While the Cincinnati Reds have the day off on Thursday it felt like it would be a good chance to look at some of the things going on down on the farm and it’s a perfect time, too, because Wednesday night was full of highlights in the minor leagues.
We can start in Triple-A Louisville where outfielder Hector Rodriguez hit for the cycle in the Bats 20-5 blowout win. Rodriguez, one of the Reds top prospects, is still just 22-years-old but has made his way up the ladder since being acquired from the Mets when he as a teenager in the deal that sent Tyler Naquin to New York at the trade deadline.
Rodriguez has been holding his own in Triple-A this season. His plate discipline has improved quite a bit this season as he’s been more patient, chased pitches out of the zone far less often than he has in the past, walked more, and he’s still hitting for a solid average and plenty of power. On Wednesday night you got a chance to see all of that. He began his day with an opposite field single, then hit a 420-foot home run. An inning later he would double into the right field corner. And he completed his cycle on a triple off of the wall in right-center.
Rodriguez spent the second half with Louisville in 2025. He played in 53 games and had a .709 OPS. He hit .260, but he only drew 12 walks – which gave him a .304 on-base percentage. His power was down a little bit, too, as he slugged just .405. This season he’s hitting for a higher average, posting a .282 mark through 63 games. He’s also walked 30 times to boost his on-base percentage to .359. And after last night’s power barrage, he’s slugging .498 with 11 doubles, four triples, and 12 home runs. That’s good to an .857 OPS from the left-handed hitter outfielder.
A Moon Shot of a Homer
If you want to talk about big time power on the farm system there are a few guys you can point to. But the guy who gets to it more than anyone else is 20-year-old catcher Alfredo Duno. In 2025 he won the Single-A Florida State League’s Most Valuable Player Award. He led the league in nearly every offensive category there is except batting average (he finished 2nd) and triples. He had a league best 18 home runs in his 113 games player for Daytona last year and it was easily the best in the pitcher friendly league.
Last night saw Duno absolutely unload on a baseball in Dayton. In the bottom of the 5th inning he got a 94 MPH fastball up in the zone and he hit it to the moon. Well, almost. The home run cleared the wall and the concourse in left field. Beyond the concourse is a food stand. Above the stand is a large videoboard. Duno’s home run nearly hit the top of the videoboard, clanking off of his last name.
Duno, the Reds top prospect, was their biggest signing in their 2023 international class and he’s done nothing but show that it was the right call to sign him ever since. This season he’s had some ups-and-downs but he’s hitting .266/.388/.526 through 51 games for Dayton. That’s come along with 11 doubles and 13 home runs.
Only three players have more home runs in the league than the 20-year-old Duno does and they are all several years older than he is. Among the players in the league who are 20 or younger with at least 100 plate appearances (just 14 players), Duno leads the group in home runs, RBI, and walks.
Tidbits and Notes
TJ Friedl went 0-8 in his first two games after being optioned to Triple-A. Since then he’s gone 8-17 with three doubles, a walk, and a home run.
Back in Arizona a young catcher is turning heads for what he’s been doing in the batters box. Jirvin Morillo is in his first season in the US after playing two years in the Dominican Summer League. The 19-year-old has played in 24 games for the complex level team in Goodyear and is hitting .341/.455/.598 with 18 walks, eight doubles, two triples, and three home runs. He’s among the top 10 in the league in average, on-base percentage, slugging, hits, doubles, and OPS.
We spoke about Alfredo Duno, the club’s top international signing from 2023 above. This year’s top international signing, Angel Nunez, is just getting his career started. He has played in six games with the Dominican Summer League Rojos this season (their season doesn’t start until June) and he’s come out of the gate raking. He’s hitting .391/.481/.696 with four extra-base hits, three steals, and more walks than strikeouts so far.