Uncovering the Performances of Cincinnati's Winter League Stars

The Hitters

Noelvi Marte and Hector Rodriguez have been regulars on the field. Marte struggled initially as he made good contact but struggled to find hits. Rodriguez, on the other hand, showed great form, making consistent contact and hitting an impressive.361 in his 40 plate appearances over 10 games. However, he missed the last three games after being pinch hit for in his second plate appearance on Friday.

Yael Romero, who just turned 19 in October and only played in the Dominican Summer League before, has had 18 plate appearances in the Mexican Winter League. The pitching there is tougher with an average age of 28, but Romero has shown a good eye at the plate in his limited time. He walked 72 times in 301 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League.

The Pitchers

Trevor Kuncl, who signed with the Reds after the season ended and has no prior organization or affiliated ball experience, got significant bullpen time in Mexico. He allowed four runs in 0.1 innings in his debut but has been outstanding since, giving up just one earned run, five hits, and three walks while striking out 15 in 11.2 innings after that. He last pitched three weeks ago.

Gabriel Aguilera, who recently turned 24 and pitched well in Dayton and Daytona in 2024 with a 3.55 ERA over 99.0 innings, has been getting some innings in Venezuela. He pitched twice in mid-October and then again on November 14th. Since then, he has pitched in three games and has thrown 15.2 innings in four starts and one relief appearance.