DAYTON — The 28-man Futures Team roster for the Cincinnati Reds Futures Game was released this week. The Reds major league club will meet the Futures Team at 1:35 p.m. Saturday, April 1 at Fifth Third Field.
The Futures Team includes top prospects from the Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A levels in the Reds organization. Gates will open for the game at 11:30 a.m. to allow fans to view Reds batting practice.
The Futures Team will include each of the top 10 position player prospects in the Reds organization, based on the Baseball America prospect rankings entering the 2017 season. The Futures Team is headed by Reds #1 prospect Nick Senzel. Several of the Reds top pitching prospects will also be part of the Futures Team roster.
Here are the top 10 position player prospects in the Reds organization, based on Baseball America rankings. All players on this list will play for the Futures Team on Saturday.
Nick Senzel, third baseman (#1 Reds overall prospect)
Taylor Trammell, outfielder (#5 Reds overall prospect)
Jesse Winker, outfielder (#6 Reds overall prospect)
Aristides Aquino, outfielder (#7 Reds overall prospect)
Tyler Stephenson, catcher (#10 Reds overall prospect)
Chris Okey, catcher (#14 Reds overall prospect)
T.J. Friedl, outfielder (#15 Reds overall prospect)
Shed Long, second baseman (#16 Reds overall prospect)
Phillip Ervin, outfielder (#18 Reds overall prospect)
Alfredo Rodriguez, shortstop (#22 Reds overall prospect)
Team Notes: Four former Reds No. 1 draft picks will play for the Futures Team (Nick Senzel, Tyler Stephenson, Alex Blandino, Phillip Ervin)…Nineteen (19) of the 28 players on the Futures Team roster have previously played for the Dayton Dragons…Six (6) players on the Futures Team roster are expected to remain in Dayton to play for the Dragons (Tyler Stephenson, Cassidy Brown, Brantley Bell, Taylor Trammell, T.J. Friedl, Jose Siri).
The Reds Futures Game will open the 2017 baseball season in Dayton. The game will mark the second Reds “Futures Game” at Fifth Third Field. The first, played on April 4, 2009, was the first of its kind in baseball and received national media attention.
The Reds defeated the Futures team, 9-6, in 2009 in a game that featured five home runs, including shots by Edwin Encarnacion for the big league club and a three-run homer by then-prospect Todd Frazier, playing for the Futures Team, that landed on the roof of the concessions building in left field. Soon-to-be all-star Johnny Cueto was the starting pitcher for the Reds. The Futures Team also included Drew Stubbs, Chris Heisey, Zack Cozart, Devin Mesoraco, and Juan Francisco among others.
