Category: Sports News

Carlos Jorge finally saw his name on the board as the #15 prospect in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings. Suddenly I don’t know what to do with myself since I’ve been voting for him since he first joined the ballot, but I suppose I’ll begin figuring out that process right now.

Per usual, you can find the link to the Google Form for voting right here, yet it’s also embedded at the bottom if you want to read through first and not have to embark upon the painstaking process of scrolling all the way back up here. Both link and embed will be removed once voting closes so you can’t stuff the ballot post facto, however, so be advised that this paragraph will make zero sense if you stumble back across it a year from now.

Here’s how the list has materialized so far:

1. Sal Stewart
2. Alfredo Duno
3. Rhett Lowder
4. Hector Rodriguez
5. Edwin Arroyo
6. Cam Collier
7. Steele Hall
8. Tyson Lewis
9. Chase Petty
10. Arnaldo Lantigua
11. Jose Franco
12. Zach Maxwell
13. Leo Balcazar
14. Adolfo Sanchez
15. Carlos Jorge

A large list of talented names exists below for spot #16. Have at it with the votes!

Aaron Watson, RHP (19 years old)

2025 at a glance: Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Trinity Christian Academy (FL); signed overslot $2.7 million bonus to forego commitment to the University of Florida

Pros: 6’5” frame; potential 60-grade slider; fastball that runs up to 96 mph from a three-quarter arm slot and already has a solid three-pitch mix with his change rotated in

Cons: Did not pitch professionally after being drafted, so he’s a complete unknown

One glimpse of Watson on the mound and you immediately think yep, I bet that guy can turn into a pretty dang good pitcher. He’s got an ideal frame to produce downhill offerings, and his fastball/slider mix is already something on which he can hang his hat.

However, command of all three of his pitches – specifically a very developmental changeup – will be what he needs to work on to begin to move quickly through the ranks. He possesses a good ‘feel’ at the moment in terms of what pitches to throw, which part of the zone to attack vs. which hitters, etc., but how well he can build in more deception with his offerings will be vital.

Liberts Aponte, SS (18 years old)

2025 at a glance: .247/.368/.461 with 7 HR, 9 SB in 193 PA for DSL Rojos (Dominican Summer League)

Pros: 29/35 K/BB showed greatly improving strike zone awareness; already a plus defender at short where he projects to be excellent both with range and arm long-term

Cons: Still not viewed as a potential plus with the bat, though early returns are already better than original scouting reports; has a long way to go in terms of physically maturing

The Reds doled out $1.9 million to sign Aponte last January, and that marked the single largest contract they doled out in that particular international signing window. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the #18 player overall in that class, noting he was ‘one of the most skilled defenders in his class’ and ‘offers solid wheels’ with ‘magic in his hands’ while doling out a 65 grade on his fielding ability.

The rest, we knew, would take time, as he was just liked at 6’0” and 160 lbs, and that even felt like a slight exaggeration. To his credit, though, he mashed 7 homers as a 17 year old in DSL play while showing more power than anticipated, and if that aspect of his game grows to match what’s already known the Reds have found themselves a gem.

It will be interesting to see if the Reds push him up to Arizona Complex League play at all in 2026 or give him another year in the DSL seeing as he just turned 18 years old in November.

Luke Holman, RHP (23 years old)

2025 at a glance: ER, 2 H, 10 K, 4 BB in 9.0 IP with Daytona Tortugas (Class-A Florida State League

Pros: Two plus breaking pitches (slider, curve)

Cons: Not a ton of velocity on his fastball, which sits 91-94 mph

Luke Holman threw 109 pitches for LSU in a 6-2 loss to North Carolina on June 1st, 2024, a game in which he yielded 4 ER in 6.2 IP with 7 H, 11 K, and a lone walk. Since then, he’s thrown just 9.0 IP on a mound, total.

Holman, Cincinnati’s 2nd round pick in 2024, sat out the remainder of 2024 after being drafted, finishing his calendar year with 91.2 IP of 2.75 ERA ball that included a wonderful 0.98 WHIP and 127/33 K/BB. When his 2025 began in Daytona, all signs looked promising in his first pair of starts only for an elbow issue to subsequently sit him down and require Tommy John surgery, and we’ve not seen him since.

He sat 91-94 with his fastball (and touched 96) before, and has a pair of wicked breaking balls that he uses as his out pitches. If he returns to form in 2026 the way he ways before (or even better!), he still profiles as a back-end starter who should move quickly through Cincinnati’s system after dominating SEC play in stints first with Alabama and later with LSU.

Mason Morris, RHP (22 years old)

2025 at a glance: 9.00 ERA, 7/1 K/BB in 4.0 IP with Class-A Daytona Tortugas; 3.29 ERA, 78/31 K/BB in 54.2 IP with University of Mississippi

Pros: Fastball that can touch 100 mph; four-pitch mix

Cons: Lack of experience

Mason Morris landed with Ole Miss in 2023 primarily as a corner infielder, and the now 6’4” 225 lb righty only recently became a full-time pitcher prior to the Reds selecting him with their 3rd round pick in 2025. He’s got projection through the roof, though, with a 100 mph heater, plus cutter, and a pair of other breaking balls that look like they’ve also got the juice.

