Meet the position player prospects in Reds' big league camp

Last year, the Louisville Bats (Triple-A) were counting on a lot of veteran position players, and the Chattanooga Lookouts (Double-A) were statistically one of the worst teams in Minor League Baseball. There weren’t many regulars at those levels who were ranked on the Reds’ top prospect lists.

That should change in 2025 with Edwin Arroyo back healthy and with the core of last year’s standout Dayton Dragons (High-A) team moving up through the system.

Sal Stewart is a throwback player in the best way, and I’m buying a lot of stock in this guy.

“In a day and age where we look for launch angle, we forget the skill of being a hitter,” Stewart said. “It clicked for me knowing who I am. I know who I am when I prepare. And I’m confident in that.”

In Dayton last year, Stewart said that Dragons manager Vince Harrison told him to “be the guy” on that team. He’s one of the hardest workers in the farm system and has developed into a versatile player who can play second and third base. Stewart can hit for average and hit for power, and his biggest strength is his ability to use the entire field.

When he talks about hitting, he sounds a lot older that 21 years old. He also looks very strong for his age. He’s on his way to being a household name for Reds’ fans.

“If you see all the playoff teams and World Series champions, they have good hitters first and the power comes,” Stewart said. “That’s a lost art in the sport. I feel like I’ll do what I do because being a good hitter helps you win games. It doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. It shows up in the win column.I look forward to continuing to do that.”

Cam Collier was Stewart’s running mate in the middle of Dayton’s lineup last year. The 20-year-old’s biggest strength is his pull power, and he ranked second in the High-A Midwest League with 20 homers last year.

He went on some incredible heaters at the plate, and he went into some terrible lulls. He hit .248 with a .798 OPS on the season.

“I’ve got to work on what was going wrong over the down weeks,” Collier said. “I’ll look at the video and make sure I don’t have those this year. It was a part of the plan. This year, we’ll build on that and cut those stretches down.”

Collier is also starting to play some first base in addition to third base.

At the end of the year, the message that he got from the player development staff was that he had to get in better shape. He made some good progress over the winter.

“I went into the offseason a bit overweight,” Collier said. “They told me at instructs make sure you come in next year in shape and can play over a lot of games. I cut out the fast food, the sweet stuff and the snacks. I ate good meals. It’s night and day. It allows me to be more mobile. It allows me to move and stretch a lot more and get a lot more of my legs in my swing.”

Edwin Arroyo gave a reminder of what he brings to the table in the spring training opener with a terrific diving play at shortstop. He has been appearing in big league spring training games for three years now, and the 21-year-old has always been confident and fluid in the field. He still has room to develop, but he looks ready for the speed of the game in the same way that a young Matt McLain did.

Also like McLain, Arroyo had shoulder surgery last year and missed the entire season. When he started swinging again, the switch-hitting Arroyo took some time to get comfortable from the right side.

“At the beginning, it took some time from the right side,” Arroyo said. “The left side was good from the first day. The right side took some time to warm up. It’s ready to go now. No issues. Nothing I have to worry about.”

He hit .243 with a .749 OPS in High-A in 2023, and Arroyo is seeking out the next step as a hitter. When he’s at his best, he’s able to see the ball for a while. He also has shown some nice carry on his fly balls, and he continues to grow into his power as he gets older.

Cooper Bowman is in camp as a Rule 5 pick and has to make the team to stick in the organization. Last year, he hit .262 and stole 43 bases between Double-A and Triple-A in the Athletics’ organization. He can play any almost position and his speed is his biggest strength.

“Defense and base running will be my key to stay here,” Bowman said. “I’m trying to play absolutely anywhere on the diamond. I'll just go out there and play. I consider myself a gamer. I play hard and play a lot of positions.”

He had a unique introduction to the Reds’ organization. Right after he got picked in the Rule 5 draft, he got a call from Terry Francona.

“He made an early connection because he was born in South Dakota,” Bowman said. “That’s where I’m from. Small world. I’ve never met anyone else in pro ball from South Dakota.”

Rece Hinds broke onto the scene in the big leagues with a historic series of home runs, and everyone knows about his incredible raw power. He didn’t stick in the big leagues because he didn’t make consistent contact and struck out in over 30% of his at-bats. In Triple-A, Hinds hit .208 with a .658 OPS in 2024.

“Obviously, making my debut was a really cool thing,” Hinds said. “I came out and made a statement. I put a little mark on who Rece Hinds is. Obviously, the negative is we didn’t end up in the playoffs. That’s the biggest goal for everyone in this locker room. Make the playoffs and see how far we can make it.”

Hinds made some adjustments during the offseason.

“It’s seeing how consistent I can get the barrel to the ball,” Hinds said. “Everyone has seen what I can do when I do that. If I do that more consistently, I can help the team win in many games.”

He doesn’t have to be a 30 home run hitter to have a place on the roster this year. There’s value in a bench bat who can serve as a home run threat in pinch-hit opportunities who also adds value with his speed and defense. Hinds’ speed and defense are underrated, and he stole 20 bases in Triple-A last year.

Blake Dunn also got some run in the big leagues last year, hitting .154 in 19 games. In Triple-A, he hit .240 with a .690 OPS.

At this point last year, Dunn was coming off of a breakthrough season where he hit 23 homers and stole 54 bags in the minor leagues. He wasn't able to build on that in 2024. Dunn was slowed by an elbow injury early in camp last year, got banged up a few times during the season and was hit by pitches in the helmet more than any player should.

“Getting my feet wet in the big leagues was a goal of mine last year,” Dunn said. “I had higher expectations for myself. I dealt with a few little injury things here and there. The every day aspect of going out there and putting out your best effort, you obviously want to go out there and succeed.”

At the plate, he has started standing a bit taller to give him a better shot against the inside pitch. It’s an example of making an adjustment to the adjustment based on what he learned in the big leagues.

Dunn, 26 years old, is quietly one of the fastest players in baseball. He’s seeing his power coming back during spring training, but he can make his biggest impact by putting the ball in play

“If I hit gap to gap and let the backspin take the ball over the fence, then they go over the fence,” Dunn said. “I don’t think of myself as a 20 homer guy. If it happens, it happens, the doubles turn into runs (they can really turn into triples for Dunn). It’s better for me to let my speed take over. If the power comes, it’s an added benefit.”

Tyler Callihan has had a tough run of injuries during his pro career. He has also bounced between second base, first base and left field as he searches for a home defensively. He’s a sound hitter with some pop and could be one of the Reds’ first call-ups if they need an infielder this year. The Reds liked what they saw from him last year and added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Hector Rodriguez is a very aggressive hitter who spent last year in A-ball and was the only Reds outfield without any big league experience who received an invite to big league camp (excluding Bowman). That in itself is a sign of where he stacks up on their internal prospect list.

Jacob Hurtubise showed the type of player that he is during his stint in the big leagues last year. He focuses on putting the ball in play and contributes with his speed. He has to hit better in 2025.

Ivan Johnson is another infield prospect in the upper-levels of the system. He can play just about anywhere and finished very strong in Triple-A (.896 OPS over 46 games). The 26-year-old is not ranked as a top-30 prospect by MLB Pipeline.

Michael Trautwein was the lone catching prospect who got the invite to big league camp. He’s great at working with the pitching staff. He hit .195 in the minors last year.