Cincinnati Reds' Aristides Aquino named minor league player of the year
The Cincinnati Reds had a surprise prospect win their minor league player of the year award.
The Cincinnati Reds have been lauding the work of Jesse Winker and Steve Selsky, but Aristides Aquino won the minor league player of the year award from MLBPipeline.com. He is the 21st ranked prospect for the team, playing in advanced A-ball. Selsky may have ended the season in Cincinnati, but Aquino had the better year. Amir Garrett, looking to join the Cincinnati rotation next year, was named pitcher of the year.
Winker batted .303 with a .397 OBP in 106 games. He only scored 39 runs somehow despite getting on base 174 times between walks and hits. His combination of three home runs and no steals is also disappointing.
2016 draftee Taylor Trammell is the number 2 outfield prospect in the Reds’ system. He played the entire season in Billings. Trammell had 24 steals even though he got on base less than 100 times this season.
T.J. Friedl is the third ranked Reds outfield prospect. Friedl was an undrafted free agent this year and signed on with the Reds in Billings. He batted .347 with an OBP of .423 in the short season.
The last outfielder ranked higher than Aquino is Phil Ervin. Ervin had 36 steals in 123 games for Pensacola. He had an amazing OBP of .362 while batting only .239. This is typical of the Reds’ minor leaguers.
Aristides Aquino is the slugger in a system filled with speed and defense.
Aquino signed as an international free agent in January of 2011.
Unlike the players mentioned above, Aquino is a true right fielder. He has a strong arm and just enough speed to get to the ball quickly enough to make the throws.
Hitting 23 home runs this year in Daytona Beach, Aquino was second in the Florida State League in home runs. He more than doubled his next teammate, who had 11 home runs. Aquino was also third in the Florida State League in RBIs.
He also was a leader on his own team. Aquino was fourth in steals, despite being a bona fide slugger. He also was fourth in slugging, but first among those players who played more than fifty games for the Tortugas.
Aquino was second on the team in both hits and doubles. With 61 extra base hits Aquino settled into a nice pattern in advanced-A ball. On top of all of this, Aquino ranked second on the team in games played falling behind only shortstop and top prospect, Blake Trahan.
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Aquino projects statistically similarly to former Red Austin Kearn, but with more athleticism his ceiling sits closer to that of George Foster. Aquino stands alone as an outfielder with plus power. That alone may propel him to Cincinnati.
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