Tyler Stephenson

In his first major-league game July 27 against the Cubs, Stephenson homered in his first at-bat, singled in his next at-bat and then drew a walk in his final plate appearance of the night. He then got his next chance to hit on -- wait for it -- Sept. 10. That's right, a team that was desperate for offense and getting below-average offensive production from the catcher position couldn't see fit to give one of its better hitting prospects an at-bat in over a month, and gave him only 20 PA all season. This coming season promises to provide more opportunities for Stephenson after the Reds designated Curt Casali for assignment. Keep in mind, however, that Stephenson is a right-handed hitter and thus could be stuck on the lesser side of a platoon with Tucker Barnhart, should the Reds decide to platoon the two catchers.

Stephenson's career has been stalled by injuries since he was taken in the first round of the 2015 draft, but he's made it through the last two years relatively healthy, and has been adding skills along the way. He maintained excellent plate discipline despite hitting the Double-A wall (metaphorically, not literally) at Chattanooga, walking over 10% of the time for the third season in a row while striking out 60 times. He hasn't hit for much power yet, but he's adding weight to his 6-foot-4 frame, and at times has demonstrated that he's capable of hitting for power, including at the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game, where he hit a massive shot to center. His framing gets panned by scouts, but he has a big arm and good makeup. The Reds will probably give him most of the 2020 season at Triple-A Louisville, but an early callup is possible if Tucker Barnhart starts slowly at the plate.

Stephenson, the Reds' first-round pick in 2015, finally made it through a full minor-league season without suffering a major injury. In 2016, it was a wrist injury that limited him to just 39 games at Low-A Dayton. In 2017, while still at Dayton, his season ended in July due to a thumb injury, capping him at 80 games. He finally moved up to High-A Daytona last year and played 109 games, hitting .250/.338/.392 with 11 homers. That appears underwhelming, but keep in mind that he was in a tough park and in a tough league to hit, and his primary focus was trying to get up to speed defensively behind the plate. He doesn't have the profile of an elite prospect, but catchers often move up at a slower pace anyhow. He'll likely arrive with the big club in 2020 or 2021.

The Reds drafted Stephenson with the 11th overall pick in 2015 as the first catcher taken in the draft. He's bigger than most catchers at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, but the Reds are confident that he can remain behind the plate nonetheless, as they like his defensive skills, particularly his strong throwing arm. His professional debut at rookie-level Billings netted just middling results (.268/.352/.361 with just one homer in 54 games), but that's not too worrisome yet. He'll be a slow-cook prospect - it may take him four-to-five years before we see him in Cincinnati.