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A lot has been made of Bryce Harper‘s rookie campaign, and rightfully so. Harper’s impressed players, managers and fans with his hustle and on-field attitude and he’s played impressively considering he’s just 19 years old.

Harper may seem to be a slam dunk for the 2012 National League Rookie of the Year Award; however, the Cincinnati Reds have their own young player who’s beginning to make waves in the majors.

Todd Frazier is outperforming the vast majority of NL rookies in 2012.

In 70 games played, Frazier is slashing .285/.347/.542 with 10 HR, 33 RBI, 27 runs and 15 doubles.

Harper, in 75 games, is slashing .272/.343/.449 with nine HR, 29 RBI, 50 runs 15 doubles and 13 steals.

Among NL rookies, Frazier is  first in SLG (.542), OPS (.890) and triples (five), second in RBI (33) and HR (10), third in AVG (.285) and OBP (.347), fifth in doubles (15) and sixth in walks (20) and runs (27).

The key to Todd Frazier being NL Rookie of the Year is how he performs while Joey Votto is on the DL.

In the eight games since Votto left the lineup on July 16, Frazier is slashing .323/.344/.580 with two doubles, three RBI and three runs scored.

Frazier has forced his way into the Cincinnati Reds everyday lineup and continues to take advantage of it.

In the month of July, Frazier is slashing 350/.400/.583 with three HR, 11 RBI, 12 runs, three doubles and a triple.

If Todd Frazier can continue at his current rate of production, his only true competition in the NL Rookie of the Year race will be Arizona Diamondbacks starter Wade Miley.

Miley currently sits at 11-5 with a 3.02 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 113.1 innings pitched.

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By now we should all know the name Billy Hamilton.  You know him, the Cincinnati Reds prospect that already has 46 steals through 44 games played—that guy.  Well, this article is not about him.  Rather, about five Reds prospect names that every Reds fan needs to know not named “that other guy.”

Do not let the trade of Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal, and Brandon Boxberger to San Diego this offseason fool you into thinking that the Reds traded the farm away.  They definitely gave up a tremendous amount of talent in the trade for Mat Latos, but the Redlegs have been bringing in a consistent flow of solid prospects through the draft each year.

They may have gotten rid of some high level minor league talent, but they have many more youngsters developing in the lower and mid-levels.  Billy Hamilton sure gets us excited, but it is the other young stars that surround him that should really be getting us excited.  This proves that the Reds are set up for the long haul and not just the immediate future.

So, without further adieu, let’s look at some prospects making news down on the farm.  Be sure to check out the links at the bottom of each page to their player profiles on MiLB.com.

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Tuesday night’s victory over the Atlanta Braves proved to be an encouraging sign for the Cincinnati Reds.

Two of Cincinnati’s struggling players, starter Mat Latos and second baseman Brandon Phillips, performed well in the 4-3 win. Latos pitched seven solid innings of two-run ball with eight strikeouts, while Phillips chipped in with two home runs and three RBI.

Latos had especially come under fire after the past offseason trade in which Latos was acquired from the San Diego Padres in return for Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal, Edinson Volquez and Brad Boxberger.

Prior to the game, Latos had a 2-2 record and a mediocre 4.63 ERA—nothing close to what Cincinnati expected when GM Walt Jocketty pulled the trigger on the offseason trade. Latos’ ERA has been steadily dropping after a very poor start to the season, which saw his ERA balloon to an enormous 8.22 in April.

Entering the season, Phillips received a contract extension after lengthy extension talks reaching back to last season. His new six-year, $72 million extension came under fire after the soon-to-be 31-year-old Phillips’ production took a dip with only two home runs, one steal and a sub-.300 on-base percentage through a quarter of the season.

Clearly struggling at the plate at times, Phillips’ batting average hit a low at .215 in early May, but since then he has started to turn it around with a .275 average in 20 games this month. Phillips still has a long way to go, with a very poor 8-to-21 walk-to-strikeout ratio and only 10 extra-base hits on the season.

Rookie shortstop Zack Cozart also chipped in with a solo home run, and recently named closer Aroldis Chapman closed out the win with a hitless ninth. Center fielder Drew Stubbs went 1-for-3 with a walk and a steal while making a few plays in the field in another solid performance following Monday night’s two-home run game.

