Sal Stewart may have been the headliner, but he wasn’t the only Reds prospect to force his way into the conversation in 2026. While Cincinnati’s big-league club dealt with its share of struggles, a wave of young talent across the system took noticeable steps forward, and a few names now look a lot closer to helping the Reds than they did a year ago.
At catcher, Jirvin Morillo turned in one of the more eye-catching seasons in the organization. The 19-year-old arrived stateside for the first time and made the most of it, hitting .303/.433/.580 with a 139 wRC+ in 76 games split between the Arizona Complex League and Low-A Daytona. Alfredo Duno may be the more familiar name, but Morillo’s numbers were even better.
First base belonged to Carter Graham, who put together the kind of year that gets an organization’s attention. At 25, he’s already an advanced prospect, and he backed that up by hitting .300/.421/.565 with 29 home runs and 93 RBI while moving between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga. The expectation is that Cincinnati will add him to the 40-man roster sometime next month.
On the middle-infield side, Liberts Aponte made real noise in his second season in the Dominican Summer League. One of the Reds’ top international signees from 2025, the 18-year-old hit .351/.493/.514 with a strikeout rate of just 16.7% in 33 games.
Aponte is a shortstop by trade, though he also logged nine games at second base. His next real test should come when he likely jumps to A-Ball next season.
At third base, Ichiro Cano backed up the buzz around his baseball-inspired name with production that matched the hype. In his second year at Low-A Daytona, he posted a .297/.412/.422 line with a 125 wRC+. Cano can handle both corner-infield spots, but he looked more comfortable at third.
Carlos Sanchez joined the breakout club too. Like Graham, he put together a season that changed the way people have to talk about him.
Between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga, he hit .270/.376/.440 and added 23 stolen bases. He’s Rule 5 eligible this winter, and Cincinnati may not have much choice but to put him on the 40-man roster.
In the outfield, Jacob Friend gave the Reds plenty to think about. The club’s sixth-round pick in 2024 delivered a power-and-speed mix that stood out: 23 homers, 80 RBI and 23 stolen bases in 2026. The 23-year-old’s 30.4% strikeout rate is still a concern, but the bat speed and pop are impossible to miss.
Pitching remains thinner at the top of the system, but Ysaias Escalona gave the Reds something to watch on that side too. The 20-year-old right-hander was dominant in his second DSL season, going 10-0 over 63⅓ innings while allowing just seven earned runs for a 0.99 ERA.
In Other News...
Reds Face A Risky Tyler Stephenson Decision They Can't Ignore
Tyler Stephensons future has become one of the Reds more consequential offseason questions, and not just because he remains one of the more recognizable names on the roster. President of baseball operations Nick Krall made it clear the front office is still sorting through bigger-picture priorities, with the club weighing how much sense it makes to bring Stephenson back while trying to address other needs across the roster.
The catch is obvious: if Stephenson winds up elsewhere, Cincinnati would be left trying to patch together a position that is already thin on offense. The Reds cant afford to treat catcher like an afterthought, but they also have to decide how much of their available resources should go to keeping that spot stable versus using them to upgrade somewhere else, which is why this conversation figures to linger deep into the winter. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Are Headed Toward An Elly De La Cruz Dilemma
At the Reds end-of-season press conference, owner Phil Castellini backed general manager Nick Krall and, in the process, put a spotlight on the next big question hanging over the club: how to handle Elly De La Cruz. The shortstop just finished his first 30-30 season, and his climb from young star to one of the most important players in the organization has only made the long-term conversation more urgent.
Castellini made clear that any decision on De La Cruz, whether it involves a contract extension or something else, has to fit into the franchises broader plan. That is where the tension starts to build for Cincinnati, because De La Cruzs value is soaring at exactly the same time his cost is about to rise, leaving the Reds to weigh whether they can keep him in the fold on their terms or whether the market around him becomes too difficult to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Face One Offseason Question That Could Decide Their Direction
The Reds are already in the middle of an offseason reset after finishing 75-87, and pitching is one of the first places the front office has begun to sort through change. Derek Johnson will not return as pitching coach, and Cincinnati has already started looking at replacements, interviewing Matt Tracy and Oscar Marin while also leaving the door open to outside candidates as it tries to steady a staff that needs help in more than one area.
But the bigger decision may come at catcher, where Tyler Stephenson is headed for free agency and the Reds have to decide whether keeping him fits their spending plan or whether that money is better pushed toward another need. With pitching, offense and catching all on the list of offseason concerns, the club's next moves will say a lot about whether it is trying to patch holes or take a more decisive step forward. [Read more 🡒]