The Minor League Baseball season kicks off this afternoon around America, and personally, I couldn’t be much more excited. Let’s take a look at where the Cincinnati Reds Top 25 Prospects will begin their season.

1. Nick Senzel | Outfielder

As you’ve probably heard by now, Nick Senzel is going to miss the start of the season after injuring his ankle near the end of spring training in a minor league game. Once he is healthy and ready to play, though, he will begin the season in the Triple-A Louisville Bats outfield.

2. Hunter Greene | Right-Handed Pitcher

Unfortunately for the Reds, and for Hunter Greene, he injured his elbow late in spring training and has to undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss all of the 2019 season. He was slated to begin the season in extended spring training, but was scheduled to eventually join the Daytona Tortugas before the injury wiped out his season.

3. Taylor Trammell | Outfielder

The top rated prospect that is going to be active today when the games begin, Taylor Trammell will be playing with the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts. This will be his first season at the level.

4. Tony Santillan | Right-Handed Pitcher

Tony Santillan will be the top rated pitching prospect on a roster when the season begins. He won’t be pitching tonight, as Tejay Antone is getting the nod for Double-A Chattanooga tonight. Santillan made 11 starts last season in Double-A and while he’s now going to be pitching for the Chattanooga Lookouts instead of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, it will be his second season at the level.

5. Jonathan India | Third Baseman

The Reds selected Jonathan India with the #5 overall pick in the draft in 2018. They played him in Greeneville, Billings, and Dayton in July and August last season. After a big spring training he is moving on up and will be the top rated prospect on the Advanced-A Daytona Tortugas roster.

6. Tyler Stephenson | Catcher

After several years of battling injuries, and losing parts of the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Tyler Stephenson had a healthy 2018 campaign and made big strides in his game. The catcher is ready to take on the next challenge and he’s moving up to join Double-A Chattanooga where he’ll catch for the Lookouts.

7. Jose Siri | Outfielder

With a 2018 season that began with time on the disabled list due to a thumb injury, Jose Siri split time once he returned in Daytona and Pensacola. This season he’ll return to the Southern League and join the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts.

8. Vladimir Gutierrez | Right-Handed Pitcher

The Reds made a big splash on the international market several years ago. They signed three Cuban players in the 2015 signing period. After bonuses and penalties, spent nearly $30M on the three of them. Vladimir Gutierrez was the only pitcher from the group and he’s the guy who has climbed up the ladder the highest. After a big second half in Double-A last season he’s moving up to join the Triple-A Louisville Bats rotation to start 2019.

9. Mariel Bautista | Outfielder

The now 21-year-old Mariel Bautista has hit .320 or higher in each of the last three seasons. After several years working his way up through rookie ball, he’s joining the Low-A Dayton Dragons outfield to begin the 2019 season.

10. Michael Siani | Outfielder

The Cincinnati Reds got an early round talent in Michael Siani in the 4th round of last years draft. After it looking like he was heading to college he fell down the draft a bit, but Cincinnati swooped in with a signing bonus comparable to the late 1st round and signed him away from the college ranks. After spending his 2018 season with Greeneville he’s moving up to join the Low-A Dayton Dragons.

11. Lyon Richardson | Right-Handed Pitcher

Selected in the 2nd round of the 2018 draft, right-handed pitcher Lyon Richardson spent his season in the Greeneville Reds rotation. He was limited on his usage, which is understandable as he was just 18-years-old. This season the teenager will move up a level (or two) and join the Low-A Dayton Dragons rotation, though he will not be pitching tonight as that will go to Jared Solomon.

12. Jose Garcia | Shortstop

One of the previously mentioned Cuban players that the Reds signed among that group of three, Jose Garcia spent his first season as a professional playing with the Daytona Dragons in 2018. This season he will begin his year on the injured list for the Advanced-A Daytona Tortugas as he recovers from a shoulder injury. He could be back by late April or early May.

13. Miguel Hernandez | Shortstop

The Cincinnati Reds had been a bit dormant in spending big on the international market before the 2015 international signing period that saw them sign two of the top 30 prospects on the market. Miguel Hernandez was one of those players and the shortstop has worked his way up the chain since then. The now 20-year-old is ready to step up to the next level after playing for the Greeneville Reds in 2018. He’ll join the Low-A Dayton Dragons infield in 2019.

