SCOTTSDALE, Arizona – It wasn’t the Arizona Fall League season that Jonathan India envisioned for himself. He went hitless in his first 23 at-bats, then he was shut down for the final week of the six-week season because of a wrist injury.

India, the No. 5 pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, was solid at High-A Daytona in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League and hit well in 34 games at Double-A Chattanooga at the end of the minor league season. The Cincinnati Reds sent him to the Fall League to give him more experience at second base and a chance to play against top competition.

Instead, it was more of a learning experience. Playing for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Fall League, India hit .133 with three homers and 10 RBI in 18 games. He drew eight walks and struck out 21 times.

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What was the main cause for his problems at the plate?

“I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you,” India said. “It’s just part of baseball. That’s what I think. It’s part of the game. I’ve never been through something like that, but hey, it’s good to learn through that. Good thing it happened now than later on in my career. It was a good learning experience for me.”

India is ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the organization by MLB.com, behind pitchers Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, and No. 93 on the Top 100 prospects list. The Reds drafted him for his advanced approach at the plate and thought he had a similar profile to Nick Senzel.

The 22-year-old third baseman has been solid, but not great, during his minor league career. At Daytona, he hit .256 with 15 doubles, five triples, eight homers and 30 RBI in 87 games, posting a .346 on-base percentage.

Scouts who saw India play at Daytona said he was pitched backward, receiving more off-speed pitches early in counts than a typical hitter. He was challenged by pitchers more when he was promoted to Chattanooga in July, recording a .414 OBP with three doubles, three homers and 14 RBI in 111 at-bats.

At the Fall League, it was another adjustment to advanced pitchers.

“These guys throw a lot of off-speed,” India said. “You expect them to challenge you a lot with fastballs, and they do, but they are here to strike you out. They aren’t here to let you hit their fastball, challenge you. Everyone is a good pitcher here. It’s the best of the best. I learned the hard way.”

India dealt with a minor wrist pain throughout the month, but the Reds decided to shut him down after he played on Oct. 19.

“I’m all right,” India said. “It’s a slight sprain or something, but I can play. I’m fine.”

Glendale manager Luis Bolivar, the manager for the Reds’ affiliate at Class-A Dayton, felt India was starting to show progress at the plate before his wrist injury ended his Fall League season. India hit three homers in a four-game stretch, though his strikeouts were up.

“I feel bad for him because he finally started to put it together a little bit, good at-bats and hitting the ball hard, too,” Bolivar said. “And then he got hurt. He’s a guy that has a good approach at the plate. He can change the game at any time. He can put the ball over the fence."

Despite India’s struggles at the plate, Bolivar said India played solid defense at second base. As versatility becomes more valuable at the Major League level, India has experience at third base, second base and shortstop.

"He embraced it well," Bolivar said of India playing second base. "He did a terrific job there for being a first-time player there. He worked hard on turning plays and positioning and stuff. It’s a different angle from third base to second base, and he did a great job there.”

Playing in professional baseball for a full season, India described the entire year as a learning experience. He admits there were a lot of ups and downs.

“It’s a different feel than college,” India said. “But I had a good year. It was fun for me to battle this year.”