Reds’ Top Prospects To Make Opening Day Rotation

By Wayne Cavadi | Mar 26, 2015

The Cincinnati Reds’ pitching staff is led by one of the best pitchers in baseball. Filling in the spots behind him has been priority number one for the Reds this spring, especially after losing two-fifths of 2014’s rotation to trades. Gone are Mat Latos and and Alfredo Simon. It appears that two of the Reds’ Top 10 pitching prospects will be filling the void.

The Reds’ swapped pitchers this offseason when they sent Latos to the Miami Marlins for their pitching prospect Anthony DeSclafani. DeSclafani, who was acquired by the Marlins in the Mark Buehrle deal, worked his way up the Minor League ladder and made his big league debut last season. It wasn’t pretty.

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The 24-year old righty let up 23 runs over his first 33 Major League innings. He did strikeout 26 while only walking five over that span, so perhaps that’s what the Reds saw in him when they made him their target in the Latos’ deal. DeSclafani returned to the Arizona Fall League after his big league stint, where he returned to form, taking home Week 5 AZFL Pitcher of the Week honors. That was all the Reds needed to see.

DeSclafani is coming off his best start of an impressive spring, registering his first win over six shutout innings. He struck out 9 while allowing just four hits, although he did walk three. Still he showed he was able to get in and out of trouble with ease, lowering his spring training ERA to 1.83 over five appearances.

He has all but locked up the fourth slot in the rotation as it appears Paul Maholm is heading to the bullpen and Homer Bailey will start the year on the DL. He will bring a four pitch arsenal, highlighted by his sinking fastball. He throws strikes and is hard to hit when he doesn’t get lost up in the zone. He brings an above average curve and slider with his changeup still a work in progress.

The Reds made another big signing on the international market, bringing on Cuban pitcher Raisel Iglesias. Little was known about how the 25-year old righty because he hasn’t played organized ball since defecting from Cuba in November of 2013. Scouts liked what they saw during their two scouting visits, and brought him aboard.

The former reliever looks to have the fifth rotation slot locked down, at least until Bailey returns when he may be sent back to the bullpen or down to the minors to remain as a starter. He too, like DeSclafani, has a four pitch arsenal. His mid-90s fastball is joined by an above-average slider and curveball, while he has developed a changeup he had not used last time he pitched professionally.

"“They felt he had four quality pitches,” Reds’ GM Walt Jocketty told MLB.com when signing Iglesias last season. “They felt he could be a starter and be a starter very soon. They’ve seen him pitch several times three innings of relief, and when we get him to the United States and a little bit stronger, we feel he’ll be a starter in the next year or so, hopefully.”"

Apparently, Jocketty and his scouts were correct.

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Iglesias was having a phenomenal spring until his last outing. He started off by going 7.2 innings while striking out six and allowing no runs to score. His last start saw Iglesias banged up for three runs over three innings, however it wasn’t nearly as bad as it sounds. He struck out four batters, and of the 26 pitches he threw, 24 landed for strikes, leading to no walks.

The Reds’ are a team in transition. Where they have budding stars on the right side of thirty in Todd Frazier, Devin Mesoraco, and Billy Hamilton, they have time tested veterans like Marlon Byrd, Joey Votto, and Brandon Phillips. Injecting this rotation with youth could propel the Reds’ back into contention. Should Iglesias and DeSclafani succeed, with 27-year old fireballer Aroldis Chapman closing out games and No. 1 prospect Robert Stephenson waiting in the wings, the Reds could be set for a long time.

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