Realities of the Roster: How the Reds Develop and Find Talent

The Cincinnati Reds are a staple in Major League Baseball but being located in a smaller market can hinder their ability to acquire high value players.

Reds Vice President and Assistant GM of Player Acquisitions Jeff Graupe explained the importance of scouting young talent and developing them in the minor league programs.

“The minor leagues, the draft, international signings, our prospect pipeline is critical to everything we do. They don’t all have to play for us in the major leagues but they all need to be valuable, explained Graupe. “Whether it’s a situation where we make a trade from surplus or we have young players coming up like Elly, and Matt, and Christian, and Spencer, and Will, like this is the lifeblood of who we are. And it’s something we take very seriously in terms of both the talent that’s coming in and the people that are coming in. And I think the fans embraced all the young talent that’s come and I think people are really going to be excited about the next wave too.”

Over the past couple of seasons, the Reds have put together an exciting lineup of players that are enthusiastic about playing and conscientious about winning. Some of those players have been acquired through trades with other teams, but some players have been drafted by the Reds and worked their way up through the organization.

Ty Floyd is a 22-year-old right handed pitcher that has been drafted by Reds from Louisiana State University in 2023.  He gave examples of players who have found success through the Reds’ player pipeline.

“Yeah, I mean the Reds have a very good. No, they have a really good track record the past couple times. The past couple guys they’ve made to the big leagues the past couple years, they’ve been really good. I mean Cole Phillips is another one that’s going to make an impact. Hunter Greene, of course Lodolo and stuff but seeing those guys have success shows how much they’ve made an improvement over the past couple of years in the minor leagues. And now they’re in the big leagues.”

Some draft picks may never make it to the major league and it may take a few years for others to work their way through the minor leagues, but the Reds have a good reputation for finding and developing talented young players and an exciting brand of baseball is the result.

You can follow all the Cincinnati Reds Baseball games on AM1240 and 102.3FM.