C. Trent Rosecrans

crosecrans@enquirer.com

The Blog Above Replacement a daily look at the Reds, their minor leagues and whatever else is on the mind of Enquirer Reds beat writers, C. Trent Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan. You can follow them on Twitter (@ctrent and @ZachENQ), Facebook (C. Trent Rosecrans and Buchanan Enquirer) and Instagram (ENQReds).

There are always great expectations for a player taken at the No. 2 spot in any sports draft, but there was also a bit of trepidation about the Reds’ top pick, Nick Senzel.

Senzel was seen as something of a safe, boring pick. A guy who would hit and rise quickly through the minors, but there were questions about his ability to hit for power and his defensive future.

The question of his power, at least, may have been squelched. I’ve talked to several scouts from other organizations that have seen him, and it seems that the opinion on his power potential has shifted. At least one scout texted me that he was wrong, that he sees the power.

Senzel had what was becoming a typical night for him Wednesday in Dayton — 1 for 3 with a walk. His walk came in the eighth with two on and two out. He quickly got down 0-2, but then worked a walk to load the bases. The next batter grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring the go-ahead run in a 1-1 game.

Two nights before, he was intentionally walked in the ninth even though he was the go-ahead run. He eventually scored that winning run.

After a slow start in Billings, Senzel has crushed at Dayton, hitting .316/.413/.552 in 49 games for the Dragons. He has seven home runs, 16 doubles and two triples. He’s also stolen 14 bases (and has been caught six times). He’s quickly established himself as the team’s top prospect.

Senzel has played well at third, but he has the arm and athleticism to play either right field or left field, and if the power is there, he could find some value as a corner outfielder.

We’ve already seen the Braves’ Dansby Swanson (No. 1), the Astros’ Alex Bregman (No. 2), Andrew Benintendi (No. 7) of the Red Sox and Carson Fulmer (No. 8) of the White Sox reach the big leagues from the 2015 draft. All four of those were college players like Senzel (and all four, like Senzel, were also from the Southeastern Conference) and moved quickly, something we could see from Senzel.

•Senzel’s not alone in impressing from the Reds’ draft class. Their other two first-day picks are having nice starts as well. The team’s other first-round pick, Taylor Trammell, is hitting .296/.370/.397 in 51 games with Rookie Billings. The 18-year-old hasn’t homered yet, but he does have nine doubles and five triples to go along with 22 stolen bases. Second-round pick Chris Okey is hitting .250/.336/.469 with six homers and 20 RBI in 37 games at Dayton. The catcher is also receiving rave reviews for his off-the-field leadership.

MINOR LEAGUE ROUNDUP

Triple-A: Toledo 1, Louisville 0: Alfredo Simon went five innings, allowing a run on five hits. He walked two and struck out two. CF Juan Perez had two hits for the Bats. [Box]

Double-A: Mobile 3, Pensacola 2: Barrett Astin allowed two runs on five hits over 6 1/3 with five strikeouts and a walk. RF Sebastian Elizalde had two hits. [Box]

High-A: Daytona 7, Lakeland 1: Seth Varner allowed one run on six hits over seven innings. He struck out five with no walks. SS Blake Trahan had a triple and a double. LF Reydel Medina, C Chad Tromp and CF Jonathan Reynoso each had two hits. [Box]

Low-A: Dayton 2, Lansing 1: Jesus Reyes allowed just one run on three hits over six innings with six strikeouts and two walks. Avain Rachal drove in the game-winning RBI in the eighth with a bases-loaded ground out. [Box]

Rookie: Missoula 3, Billings 2: T.J. Friedl was 2 for 4 with a double and is hitting .352 in his 16 games. [Box]

THE ROTATION

1. A good story on how defensive shifts aren’t just limited to the infield. [ESPN.com]

2. Jackie MacMullan’s profile of Gregg Popovich is fascinating. My mom found the picture of me in 7th grade with Sean Elliott at a Spurs basketball camp on our base in Corpus Christi, but not the next year with Popovich, then an assistant for the Spurs.

3. Don Van Notta Jr.’s story on the rise and fall of daily fantasy sports is fascinating — and not surprising.

4. The fine people of Tennessee can now get a Dolly Parton license plate. [Tennessean]

5. Super Mario Brothers on the HoloLens is the coolest. [Vice.com]