{"id":110263,"date":"2025-12-04T21:02:42","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T02:02:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=110263"},"modified":"2025-12-04T21:05:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T02:05:25","slug":"checking-in-reds-top-prospects-2026-offseason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/12\/04\/checking-in-reds-top-prospects-2026-offseason\/","title":{"rendered":"Checking In on the Reds’ Top Prospects"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Cincinnati Reds’<\/a> farm system is one of the most talented in all of baseball. Some prospects had small stints in the big leagues in 2025, while some have an ETA of 2026, meaning the team will likely see tons of young faces.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at which top prospects can make an impact for the Reds in 2026.<\/p>\n

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Cincinnati Reds third baseman Sal Stewart (43) plays a ground ball off the bat of Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Enrique Hernandez (8) in the eighth inning of the MLB National League Wild Card Game 2 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The Reds were eliminated from the postseason with an 8-4 loss to the reining World Series Champions La Dodgers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Reds’ Top Prospects Offer Tons of Potential<\/h2>\n

Sal Stewart – 3B\/2B\/1B<\/h3>\n

The Reds’ number one overall prospect made his MLB debut down the stretch of the 2025 season and played a huge part in their postseason berth. Sal Stewart<\/a>\u2019s all-around game at the plate brought some much-needed production in an underwhelming Reds lineup.<\/p>\n

In 18 games, Stewart<\/a> accumulated 0.5 bWAR thanks to his .255\/.293\/.545 slash line, good for an .839 OPS and 121 OPS+. His .545 slugging was a breath of fresh air for the team as they struggled in that department all season.<\/p>\n

While he is a corner infielder who hits for power, he isn\u2019t a hunk of meat sitting in a corner infield spot and swinging for the fences. He is an all-fields, line drive hitter with a very complete hitting profile. There were times, especially in the Wild Card Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he would make adjustments in the middle of at-bats or use the old school \u201cgo with the pitch\u201d approach.<\/p>\n

A Silver Lining<\/h4>\n

While he did struggle with plate discipline (32.7 Chase% – 25.9 K% – 5.2 BB%), so do the majority of 21-year-olds who make their debut.<\/p>\n

His remaining metrics are all spectacular and would have placed him 90th percentile and above if he had enough service time to qualify:<\/p>\n

.400 xwOBA<\/p>\n

.291 xBA<\/p>\n

.620 SLG<\/p>\n

95.4 Avg Exit Velo<\/p>\n

17.5 Barrel%<\/p>\n

52.5 Hard-Hit%<\/p>\n

Positionally, third base will likely be occupied by Ke\u2019Bryan Hayes<\/a> for the foreseeable future, seeing as he\u2019s under contract and a Gold Glove winner. This leaves second base (occupied by Matt McLain<\/a>), first base, and DH.<\/p>\n

Stewart made his first professional appearance at first base for the Reds in 2025, and it can legitimately become his main position in the future. Spencer Steer<\/a> and Christian Encarnacion-Strand<\/a> are the current possible options at first base, but it is safe to say that Stewart should get the job over them.<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Chase Petty – RHP<\/h3>\n

Chase Petty<\/a> has had a unique track record so far in his young career. He made his MLB debut this year with Cincinnati and was not very good in his limited action.<\/p>\n

He had a mix between starts and relief appearances and had issues with tipping pitches as well. This all resulted in a 19.50 ERA in six innings over three appearances.<\/p>\n

It was a rough year overall in 2025, as he struggled in Triple-A as well, but it is understandable considering how fast he rose through the minor league levels. He is still a 22-year-old who\u2019s figuring out his pitch mix, and will likely appear back on the big league roster in 2026, though the role is not exactly set in stone.<\/p>\n

\n

Last night, Reds #7 prospect Chase Petty allowed 8 runs, and failed to make it out of the 2nd inning.<\/p>\n

Petty likely finishes his 2025 season 6-13 with a 6.39 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in 26 starts.<\/p>\n

Petty entered 2025 as a Top 100 prospect in MLB.pic.twitter.com\/J5ynzjmhgx<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) September 19, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n