Petty's stuff looked better than ever in 2024 despite his numbers taking a bit of a step back.He dealt with an elbow injury early in the 2023 campaign that limited his workload and perhaps cost him a bit of velocity,but the power pitcher the Reds thought they'd acquired from Minnesota in the Sonny Gray deal finally looked to be back last year Gavin Lux Jersey.Regaining his command of the zone will be the priority for Petty in 2025.He reached AAA at the end of last season,but logged just 10.0 IP there across a pair of starts.Barring a brilliant spring,he'll return there to begin the upcoming year and the former 1st round draftee will be a call away from his first big league action.Cam Collier,3B - 20 years old2024 at a glance: .248.355.433 with 20 HR,2 SB in 507 PA for the Dayton DragonsPros: High contact left-handed bat with excellent strike zone command; power finally emerged at Dayton after escaping the pitcher-friendly Florida State LeagueCons: Not the most athletic defender or base runner,who may have to move off 3B; ran both very hot and very cold for long stretches of 2024 seasonOnly Chris Newell socked more Midwest League homers than Collier's 20 last year,and Collier did all of that damage as a 19 year old.He sported a 13.0% walk-rate and his 66 total walks ranked as the 5th most across the league.He's got a strong arm,per scouting reports,but he's not the most agile defender at 3B.There remain questions as to whether he'd be a better fit at 1B,but at least the bat is beginning to make enough noise to make that less of a long-term concern.Keep in mind that just three hitters who logged at least 300 PA in the Midwest League last year were younger than Cam,who'll ply his trade for AA Chattanooga to begin 2025.Sal Stewart,3B2B - 21 years old2024 at a glance: .279.391.454 with 8 HR,10 SB in 338 PA split with the Dayton DragonsPros: As many walks as strikeouts so far as a professional,advanced strike zone command; raw powerCons: In-game power still developing; still a defensive nomad despite reasonable showing at 2B; wrist injury ended season earlyThe Reds selected Sal Stewart out of high school in Florida with the 32nd overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft,doing so despite knowing he was committed to baseball powerhouse Vanderbilt University.Perhaps they knew something,or had some inside info from former Vandy pitching coach Derek Johnson,since they managed to get Stewart signed for just the 40th highest bonus of the draft class despite that strong commitment.He's done nothing but be an offensive machine in his pro career,sporting one of the best KBB ratios of any minor leaguer while pairing it with emerging power that's playing up as he advanced out of the hitter hell that is the Florida State League.His 144 wRC+ with Dayton ranked as the 5th best among the 87 hitters who logged at least 300 PA there.Unfortunately,an off the field wrist injury in July ended his season and required surgery,though as of October he was reportedly swinging a bat again and is on-track to face AA pitching for the first time in 2025.Alfredo Duno,CDH - 19 years old2024 at a glance: .267.367.422 with 3 HR,2 SB in 139 PA with Daytona TortugasPros: Plus arm and agility at the catching position paired with plus raw power and elite bat speedCons: We've still barely seen him play,let alone catchA rib issue cut short Duno's first full season of pro ball in 2024,though he flashed precisely what the scouting report suggested in his limited time with the Tortugas: an advanced offensive approach Rawly Eastwick Jersey,some big projectible pop,and athleticism behind the dish.I'd like to think that over 100 or so games with Dayton in 2025,the world would see enough of that to be convinced he's the heir apparent to the Cincinnati catching position,and a clear-cut Top 100 overall prospect.Of course,he's so far 0 for 2 in staying healthy enough to show that to the world,so we'll have to hope he bats .333 in that category by season's end.
