The Reds’ farm system has taken on a clear international flavor, and the midseason Top 30 update shows just how deep that reach goes.
Cincinnati has 12 ranked prospects who were signed internationally, a total topped only by the Red Sox and Rangers, who each have 13. That kind of footprint didn’t happen by accident. The Reds have landed some of the biggest names in the international market in recent years, including Ricky Cabrera, who was ranked No. 3 in 2022, Alfredo Duno at No. 4 in 2023, Adolfo Sanchez at No. 6 in 2024 and Angel Nuñez at No. 6 in 2026.
Cabrera has yet to produce sustained success in pro ball, but Duno has grown into Cincinnati’s top prospect. Sanchez and Nuñez are also part of a group of nine international free-agent signees sitting inside the Reds’ top 16.
The recent rise of the system’s international class didn’t stop there. The three biggest movers on the midseason list all came from that pipeline.
Jirvin Morillo, who signed out of Venezuela for $420,000 in 2024, jumped 15 spots. Carlos Sanchez, who signed out of the Dominican Republic for $70,000 in 2022, and Nuñez each climbed 14 spots.
The Reds’ draft classes have helped stabilize the top end of the list, too. Day 1 picks from the past three drafts account for five of the Reds’ top seven prospects. But the broader picture is a system built from everywhere, with depth coming from both the draft and international free agency.
At the top of the list sits Alfredo Duno, the club’s top prospect and MLB No. 22. He’s followed by Steele Hall, MLB No. 92, then Justin Lebron, Héctor Rodríguez and Tyson Lewis.
One of the biggest risers was Morillo, now sitting at No. 9 after opening the preseason at No. 24.
The 19-year-old flashed his bat in March with a double off the left-center-field fence in the Reds’ Spring Breakout game, and he kept hitting after that. His glove still needs work, but the switch-hitter has already established himself as one of the best bats in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League.
Before moving up to Single-A at the end of July, he tied for the league lead with 13 home runs and finished fourth with a 1.101 OPS.
On the other end, Mason Morris took the biggest tumble, sliding from No. 13 to No. 25.
The right-hander had shown shaky control in his first two seasons at Ole Miss, then made a major jump as a junior that convinced the Reds to take him in the third round last year. But the walk issues have returned in his first full pro season: 56 walks in 86 1/3 innings.
Cincinnati is still trying to develop the 6-foot-4 righty as a starter, even though he made only three college starts, though his stuff could end up playing better in relief if the strike-throwing doesn’t improve.
The midseason update also shows several 2026 draft picks already in the mix: Justin Lebron at No. 3 after being taken 18th overall, Eric Becker at No. 7 after going 58th, Mulivai Levu at No. 10 after the 70th pick, Dylan Bowen at No. 17 after being selected 154th, Ethan Norby at No. 21 after going 122nd, and Tyner Horn at No. 29 after being picked 94th.
The list also includes the standard scouting-scale framework for future tools, with grades running from 20 to 80, where 20-30 is well below average, 40 below average, 50 average, 60 plus and 70-80 well above average. Players in parentheses carry the same grade.
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