Three Cincinnati Reds Prospects Earn Major Preseason Recognition

Three Cincinnati Reds prospects made ESPN.com's Top 100 prospect list that was released on Tuesday morning.

Sal Stewart - No. 17

"Stewart was the 32nd pick in the 2022 draft out of a south Florida high school after being a notable prospect for almost his entire prep career," ESPN.com's Kiley McDaniel wrote. "The report now reads pretty similarly to how it did then: a gifted hitter with above-average raw power who might be a third baseman. The main difference is that the 55-grade power projections are now giving way to 60 or 65 grades."

Stewart is down 25 pounds this offseason.

"I called Tito,"Stewart said on the Reds Hot Stove. "We had a super long talk together about what he expects out of me. He expects a lot of good things out me...I had to look myself in the mirror and see where I could get better and I felt like losing some weight could not only help me, but allow me to go play first and even second. I actually weighed in today, and I am down 26 pounds from when I left the offseason."

Stewart should be with the Reds on Opening Day.

Alfredo Duno - No. 29

"Duno signed before the 2023 season but due to injuries played only 77 pro games in '23 and '24. He was a real prospect entering 2025 because of his performance, position and huge exit velos, but he took a big step forward in 2025," McDaniel wrote. "He played 113 games in Single-A as a 19-year-old the whole season with more walks than strikeouts and 18 homers (one behind Eric Bitonti for the most at across the three Single-A leagues) playing only catcher."

Like McDaniel said. Duno took big steps in 2025. The Reds think so highly of him that they had him play in the Arizona Fall League. He was one of the youngest players in the league. Duno is most likely to start the 2026 season with Daytona.

Rhett Lowder - No. 72

"His four-seam and two-seam fastballs are roughly average pitches, while his slider, changeup and feel for locating his stuff are above average," McDaniel continued. "Unless there's another stuff/command jump in here, a healthy Lowder will be a reliable No. 3/No. 4 starter."

Lowder pitched in a couple of rehab games in the minors, as well as the Arizona Fall League, but didn't appear in a single game in the majors due to injuries in 2025.

He is expected to compete with Chase Burns in Spring Training for the fifth starter spot.

You can see the full top 100 list here.