The question, though, is how Cincinnati plans to use him.

Morris only got a pair of outings as a pro after being drafted, and it appears the Reds have intentions on seeing if he can develop into a starting pitcher. That’s something he’s never really done before, however, and he’ll turn 23 years old in August of 2026. So, we’ll see how long of a leash the Reds give him with that avenue, since if they want to simply keep him in the bullpen there’s very little reason why he shouldn’t rocket through the minors and give them a legit relief arm at the big league level in short order.

Julian Aguiar, RHP (25 years old)

2025 at a glance: Did not pitch

Pros: Four-seam fastball that flirts with 100 mph; five-pitch pitcher with a pair of breaking balls and potentially plus change-up

Cons: Missed all of 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery; roughed up in 31.2 IP in MLB debut in 2024 (22 ER, 8 HR)

Julian Aguiar has risen quietly through the ranks of the Reds after being a 12th round pick out of Cypress College back in 2021, and his 2024 season saw him rocket from AA Chattanooga all the way through AAA and then to the Reds. Unfortunately, his short stint there ended with him requiring Tommy John surgery, and he missed all of 2025 while recovering.

He’s got plus potential with at least three pitches, and has another two that are still passable to keep hitters off-keel. His 360/93 career K/BB in 346.1 IP across the minors shows he’s got good strikeout stuff and a passable ability to keep hitters from free passes, and if his command returns as quickly as his velocity does post-surgery he should be in the mix to get big league batters out in some role as early as Opening Day. My best guess, though, is that he’ll be slated for AAA Louisville’s rotation to re-establish himself as a starter first, and he won’t actually turn 25 until June.

Mason Neville, OF (22 years old)

2025 at a glance: .247/.333/.442 with 1 HR, 2 SB in 90 PA with Class-A Daytona Tortugas (Florida State League); .290/.429/.724 with 26 HR, 9 SB in 280 PA with University of Oregon

Pros: 60-grade power with potential plus arm and plus speed & baserunning; chance to stick in CF, though still profiles as a solid RF if moved to the corner; led Division I with 26 HR in final season at Oregon

Cons: Lots of swing and miss in his game, at times, including a 34.4% rate in his short sample with Daytona

The Reds clearly love Neville, as they drafted him in the 18th round out of high school 2022 only to watch him initially attend the University of Arkansas. After transferring to Oregon and swatting more dingers than anyone else in 2025, the Reds went back to him in the 4th round of the most recent draft.

Neville is incredibly toolsy, his left-handed swing producing significant power when he makes contact. He’s good at working walks despite his swing-and-miss proclivities, and posesses the kind of athleticism and speed to be a legitimate CF.

His tiny sample with Daytona has some red flags with the Ks, but it’s such a small sample that it’s hard to take it with too much certainty. For instance, he hit .298/.365/.526 through his first 17 games there only to go 2 for 20 with 9 Ks across his final 6 games – that could, and likely is, all small-sample noise.

Big tools, that Neville. He could well be the steal of the 2025 draft.

Sheng-En Lin, RHP (20 years old)

2025 at a glance: 3.06 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 61/15 K/BB in 47.0 IP split between ACL Reds (Arizona Complex League) and Class-A Daytona Tortugas (Florida State League); .172/.348/.310 with 2 HR in 113 PA with ACL Reds (Arizona Complex League)

Pros: Former two-way player has tons of athleticism; fastball that runs to 97 mph with three-pitch mix including curve and change; excellent command

Cons: Still building up innings; dropping hitting to focus on being a pitcher

Lin was signed for $1.2 million during the 2023 international signing period, and the Taiwan native spent the last trio of seasons in Arizona attempting to do both hitting and pitching. The hit tool stalled, though, as his K-rate spiked and power never arrived, and on pitching he’ll now focus after making a late-season cameo with Daytona after being promoted to full-season ball for the first time.

In very, very small samples, his work on the mound has been excellent. He’s the owner of an impressive 4.07 K/BB rate for his short career, and that’s with an impressive 11.7 K/9 that shows just how much of a strikeout pitcher he can be. His secondary pitches both flash plus grades, at times, and more consistency there with a fastball that hits 97 mph already (with perhaps more velocity coming as he focuses solely on the mound) could see him rocket up these rankings in short order…if he hits the ground running in April.

Ricky Cabrera, 3B (21 years old)

2025 at a glance: .187/.276/.240 with 0 HR, 0 SB in 89 PA with High-A Dayton Dragons (Midwest League)

Pros: Above-average power, speed, and hit tool, with an arm that’s good enough to play at 3B (if he can find his accuracy)

Cons: An absolutely lost 2025 season that included a season-ending knee injury

The optimist in you sees that Cabrera only just turned 21 years old in October, and in 2024 posted a 110 wRC+ with 11 HR and 19 SB in the pitcher-friendly confines of the Florida State League with Daytona (with said wRC+, along with his OPS, both ranking among that league’s top 10). That same optimist probably would point out that 2025 saw the Venezuela native play in the cold April weather of the Midwest League with Dayton for the first time, and he struggled mightily in those new conditions before a knee injury rendered his 2025 completely lost.