Cincinnati’s next game features rejuvenated Reds starter Bronson Arroyo taking on Tommy Hanson and the Braves once again at Great American Ballpark on Wednesday night.

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The Cincinnati Reds have begun a resurrection of sorts.  

For the first month and a half, we watched a lineup that couldn’t seem to hit when its collective life and the games, depended on it. The lineup was complemented by a starting pitching staff that seemed to only throw two decent arms out every five days.

But, if you have been watching the ol’ ball club of late, you will have noticed a slight change.  

Though the lineup is still far from the machine it has the potential to be, it has been producing more runs on a more consistent basis.   

A barrage of home runs the past few games is a great sign—the bats seem to be heating up.  Joey Votto is leading this charge with others following the leader.  If they can solve the problem of hitting with runners in scoring position even slightly, expect things to get fun.

You will have also noticed the starting pitching has been rather consistent lately as well.  Those questions that we were having with Mat Latos, Homer Bailey and Mike Leake seem to be answering themselves.  Latos just wrapped up a solid seven innings, allowing only five hits and two earned runs against the Atlanta Braves.  

This coming on the heals of Leake silencing critics with his outing on Monday night against Atlanta that saw him only allow two hits over eight innings with one earned run allowed.  Throw in Bailey’s six quality starts through his first eight, the continued excellence of ace Johnny Cueto, and the solid performance of Bronson Arroyo and things aren’t looking so bad.

The turnaround of late should not completely surprise us though.  This is after all, what we expected isn’t it?  

This club started the season with high expectations and got off to an unsatisfactory start.  But, stay tuned closely because there seems to be change blowing in the wind—and it’s ruffling the leaves of the St. Louis Cardinals.

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Yet more worrying news came out of the Cincinnati Reds camp today. According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.com, the shoulder injury to veteran third baseman Scott Rolen has the Reds’ training staff worried that he may not return for the remainder of the season.

Currently labeled as indefinitely out, Rolen’s injured shoulder is the same injury that prematurely ended his 2011 season. It was hoped that Rolen would return sooner rather than later, as original reports stated that he could avoid missing extended time.

Rolen was batting a meager .172 prior to being placed on the disabled list, with two home runs and 11 runs batted in. His batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage are all career lows.

In the last year of his contract and pushing the envelope at 37 years old, Rolen could have played his last game in a Reds uniform if he is indeed out for the season. This season could likely be the shortest of Rolen’s long career, having gone on the disabled list after only playing in 29 games.

In the absence of Rolen, youngster Todd Frazier should draw the majority of starts, although veterans Wilson Valdez and Miguel Cairo should factor in for some time at the hot corner. The recently promoted Mike Costanzo could also see the occasional start if he remains in the majors.

The absence of Rolen leaves a major hole in the lineup for Cincinnati. If Frazier cannot step up and fill the void, GM Walt Jocketty may be forced to make a trade for a bat to bolster the lineup as the trade deadline approaches in July.

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Although the Cincinnati Reds lost in a wild 13-inning ordeal to the Washington Nationals on Friday night, one player’s performance was good news for the struggling Reds.

Bronson Arroyo, who struggled in his first start of the 2012 season, threw a gem for Cincinnati while the Reds’ bats lay dormant.

In 7.1 innings pitched, Arroyo gave up no runs on only four baserunners (3 hits, 1 walk). He displayed improved command and managed fewer than 100 pitches through his seven-plus innings performance.

As a side note, while the Reds’ bats managed only five hits through 13 innings, Arroyo helped himself by knocking in the Reds’ only run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth inning. Arroyo also had one of the team’s five hits.

Friday’s start was a much-needed improvement over Arroyo’s first start, in which he gave up four earned runs on 10 hits in 6.1 innings pitched. Arroyo was on the hook for a loss after departing in the seventh inning before the Reds’ bats responded with a walk-off win in the ninth inning.

Arroyo struggled through most of 2011, posting a 9-12 record and 5.07 ERA through 199 innings. The 2011 campaign was the first season since 2005 that Arroyo did not post at least 200 innings pitched (albeit he missed by a single inning).