14. TJ Friedl | Outfielder

It may be a little bit unfair to say that outfielder TJ Friedl fell into the Cincinnati Reds lap, but probably not entirely unfair. In the 2016 draft there were many teams who didn’t realize that he was draft eligible. The few teams that did decided to not draft him (oops). He then went on to play for Team USA after the college season and caught fire, when more teams then began to realize he was eligible for the draft and was now a free agent since he went undrafted. The Reds had the most money remaining in their draft bonus pool and used all of it to sign Friedl to the largest signing bonus for an undrafted free agent in history. He’s worked his way up since then, rather quickly. After spending the second half of 2018 in Double-A Pensacola he will return to the level, but join the new Double-A affiliate this season in a talented outfield for the Chattanooga Lookouts.

15. Keury Mella | Right-Handed Pitcher

In each of the last two seasons Keury Mella has spent a limited amount of time in the Major Leagues with Cincinnati. Most of it, however, has been spent in the minors. Last season he spent most of his time in Double-A with Pensacola. This year he’ll begin his season in Triple-A with the Louisville Bats.

16. Stuart Fairchild | Outfielder

The Cincinnati Reds 2nd round draft pick in 2017 split his season last year with the Dayton Dragons and Daytona Tortugas. His second half was a bit stronger than the first, but the Florida State League can do that to guys. This season he returns to join the Advanced-A Daytona Tortugas outfield. Unfortunately he will begin the season on the injured list with a strained hamstring.

17. Aristides Aquino | Outfielder

The last year has been a bit of a whirlwind for Aristides Aquino. He made his Major League debut last season with the Cincinnati Reds, but it was only one game and one at-bat. The rest of his playing time came for Double-A Pensacola. Following the season he was non-tendered and became a free agent. He almost immediately re-signed with the Reds on a minor league deal for the 2019 season and got an invitation to big league spring training. This season he’s headed to Triple-A where he will join the Louisville Bats.

18. Andy Sugilio | Outfielder

The 2018 season for Andy Sugilio got out to a nice start as he racked up multiple hits in his season debut. The next day, though, he injured his hamstring and missed the next month. When he returned he didn’t quite look like he was 100% healthy for a while – known as one of the fastest guys in the system, he didn’t quite show the same speed for a while after returning. His entire season was spent with the Dayton Dragons in 2018. In 2019 he’s moving on up and he will join the Advanced-A Daytona Tortugas outfield.

19. Hendrik Clementina | Catcher

During the 2018 season, Hendrik Clementina his 18 home runs in 96 games for the Dayton Dragons. That was 4th best in the farm system, and two of the three guys ahead of him played in significantly more games. The catcher will take his power to the Florida State League this season as he’ll join the Advanced-A Daytona Tortugas.

20. Jimmy Herget | Right-Handed Pitcher

Last season saw Jimmy Herget spend his entire season with the Triple-A Louisville Bats. It was his second season there after spending part of the second half there in 2017, too. This season it’s more of the same for the reliever as he’ll head back to Triple-A to pitch out of the Bats bullpen.

21. James Marinan | Right-Handed Pitcher

When last season began James Marinan was in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. But shortly after his season began for the AZL Dodgers he was traded to Cincinnati. The Reds sent him to Billings where he joined the Mustangs rotation. This season the 20-year-old will move up to join the rotation for the Low-A Dayton Dragons. He won’t pitch tonight, though.

22. Jonathan Willems | Infielder

Last season was a breakout of sorts for Jonathan Willems. The Curacao native had posted an OPS of .648 in 2016 in the Dominican Summer League, and then of .571 in 2017 for the Arizona League Reds. In 2018 he went to Greeneville and posted an OPS of .770 while slugging .470. He spent a week in Billings to end the season last year and is now moving up to join the Low-A Dayton Dragons.

23. Ryan Hendrix | Right-Handed Pitcher

Arguably with the best stuff among any reliever in the farm system, Ryan Hendrix dominated out of the Daytona Tortugas bullpen in 2018. He struck out 79 batters and had an ERA of 1.76 in 51.0 innings last season. This year he moves up to join the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts bullpen.

24. Michael Beltre | Outfielder

After missing the first few weeks of the season, Michael Beltre split his season between Dayton and Daytona in 2018. The outfielder hit a combined .278/.397/.402 with 22 stolen bases. This season he’s going to begin the year back in Goodyear.

25. Joel Kuhnel | Right-Handed Pitcher

It was Joel Kuhnel who combined with Ryan Hendrix in the Daytona bullpen last year to crush the souls of opposing Florida State League teams. He racked up 17 saves with a 3.04 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 53.1 innings. This season he will move up to Double-A and pitch out of the Chattanooga Lookouts bullpen.