The Reds’ farm system has been reshuffled from top to bottom, and Baseball America’s latest in-season Top 30 list shows just how much has changed.
Cincinnati started the year with a system that sat in the middle of the pack, but a wave of graduations to the majors has thinned the depth chart. Sal Stewart, Rhett Lowder, Edwin Arroyo, Chase Petty and Zach Maxwell are among the names who are no longer prospect-eligible, and the organization also brought in several interesting players through the 2026 MLB Draft.
That turnover showed up in Baseball America’s final in-season rankings. The Reds slid to No. 28 in baseball, down from No. 19 in the preseason and No. 25 at midseason.
At the top of the list, catcher Alfredo Duno has moved into the No. 1 spot in the organization. First-round pick Justin Lebron also debuted prominently, while Steele Hall and Hector Rodriguez filled out the top four.
The biggest jolt in the rankings came with former Reds first-round pick Cam Collier, who dropped all the way to No. 30. Collier has had a rough season in Double-A Chattanooga, hitting .216/.298/.384 with 35 extra-base hits and 122 strikeouts in 106 games.
“Even in his fourth pro season, Collier showed that he has a massive gulf between what he is and what he could be,” Baseball America's scouting report read. “At his best, Collier can be a game-changing hitter, but he has long stretches where he seems lost at the plate. When he keeps his lower half in sync, he can drive 110 mph home runs that turn outfielders into onlookers.”
“When he’s struggling, his swing becomes way too rotational, leaving his legs disconnected. He gets out front, relying entirely on his hands to do all the work in his swing.
That produces stretches of rolled-over ground balls. He’s generally been ineffective against lefthanders, with a sub-.600 OPS in 2024 and 2025.
Defensively, Collier was in better shape post-injury, which helped his flexibility, but he remains a below-average fielder at third base with questionable hands. He can make easy plays look difficult.”
Collier has spent 77 games at third base and 18 at first, committing one error at first and 11 at third. He’s only 21, but the Reds are still waiting for more from the 2022 first-rounder.
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