February is here and spring training is just around the corner, which can mean only one thing around these parts: it’s time to rank minor-league prospects. Every team across the majors is selling hope to their fans: some are selling it in a more immediate fashion, in the form of active offseasons full of free-agent signings and trade acquisitions. Others, meanwhile, are selling it in the personage of prospects who could make the difference over the coming years.
CBS Sports continues examining the top three prospects in each organization. Our definition of “prospect” is simple: does that player have rookie eligibility remaining for the 2025 season? If so, they’re a prospect; if not, that’s probably why your favorite young player is absent from the proceedings.
As always, these lists are formed following conversations with scouts, analysts, player development specialists, and other talent evaluators around the industry. There’s a fair amount of firsthand evaluation, statistical analysis, and historical research mixed in, too. Plus a heaping of personal bias — we all have certain traits and profiles that we prefer over others, there’s no sense pretending otherwise.
Keep in mind that there’s no one right answer with these sorts of things. Besides, these are merely our opinions, meaning they have no actual bearing on the future. We already published our ranking of the top 25 prospects in all of the minors.
With all that out of the way, let’s get to ranking the top three prospects in the Cincinnati Reds system.
Top 25 rank: No. 15
The short hook: The first pitcher drafted last summer is electric
Burns didn’t pitch after being selected with the No. 2 pick in last summer’s draft. He’d already thrown 100 innings on the year, or 20 more innings than his previous high. Once he does take a professional mound for the first time, he should find himself on the inside track to the majors. Burns has a well-rounded arsenal, including an explosive upper-90s fastball and two high-quality breaking balls. He has good control, having walked fewer than three batters per nine innings in college, though he could stand to improve his command. Any gains on that front ought to give him No. 2 starter upside. MLB ETA: Spring 2026
The short hook: Optimized mid-rotation starter
Lowder was viewed as a near-finished product when the Reds drafted him sixth overall out of Wake Forest in 2023. Predictably, he reached the majors to close out his first full professional season, compiling a 1.17 ERA (albeit without the peripherals to match) in six starts down the stretch. Lowder has a four-pitch arsenal: two low-90s fastballs, a changeup, and a slider that did the best job of his offerings of evading bats. He figures to break camp as a member of Cincinnati’s rotation. MLB ETA: Already debuted
The short hook: Young catcher short on reps but big on power
Duno just celebrated his 19th birthday in January, making it more impressive that he hit .267/.367/.422 in 32 Florida State League games. Along the way, Duno showcased his above-average strength and feel for the zone; he also demonstrated the in-zone swing-and-miss that threatens to limit his hit tool. Alas, that was the extent of his year. Duno fractured a rib in late May that sidelined him for the rest of the season. There’s a lot of room for this to go wrong; if it goes right, though, Duno could grow into a starting catcher who walks and bops. MLB ETA: Late summer 2028
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