Red Reposter - Will Banfield signed, prospect rankings begin

Wednesday links!

“Banfield, we love,” Schumaker said. “He’s been great. Definitely has the leadership quality to be a Major League catcher. He’s as good as anybody, and is becoming a good hitter. Last year was a major step for him in the right direction with power and understanding how to hit.

“Yeah, he’ll be knocking on the door — no doubt.”

Such were the words from Cincinnati Reds legend and former Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker back in March of this year regarding catcher Will Banfield. At the time, Banfield checked in as the #26 prospect in Miami’s system, and as Steve Kornacki of MLB.com noted, he was in the mix for a spot on the team’s Opening Day roster as spring training began.

That didn’t happen, however. And after a breakout 2023 season where he blasted 23 homers for AA Pensacola, his entire offensive game took a step back in his first trip through AAA in 2024. At the end of the season, Banfield elected free agency, and the Cincinnati Reds scooped him up on a minor league deal earlier this week.

Banfield, a former 2nd round draft pick out of high school in Georgia, instantly adds an interesting name to the mix for the backup catcher spot behind Tyler Stephenson, who for now is the lone backstop on Cincinnati’s 40-man roster. He’s generally graded as a well-regarded defender and game manager behind the plate, and that paired with the offensive upside he flashed in 2023 would be a pretty damn intriguing pickup. I still expect the Reds to pursue a more ‘proven’ option later this winter to backfill for Luke Maile reaching free agency, but this is a fun way to begin adding to their depth at the position.

In other news, Doug Gray has put together his latest list of the Top 25 prospects in the Reds organization, and it’s headlined by a trio of arms in an order you may not expect.

Down in the Dominican Winter League, Reds prospect Hector Rodriguez - who won the league’s Rookie of the Year Award with his excellent play last year - is once again off to a hot start for the Leones de Escogido.

Finally, the Los Angeles Dodgers made another huge splash late last night by signing two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to a mammoth five-year contract worth some $182 million. He’ll join Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, Dustin May, Bobby Miller, and Tony Gonsolin in an embarrassment of riches rotation as the Dodgers look to defend their World Series crown and continue to establish this run of form as a true dynasty.