Under the Radar Prospects: Reds

The Reds are the subjects of this week's installment of under the radar prospects

There’s no shortage of pitching talent in the pipeline for the Cincinnati Reds as they’ve coveted young arms with plus arsenals that they look to mold into dependable big league contributors. Below are five such arms that, as of now, haven’t gained much attention but could very well see a sudden acceleration of their status as prospects this upcoming season.

Julian Aguiar, RHP - Cincinnati Reds

Thus far in his brief career as a professional, 22-year-old Julian Aguiar has quietly plodded along in the lower levels of the Reds organization, consistently providing solid numbers at each stop along the way. Selected in the 12th round of the 2021 draft, Aguiar has performed admirably, albeit without much fanfare. The former Cypress JuCo standout and SoCal native started the 2023 campaign in High-A and dominated in every sense of the word. He logged 70 1/3 innings with a 1.92 ERA (2.92 FIP) and a 27% strikeout rate to go with a strong 8.5% walk rate.

Clearly up for the challenge, the Reds pushed him to Double-A, where over 11 starts, Aguiar composed a 4.28 ERA (3.60 FIP) with a 26% strikeout rate and 5.6% walk rate. Aguiar’s 3.45 xFIP was the 12th lowest of 250+ pitchers with at least 100 innings in the minor leagues. Aguiar has a wide array of pitches and while no particular offering is dazzling, he’s flashed a wipeout slider that could push him to potentially being a dependable middle of the rotation innings eater in the next few years.

Adam Serwinowski, LHP - Cincinnati Reds

Selected in the 15th round of the 2022 draft, 6’5” left-handed pitcher Adam Serwinowski has carved up opposing hitters since being drafted. There’s plenty of potential for Serwinowski, but the Reds are taking it slow with the 19-year-old southpaw. Thus far, he’s only pitched in the complex league, but overall has nearly a 40% strikeout rate and an opponent average of .154 against him over 28 1/3 innings pitched. The issue so far has been control, as the left-hander has issued a walk to nearly 15% of he batters he’s faced.

Serwinoski has a wonky delivery and unusual arm angle that helps him play-up his two above-average pitches: a fastball that he can pump into the high 90’s and a curveball that may be the best in the Reds system.