of 2026, and the Reds – who\u2019d been scouting him already – thought he had the talent to eventually mature into a player who\u2019d be in the mix for the #1 overall pick in 2026. So, when he was there at pick #9 in 2025, they jumped at the chance to sign him, knowing full well there was no rush for his development.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s drawn comparisons to the likes of Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson, which is pretty damn lofty. Despite not having played a pro game and still being just 18, he\u2019s ranked 79th in MLB Pipeline\u2019s list of the Top 100 overall prospects in the game. How quickly he can physically mature and adapt to breaking balls at the top levels remains to be seen, but the speed, glove, and arm all look like they\u2019ll be big-league caliber in very short order.<\/p>\n
Sal Stewart, 3B\/1B\/2B (22 years old)<\/p>\n
2025 at a glance: .255\/.293\/.545 (.839 OPS) in 58 PA with Cincinnati Reds; .309\/.383\/.525 (.907 OPS) with 20 HR in 494 PA split between AA Chattanooga (Southern League) and AAA Louisville (International League)<\/p>\n
Pros: Elite strike zone recognition, 60 grade hit tool with plus in-game power; A-grade mustache and just lost 26 lbs with aims of being in The Best Shape of His Life\u2122 by spring training<\/p>\n
Cons: Still searching for his best defensive position<\/p>\n
The Reds were in desperate need of thump down the stretch in 2025, and they called up young Sal at age 21 to provide it. Provide it he did, mashing a team-best 5 dingers in September\/October and providing an instant spark.<\/p>\n
He clubbed 20 homers in just 118 minor league games last year. He once walked more than he struck out during his time with Daytona in the Florida State League. He\u2019s hit absolutely everywhere he\u2019s been, and looked like he\u2019ll continue to do that with the Reds, too.<\/p>\n
The only question now is where he\u2019ll play. The Reds went out and got batless Ke\u2019Bryan Hayes and his Gold Glove to be their 3B for the present and future, and Spencer Steer – himself a Gold Glove finalist at 1B last season – looks settled at 1B. Dooming a newly-minted 22 year old to DH-only duties seems extreme, so the most likely scenario is that the Reds will try to slide Sal into the lineup defensively here, there, and everywhere, the hope being that uncertainty doesn\u2019t impact his hitting ability.<\/p>\n
Rhett Lowder, RHP (24 years old)<\/p>\n
2025 at a glance: 11 ER, 15 H, 13\/3 K\/BB in 9.1 IP split between ACL Reds (Arizona Complex League), A+ Dayton Dragons (Midwest League), and AAA Louisville Bats (International League); 5 ER, 9 H, 8\/1 K\/BB in 9.0 IP with Peoria Javelinas (Arizona Fall League)<\/p>\n
Pros: Pounds the strike zone; mixes both a four-seam and two-seam fastball with an elite changeup that paints the edges of the zone while also working in a developing slider<\/p>\n
Cons: Mostly lost 2025 season due to forearm and oblique strains<\/p>\n
Lowder will turn 24 in March prior to the start of the 2026 season, and for his birthday we should all chip in and gift him some good health. He didn\u2019t have that at all last year, the forearm issue derailing him before he could ever get started and the oblique strain derailing the already derailed derailment. He did finally make a return to the mound in AFL play in October, and pitched well enough to show he was healthy (and looked healthy enough for me to mostly ignore that small-sample of stats).<\/p>\n
He has incredible command and feel on the mound, pounding both sides of the zone to both lefties and righties. He can run his fastball up to 97 mph, though velocity isn\u2019t what makes his stuff work – it\u2019s in the movement.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s one of Cincinnati\u2019s five-best starting pitchers, with the only question being how aggressive the Reds will be with him early in 2026. They may ease him back at the AAA level with plans on him having plenty of innings in his arm in the season\u2019s second half, meaning it could be even more time since we see him back in Cincinnati after his impressive cameo at the end of 2024.<\/p>\n
Alfredo Duno, C (20 years old)<\/p>\n
2025 at a glance: .287\/.430\/.518 (.948 OPS) with 18 HR and 95\/91 BB\/K in 495 PA with Class-A Daytona Tortugas (Florida State League); .213\/.356\/.298 in 59 PA with Peoria Javelinas (Arizona Fall League)<\/p>\n
Pros: Immense power, more walks than strikeouts, and developing into a good enough defensive catcher that he\u2019ll be able to stick there long-term (with a big arm, to boot)<\/p>\n
Cons: A few notable injuries have sidelined him so far; will he get too big to stay behind the plate?<\/p>\n
Duno led all players in the Florida State League in homers (18). He led the entire league in walks (95), ranked 2nd in both OBP (.430) and SLG (.518), and led the whole league in OPS (.948). The only guy who really threatened his lead in rate stats was Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin, who MLB Pipeline now rates as the #1 prospect in all of baseball.<\/p>\n
All that from a catcher with a plus arm and good enough defense to stick there. That\u2019s pretty damn elite!<\/p>\n
Duno is the catcher of the future for the Reds, and given their reluctance to extend Tyler Stephenson long-term it sure feels like that future is going to be present pretty dang soon. Very interested to see how aggressive they get with his promotions during the 2026 season, as he\u2019ll likely start with A+ Dayton and move quickly if he\u2019s doing what we all expect him to do.<\/p>\n
Tyson Lewis, SS (20 years old)<\/p>\n
2025 at a glance: .340\/.396\/.532 (.928 OPS) in 207 PA with ACL Reds (Arizona Complex League); .268\/.347\/.417 (.765 OPS) in 144 PA with Class-A Daytona Tortugas (Florida State League)<\/p>\n
Pros: Statcast darling with elite exit velocity and power with his left-handed swing; elite athleticism and plus speed gives him a chance to stick at SS long term, though a move off the position seems likely<\/p>\n
Cons: Struck out at an alarming 35.4% rate with Daytona (and at an alarming 29.1% rate overall last year); .432 BABIP across all leagues last year screams \u2018regression\u2019<\/p>\n