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Reds’ MiLB News: Reds Proceeding with Caution on Top Prospect

By Wayne Cavadi

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The Cincinnati Reds’ are apparently in no rush to get their top prospect to the big leagues.

“Robert Stephenson will most likely be off the mound a couple of days behind because we want to make sure his shoulder is totally strong and he’s headed in a great direction,” Reds manager Bryan Price told MLB.com when pitchers and catchers reported. “He won’t be throwing on the side today if you’re looking for him. He’s a couple of days behind because we want to be cautious, and that’s it.”

Stephenson is the top prospect in the Reds’ system and considered a Top 50 prospect in all of Major League Baseball. The 6 foot 3, 190 pound righty was drafted in the first round of the 2011 draft, selected 27th overall by the Cincinnati Reds. By 2013 he was a Top 100 Prospect by Baseball America, MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus and the following season he jumped to a Top 25 Prospect across the board. 

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The soon-to-be 22 year old had a rough 2014 season that saw him go 7-10 with a 4.74 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP with 140 strikeout over 136.2 innings in his first full season at Double-A. He showed a bit of a struggle with free passes, walking a career high 74 batters and hitting a career worst five more. Still, he was able to earn a MLB Futures Game selection and was name a Mid-Season All Star in the Southern League for Pensacola. Despite the drop in rankings, he is Major League bound much sooner than later.

His ticket to the big leagues rests on a fastball that hits the high-90s. It has touched 100 miles per hour, but consistently hits 96 to 97 miles per hour and is what JJ Cooper of Baseball America calls his “blow-away-hitters pitch.” Stephenson controls his fastball with premium velocity and batters are often left far behind as the ball comes at the plate.

He also has an above average curveball. It grades out at a 70 and he hits it for strikes frequently. His changeup grades out at a 50, giving him three major league ready pitches. Simply put, Stephenson is a strike thrower. He has his game down and for the most part isn’t all over the place searching for the strike zone. At this point, it seem that it is simply about getting his arm ready to go deeper into games over a longer season.

The Reds’ will ease Stephenson into spring training, holding him off of the mound for a few more days. There are question marks in the Reds’ rotation with inconsistent fireballer Tony Cingrani and fellow top prospect Anthony DeSclafani seemingly competing for Opening Day rotation spots. If Stephenson exhibits the patience of a veteran and fine tunes his already sharp game this spring, even if he doesn’t break camp on the 25-man roster, the Reds won’t be able to hold him back much longer. Expect to see Stephenson in the rotation in 2015.

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