Cincinnati Reds Rule 5 Options: The Outfielders

The Rule 5 draft takes place on December 7th in San Diego. The Cincinnati Reds have a number of outfielders on their 40-man roster. They have to keep them on the 26-year-old roster for the entire 2023 season or offer them back to the original team. MLB Pipeline looked at the top unprotected prospect from each organization on Friday.

Heriberto Hernandez is a 23-year-old prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. He spent the entire 2018 season in High-A Bowling Green. Hernandez hit .255/.368/.499 with 28 doubles, a triple and 24 home runs in 119 games.

Luis Mieses is a 22-year-old prospect who played most of the season in High-A Winston-Salem and the final month in Double-AA Birmingham. He hit 39 doubles and 15 home runs between him and Birmingham, but he also struck out 92 times in 553 plate appearances in 2022.

Jake Mangum is ranked as the New York Mets #28 prospect midseason. He's played for Double-A and Triple-a in the last two seasons. Mangu is 27 years old and has played at the highest levels. His power is limited. He is a good defender in center and a fast runner.

Troy Johnston is unranked by Baseball America in the Marlins system. He had a good year in Double-A Pensacola but struggled with Triple-a Jacksonville. Johnston has played first base and left field in each of the last two seasons.

Jose Ramos is ranked as the 17th prospect in the Dodgers organization. He spent his season in A-ball at two different stops before heading to the Arizona Fall League. Ramos hit 25 home runs, 22 doubles and 6 triples, but also had 169 strikeouts and 57 walks in 123 games.

Korry Howell will be Rule 5 eligible for the second consecutive season. He was 23-years-old during the season in 2022 and spent all of it in Double-A San Antonio. Last year he played a bit of everywhere on defense, getting action at shortstop, second base, and all three spots in the outfield.

Jairo Pomares is a 21-year-old outfielder who played last season in High-A Eugene. He hit .254/.330/.438 with 20 doubles and 14 home runs. His approach is still raw and he struggles to make contact.

Korry Howell, Troy Johnston, and Jake Mangum are the Cincinnati Reds Rule 5 draft options. They are unlikely to stick to a big league roster. The odds are better for pitchers to make the jump from A-ball than position players. The chances of a player like that finding a role on a team are small.