There’s still a lot to like about Cabrera, even though he’s physically matured off shortstop at this juncture and likely profiles as a 3B, or potentially at 2B defensively – with his defense needing just as much improvement as his bat at the moment, too. If the batting cage stuff can begin to translate onto the field again post-injury, there’s still a ton to like about the former $2.7 million signee and Top 5 overall international prospect from the 2022 class.

I’m assuming there is no pessimist in you, for now.

We move on to the slew of right-handed pitchers present as NRIs to spring training this year. There are no fewer than fourteen, so this will take us a few installments! A lot of relief arms: all five in this edition are potential help for the bullpen, though perhaps not as soon as this season.

Isaiah Campbell (49)

Campbell is the first man born in Portugal to reach the majors in almost a hundred and fifty years, since the Madeira-born Frank Thompson in 1875. Isaiah was born when his father was serving there in the Air Force. He debuted in 2023 with the Mariners, and had a fine rookie campaign, posting a 2.83 ERA across 27 relief appearances. He has struggled since, missing much of 2024 with elbow inflammation. Last year, he pitched mostly for Triple-A Worcester, and had a 3.90 ERA for them, but couldn’t find success in the big leagues with the Red Sox. He’s not a terrible depth piece and, with just over a year’s service time, comes with a lot of team control.

Gerardo Carrillo (68)

A career minor-leaguer, Carrillo has bounced around since 2017, and only made two appearances above Double-A in that time. Now aged 27, he has seen time with the Dodgers, Nationals and Rangers organizations, before signing a minor-league deal for the D-backs. He actually appeared in the Arizona Fall League, back in 2019. Last year, he had a 3.59 ERA for Double-A El Paso, and over the winter had a 2.19 ERA for Jalisco in the Mexican League, though his K:BB ratio was an unimpressive 4:4 over 12.1 innings. He’s probably most famous for being part of the Max Scherzer + Trea Turner deal between Los Angeles and Washington in July 2021.

John Curtiss (46)

This name, however, should be familiar, because Curtiss – with the extra S – appeared thirty times out of the Arizona bullpen in 2025 (pictured, top). He didn’t do at all badly, getting a 3.93 ERA and 4.01 FIP. He got a decent 4.80 rating in our season review, but was outrighted off the 40-man roster at year end, and elected to become a free agent. However, he re-signed for the Diamondbacks on December 16, and the experience he picked up – Curtiss even notched a save – will stand him in good stead. He walked just five batters in 36.2 innings, and John should definitely be considered a contender for one of the open spots at the back of the 2026 bullpen.

Shawn Dubin (65)

Like Campbell, Dubin comes with major-league experience, having appeared 64 times for Baltimore and Houston, since making his MLB debut in June 2023. Last year, he started with the Astros, but was selected off waivers by the Orioles in August. All told, he had a 5.08 ERA over 33.2 innings, with a 28:11 K:BB. It’s possible health was an issue, as he was much better (1.33 ERA in 20.1 IP) before a forearm strain sent him to the IL for two months in June. Fun fact: Dubin originally intended to play soccer at college, and dropped out to work at Lowe’s. A friend convinced him to try out for the baseball team at Erie Community College… and here we are.

Hayden Durke (53)

A 13th-round pick in 2023, Durke rocketed through the system last year, with stops at three levels. He started at High-A Hillsboro, where a 13.2 inning scoreless streak with 22 strikeouts led to him moving up to Double-A Amarillo. Despite its well-known reputation as a launching pad, Durke held his own, with a 2.31 ERA and 18:6 K:BB across 11.2 frames. He was then sent to Reno and… [loud buzzing sounds of static] Yeah, it didn’t quite go as well there, his control evaporating to the tune of more than a walk per inning, and a 9.53 ERA in 17 games. Still, he’s only 23, so has time to figure it out.

Baseball Prospectus has published its annual list of the top 101 prospects in baseball ahead of the 2026 season, and seven Mets prospects are included on the list: Nolan McLean (4), Carson Benge (10), Jonah Tong (23), A.J. Ewing (38), Jacob Reimer (70), Ryan Clifford (86), and Will Watson (96). And both Jett Williams (41) and Brandon Sproat (76), who the Mets dealt to the Brewers for Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers, made the list, as well.

The inclusion of that many Mets prospects is a testament to the excellent state of the organization’s farm system, which is widely regarded as one of the best in the sport.

All seven of the Mets prospects who made the list were included in our top 25 here at Amazin’ Avenue, as our post-Brewers rankings would have them in the same order as they appear on the Baseball Prospectus list.

1. Nolan McLean
2. Carson Benge
3. Jonah Tong
4. A.J. Ewing
5. Jacob Reimer
6. Ryan Clifford
7. Will Watson