Glenn Kaplan
This season, the Cincinnati Reds have a 35-38 record, and they are currently in last place in the National League Central. Cincinnati made it to the playoffs last season as the final wild card team in the National League. This season, they are on the verge of missing the playoffs.
With the Reds not having a good year at the major league level, they have some very good prospects down at the minor league level. Catcher Alfred Duno is the number 23 prospect in the Top 100 prospect pool on MLB.com. He was signed as an international free agent by Cincinnati on January 15, 2023. Where does he rank amongst the top prospects in Cincinnati’s farm system?
Alfred Duno is the Reds number one prospect
Duno is the Reds number one prospect. He is currently playing for the Dayton Dragons at the High-A level. Duno has only played for Dayton in 58 games during the minor league baseball season. His batting average is .262 with 15 home runs and 44 RBIs, along with one stolen base. His on-base percentage is .381, his slugging percentage is .525, and his OPS is .906. He is not projected to reach the major league level until 2028.
With him tearing it up with Dayton, there is a chance that the Reds organization could potentially promote him to the Double-A level soon. He would then be playing for the Chattanooga Outlooks. Duno is only 20 years old, and he has all of the tools to be the everyday catcher for the Reds for a long time.
Scouting Report
With every prospect, there is always a scouting report. The scouting about Duno on MLB.com said, “One of the top overall prospects in the 2023 international class and the second-highest ranked catcher, Duno got $3.1 million from the Reds when the signing period opened that January. He raised the excitement bar, especially offensively, by raking in the Dominican Summer League. The Reds thought he was advanced enough to push him to full-season ball in 2024, but he never really got to show what he could do, playing just 32 games because of a broken rib.
He returned to Daytona in 2025 and helped cement his place among catching prospects by leading the Florida State League in homers, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS. He also hit four homers in a three-game span in the Arizona Fall League to cap things off.
Duno quickly got back to showing off impressive bat speed and raw power once he was fully healthy, routinely putting up elite-level exit velocities. His approach and swing decisions have also improved, with his walk rate jumping up while cutting his strikeout rate and keeping his chase to a minimum, giving even more confidence that he’ll keep hitting, and getting to his power — which has shown up mostly to his pull side thus far — as he progresses.”
One of the things that is impressive with Duno’s stats is that he has a good batting average and his on-base percentage is over 100 points higher. This shows he has a good eye at the plate. Duno also possesses some power in his bat as well. This is the one prospect that Reds fans need to keep an eye in the minor leagues.
