The Reds went from rebuilder to contender quickly. Cincinnati won 82 games in 2023 and barely missed out on a playoff spot, a year after the Reds lost 100 games. And, much of the homegrown talent Cincinnati’s accumulated over the years played a key role. The MLB Draft helped build the current core of the Reds, so let’s take a look at the team’s best draft picks over the last decade.
Best Reds Draft Picks Over Last 10 Seasons
| Name | Position | Year Drafted | Round | Career bWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tejay Antone | P | 2014 | 5 | 3.2 |
| Tyler Stephenson | C | 2015 | 1 | 5.7 |
| Jimmy Herget | P | 2015 | 6 | 2.9 |
| Alexis Diaz | P | 2015 | 12 | 4.5 |
| Hunter Greene | P | 2017 | 1 | 5.7 |
| Jonathan India | 2B/SS | 2018 | 1 | 5.8 |
| Nick Lodolo | P | 2019 | 1 | 4.8 |
| Graham Ashcraft | P | 2019 | 6 | 3.2 |
| Matt McLain | SS | 2021 | 1 | 3.7 |
| Andrew Abbott | P | 2021 | 2 | 5.0 |
One can see how the MLB Draft shaped the current-day Cincinnati Reds.
Despite several picks atop their 2024 draft class not working, the Reds did get two valuable relievers in Tejay Antone and Brennan Bernadino, the latter of whom turned into a successful bullpen arm for the Red Sox. A year later, the Reds landed their current starting catcher, Tyler Stephenson, and Alexis Diaz.
In 2017, the Reds landed Hunter Greene, at the time a dominant two-way high school player in California, with the second overall pick in the MLB Draft. Greene didn’t stick as a two-way player for long but the righty did ascend the ranks to become an exciting arm who can easily hit triple-digits with his fastball. However, he’s yet to develop into the true #1 many believed he’d become seven years ago.
Over the last six years, the Reds have had significant success with college prospects.
Cincinnati scooped up 2021 NL Rookie of the Year Jonathan India with the fifth overall pick in 2018. That same draft, the Reds selected now-Nationals starter Josiah Gray (2.8 bWAR) out of Le Moyne College in New York in the second round, and speedster Michael Siani (-0.7 bWAR) in the fourth round.
The Reds would select Nick Lodolo in 2019, a standout at TCU who was selected in the first round for the second time. Lodolo was originally a first-round pick by Pittsburgh out of high school in 2016 but opted not to sign.
While Lodolo’s dealt with injuries, he’s been electric at times. As of June 22, 2024, Lodolo was eighth in the NL in bWAR (2.3), while his rotation mate Greene (2.9) was in the top three.
This wouldn’t be the last time Cincinnati struck gold with a former first-round pick who opted to go college. Matt McLain, originally selected by the D-Backs in 2018, quickly rose to the Majors after the Reds took him in 2021.
Now, we move from the Reds’ best draft picks of the last decade to ones that could be considered their worst.
Worst Reds Draft Picks Over Last 10 Seasons
| Name | Position | Year Drafted | Round | Career bWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Howard | P | 2014 | 1 | Never played in MLB |
| Alex Blandino | INF | 2014 | 2 | -0.2 |
| Nick Senzel | 3B/OF | 2016 | 1 | -1.6 |
| Taylor Trammell | OF | 2016 | 1 | -0.6 |
| Chris Okey | C | 2016 | 2 | -0.3 |
| Nick Hansen | P | 2016 | 3 | Never played in MLB |
| Jeter Downs | SS | 2017 | 1 | -0.6 |
| Austin Hendrick | OF | 2020 | 1 | Never played in MLB |
| Christian Roa | P | 2020 | 2 | Never played in MLB |
The Reds have had their misses over the last decade. Nick Howard didn’t develop into a Major Leaguer and last pitched in the Minors in 2023. Alex Blandino, selected in the second round in 2014, had just 279 plate appearances over his MLB career and recorded a .630 OPS. Now, Blandino’s looking to revive his career as a knuckleballer.
However, the 2016 MLB Draft was a particularly tough one for the Reds.
Cincinnati invested over $10M in signing bonuses for Nick Senzel ($6.2M), Taylor Trammell ($3.2M), and Chris Okey ($2M), their top three picks. Neither of the three, though, developed into regulars despite flashing promise.
Senzel, the second overall pick in 2016, was non-tendered by the Reds in 2023.
In recent memory, the Reds have yet to receive results from their top two picks, Austin Hendrick and Christian Roa.
Hendrick was a Pennsylvania prep star lauded for his plus pop. However, Hendrick no longer ranked among several prospect lists by 2024 in what was a precipitous fall in his stock. Much of that could be attributed to strikeout woes. In 2023 with Dayton (A+), Hendrick struck out 185 times (35.9% K%) over 125 games.
As for Roa, the Texas A&M product slid into a relief role in 2024.
These lists do not include players selected but did not sign. bWAR figures as of June 2024.