For much of the 2011 season Arroyo was speculated to be either sick or hurt. Velocity was down on his fastball, and his breaking pitches just didn’t seem to break as much as before.

Arroyo was diagnosed with mononucleosis early on, but it was later reported he had gotten over the illness. Yet his pitching improved very little.

Reds fans everywhere must be hoping Arroyo will continue to put out performances like Friday night throughout the rest of the season. The Reds will need Arroyo performing if they are going to make a playoff run in 2012.

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This offseason, the Reds let Ramon Hernandez test free agency. They also shipped highly-touted catching prospect Yasmani Grandal off to San Diego in the deal that brought Mat Latos to Cincinnati.

These factors led myself, and many other Reds fans, to believe that Devin Mesoraco would assume full-time catching duties in 2012.

Mesoraco has been on Baseball America’s Top 100 list for the past two seasons (16 in 2012 and 64 in 2011). Mesoraco struggled a bit in his first big-league call-up, but take into account that it was only 53 plate appearances across 18 games.

In order to decipher just how good Mesoraco will be, you’ll need to look at his minor league numbers and how he’s progressed from season to season.

In 2009, doubts began to sprout up about whether or not Mesoraco could turn into anything more than a back-up at the major league level.

Mesoraco worked quickly to stifle those doubts in 2010 when he went off. Mesoraco’s season catapulted him into the middle of the pack (No. 64) on Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects of 2011 list.

In 2011, Mesoraco’s consistency began to develop, and he posted a very solid season which earned him; a AAA All-Star game selection, the No. 12 spot on Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects of 2012 list, and a late-season call-up with the Reds. Mesoraco didn’t do much with that call-up, but he did display some decent pop (2 HR in 50 AB).

Mesoraco developed as catcher in those seasons as well. As a matter of fact, his defense and game-calling abilities have progressed every season since he was drafted in ’07.

In 2010, Mesoraco posted a .984 fielding percentage and a 7.42 range factor. He followed that season up in 2011 with a .986 fielding percentage and a 7.46 range factor. When compared to his first season in the rookie league (.975 fielding percentage and 7.11 range factor), you can see how far Mesoraco has come defensively.

Mesoraco is a stud at the plate. He shows the ability of a .280-plus hitter with 20-25 HR pop, and above average ability behind the plate. The 23 year old should work nicely in the Reds lineup for years to come.

My 2012 Projections: .279/.364/.480 with 17 HR, 58 runs scored and 60 RBI

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Last month I wrote a piece about Reds second base prospect Brodie Greene. This month, I’m bringing you another second baseman, Henry Rodriguez.

I’ll be the first to admit that I completely overlooked Rodriguez when I wrote that Brodie Greene could end up being Brandon Phillips’ replacement should he not return for the 2013 season. Had Rodriguez read that line, he might slap me silly.

Rodriguez came to the Reds in 2007, left for the Diamondbacks in 2008 and returned to the Reds in the same year (correct me if i have that wrong, his career path is pretty confusing). But in any event, Rodriguez came to the Reds at 17 years old and is now 22.

With five minor league seasons (two full seasons) under his belt, Henry Rodriguez should be looking to make the jump to the majors in the next few seasons and this is why.

Rodriguez hasn’t hit under .300 in the minors since his first season when he was just 17 years old. The last two years Rodriguez has worked between A, A+ and AA ball and has hit .305 in 2010 and .320 in 2011.

Not only can Rodriguez hit for a high average, he’s shown good power the last two seasons for a man who stands in at 5’10″150-pounds. In 2010 Rodriguez hit 14 HR and in 2011 he belted 13.

What makes Rodriguez an even more intriguing prospect is his blend of speed and power. Much like Brodie Greene, and even Brandon Phillips, Rodriguez has shown that he can knock the ball out of the park and wreak havoc on the base paths. In 2010 Rodriguez swiped 33 bases and in 2011 he swiped another 30.

The past two seasons complete stat lines look like this:

2010: .305/.333/.463 14 HR, 82 RBI, 78 runs scored with 33 stolen bases

2011: .320/.372/.469 13 HR, 81 RBI, 76 runs scored with 30 stolen bases

In those two seasons Rodriguez was 20 and 21 years old. Rodriguez has an oddly complete offensive game for a man who just recently turned 22.

