On Saturday afternoon, the Cincinnati Reds played their first game of the spring against the Cleveland Guardians in the Cactus League. Expectations for this year’s Reds club are sky high.
Will Benson showed off his power with a huge smash over the right-center field wall in the top of the fourth inning. Carson Spiers, the Reds’ starting pitcher in Saturday’s opener, also impressed with two scoreless innings and four strikeouts.
Tyler Callihan, a Reds prospect, grabbed the spotlight during the opening Cactus League game this spring. Callihan grounded into a fielder’s choice in the sixth inning, scoring Bubba Thompson from third, and then hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning.
Forgotten Reds prospect, Tyler Callihan, shines in spring opener
The Cincinnati Reds selected Tyler Callihan in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Callihan was a bat-first shortstop seen as a hit-over-power prospect who was expected to play defensively at second base.
The Cincinnati Reds selected Tyler Callihan in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Callihan was a bat-first shortstop seen as a hit-over-power prospect who was expected to play defensively at second base.
However, Callihan, like many other prospects, missed the 2020 season since the minor league season was canceled due to the coronavirus epidemic. Callihan’s rise up the minor league ranks was halted by a catastrophic elbow injury that necessitated Tommy John surgery.
Callihan hit.249/.327/.389 last season, but after being promoted to Double-A, the left-handed hitting infielder slashed.310/.396/.460 in just over 100 at-bats for the Lookouts before the end of the 2023 season.
Tyler Callihan isn’t competing for a position on the Cincinnati Reds’ Opening Day roster, but don’t rule out a midseason call-up if he can take this momentum into his minor league season in 2024. Callihan is one of many outstanding infielders on the Reds’ roster.