Another reason Rodriguez should make the jump to the bigs before too long is that he’s a switch hitter. Switch hitting middle infielders are pretty rare and one with Rodriguez’ blend of speed and power are even more rare.

I only have three points of criticism when I look at Rodriguez and the first is his fielding.

In the last two seasons Rodriguez has posted fielding percentages of .972 and .964 at second base. Those aren’t really acceptable numbers but those are 20 and 21 year old seasons so I’m hopeful (as we all should be) that he will improve with age.

My second point of criticism is his bat speed from the left side of the field. Rodriguez has a very easy swing which may work for him but when you face guys throwing in the mid to upper 90s you need a quick bat.

My final point of criticism is in his free swinging nature. You’re going to go look at his stats and think I’m crazy because his strikeout totals are low. This is true, his strikeout totals are low over the last two years he’s played 257 games, made 1137 plate appearances and has struck out just 152 times. He’s striking out in just over 13 percent of his plate appearances which is quite low. 

If you watch video of Rodriguez though he tends to put himself in early holes by swinging at pitches well out of the zone. I don’t know whether he lacks discipline or the ability to differentiate between fastballs and off-speed pitches but he will need to improve on his pitch selection as he really doesn’t walk much (61 walks in those 1137 plate appearances).

In any event, these are things that improve greatly as a player matures. At 22 years old, Rodriguez might have one of the brightest futures of any prospect in the Reds minor league system. After recently being sent to AA Pensacola from Reds’ spring training, he will likely complement Didi Gregorius in the middle of the Blue Wahoo’s infield.

A year or two from now we could very well be contemplating the possibilities of Rodriguez starting for the Reds should Brandon Phillips leave Cincinnati.

All the stats I use in these articles are pulled from Baseball-Reference. They run a great website over there so be sure to go check them out!

Be sure to check out my other articles on young Reds prospects:

Neftali Soto

Daniel Corcino

Billy Hamilton

Robert Stephenson

Juan Francisco

Brodie Greene

Donald Lutz

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By a show of hands, how many of you have really heard of Donald Lutz prior to seeing this article?

If everyone is totally honest, I bet there are very few people with their hands raised right now.

Lutz is a 23-year-old prospect in the Reds’ minor league organization who’s showing signs of a bright future. Lutz was born in Watertown, NY, but signed as an international free agent from Germany in 2007. Since then, Lutz has played in the minors.

In 2007, as a 17-year-old, Lutz played in the German Baseball Bundesliga, the elite level of competition in Germany where the national team roster is set. After a poor showing in the first division, Lutz went off in the second with a .506 average, 39 RBI and six home runs in just 24 games.

Lutz was also a member of the 2008 European Under-21 championship. In that same year, he had a respectable showing for the Reds’ rookie team in the Gulf League.

His first three seasons were spent in rookie ball and playing abroad for the German National Team.

2011 was Lutz’s first full season in the minors, and it was impressive to say the least. In 123 games at A Dayton, Lutz recorded 506 plate appearances and 465 at-bats and went .301/.358/.492 with 140 hits (46 of which were for extra bases), 20 HR, 75 RBI and 85 runs scored.

That’s a great season for a 22-year-old and should land him in AA either at the start of this season or by at least the midway point.

The only problem with Lutz—if you can even call it a problem—is that he’s a first baseman. This has already proven to be a difficult position in the Reds system after shipping Yonder Alonso off this winter.

At 6’4″ and 230 pounds, my guess is that Lutz won’t be playing many more games in the outfield (he’s played about 17 total with the Reds).

With Neftali Soto and Joey Votto ahead of him, it’s tough to say what will happen with Lutz in the future. For now though, we can be content with watching him develop into a very solid player.

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It’s no news to any Reds fan that Joey Votto may not be with the team past the 2013 season. An unfortunate truth of being a team with salary constrictions is that you can’t always afford to keep your star players. Ask the Brewers and Mets how they feel going into this season after watching Prince Fielder and Jose Reyes depart for greener pastures.

It’s a deflating feeling to watch a player leave your favorite team but let’s take a look at one of the more intriguing and overlooked players in the Reds farm system, 2007 third-round draft pick, Neftali Soto.

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