Reds Prospect Weekly: Graham Goes Deep Four Times at Double-A, Morris Dazzles in A+ Debut
By Peyton Hayes ·
Reds Prospect Weekly covers the last 7 days of action for the Reds farm system.
Graham Keeps Mashing Through Double-A
Carter Graham (AA, 1B, Rank: 54) posted 9 hits and 4 home runs in 25 plate appearances against Double-A pitching this week, driving in 8 runs while walking once against 7 strikeouts. This offensive output demands attention from a 24-year-old first baseman who was not supposed to be a headline name in this system. Graham is a 60 power, 45 hit tool profile with real questions about his ability to sustain production against upper-level pitching, and the Double-A numbers so far have been a genuine test of those concerns rather than a resolution of them. His combined 2026 line across High-A and Double-A now sits at .302/.422/.573 with 28 home runs in 508 plate appearances, and the power that always graded ahead of everything else is clearly the real article. Over his last 30 days at Chattanooga he is slashing .289/.373/.533 with 5 home runs, which means this week did not come out of nowhere; the impact has been building since the promotion.
The profile still carries the same concerns it always has. Graham's contact rate of 71.8 percent and 20.5 percent strikeout rate for the season are workable but leave little margin for error at the level where Double-A relievers start hunting specific weaknesses. Last season he walked at a 7.1 percent clip, and this year that number has climbed to 14.2 percent combined, a meaningful shift that has revealed more of the power by keeping him out of hitter-unfavorable counts. The defensive ceiling is limited to first base and DH, which means the offensive bar to reach the majors in any regular capacity remains high. A second-division outcome is still the realistic top end of the projection, and there is genuine quad-A risk if the adjustments plateau. But right now, through 508 plate appearances at two levels in 2026, Graham is making a strong argument that the power is legitimate enough to carry a conversation about a roster role at some point. Four home runs in one week against Double-A arms is a data point worth keeping.
Morris Looks the Part in His High-A Debut
Mason Morris (A+, RHP, Rank: 13) made his first start at High-A Dayton this week and delivered 5.1 innings of one-run ball, allowing just 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4 and generating 9 swinging misses on 80 pitches. The promotion came after a stretch at Low-A where his numbers had been grinding in the right direction: over his last 30 days at Dayton he carries a 3.32 ERA across 21.2 innings with a 7.8 percent walk rate, a meaningful improvement from the full-season 13.3 percent walk rate at Low-A that had been the central concern with his profile. Morris sits 96-99 on the fastball and backs it with a plus cutter in the low 90s and an above-average slider, a combination that already plays well in shorter stints and projects as a late-inning reliever arsenal. The 9 swinging misses in 5.1 innings against High-A hitters is an encouraging data point, though 4 strikeouts is a modest return on that whiff volume.
The development question with Morris has always been about command. His strike rate for the season sits at 42.8 percent, which is below the threshold you want for a starting pitcher, and the season walk rate reflects the cost of that inconsistency. What made this debut notable beyond the ERA was the jump in efficiency: 39 strikes on 80 pitches is 48.8 percent in the outing. It still isn't great, but it is better than his season mark and a sign that the stuff can command the zone when the delivery is synced. The changeup grades at 40 and is not going to be a weapon against left-handed lineups, which is part of why the projection leans toward a high-leverage bullpen role rather than a rotation future. If the command keeps tightening even in short increments, the cutter-slider-fastball combination gives him a real path to eighth-inning work at the big league level. One start does not answer that question, but a clean debut in a new environment is a reasonable first step.
Quick Hits
Alfredo Duno (AA, C, Rank: 1) · drove in 2 runs on 7 hits across 20 plate appearances, adding 2 doubles and 3 walks against just 3 strikeouts in his first week back at Chattanooga after being activated from the injured list on August 25. The return has been smooth: over his last 30 days at Double-A he is slashing .412/.500/.529, a small-sample reminder of why he grades as a 50 hit, 55 power, 60 arm catcher with an everyday ceiling. His combined 2026 line of .274/.397/.511 with 19 home runs in 393 plate appearances across two levels remains one of the most compelling stat lines in the system.
Arnaldo Lantigua (A, OF, Rank: 11) · racked up 7 hits and 3 RBI in 22 plate appearances, knocking 3 doubles while walking 3 times and striking out only twice. The contact and zone control are the story right now: over his last 30 days he is hitting .312/.421/.468 with a 15.8 percent walk rate and a strikeout rate of just 10.5 percent, a dramatic improvement from the 23.8 percent K rate across his full Low-A season. He is a 55 power right field profile with questions about pitch recognition, and a month of this contact quality is encouraging evidence that he is learning to stay in zone earlier in counts.
Alfredo Alcantara (A+, 2B, Rank: 18) · went 5-for-12 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI in just 12 plate appearances, providing a pop that has been inconsistent across his full High-A season. The 20-year-old carries a 45 hit, 45 power profile with an org-depth projection, and his full Dayton line of .216/.314/.367 with 14 home runs in 422 plate appearances reflects the contact limitations. His swing rate of 49.4 percent is toward the aggressive end, and over the last 30 days his strikeout rate has climbed to 28.6 percent; the power shows up in bursts, but the at-bat quality around it remains the variable to watch.
Mulivai Levu (A, 1B, Rank: 5) · went 5-for-20 with a home run and 5 RBI, drawing 3 walks while striking out 4 times. A 2026 draftee now in his first full-season exposure, Levu is a 55 hit, 55 power left-handed bat who profiles as a second-division first baseman. His season line of .234/.351/.391 with 2 home runs in 77 plate appearances is modest, but the 13.0 percent walk rate and 16.9 percent strikeout rate show the approach is already translating; the power output will need time to follow as he settles into Low-A competition.
Leo Balcazar (AAA, SS, Rank: 22) · had 6 hits, a homer, 2 doubles, and 4 RBI in 21 plate appearances in his first look at Triple-A Louisville. A contact-first infielder who profiles as a utility bat, Balcazar is hitting .238/.312/.381 in 93 Triple-A plate appearances this season, consistent with the steady-but-unspectacular profile that defines his projection. His contact rate of 80.5 percent over the last 30 days is legitimate, and the 17.2 percent strikeout rate at Louisville compares favorably to his 19.9 percent mark at Double-A in 2026.
Steele Hall (A, SS, Rank: 3) · walked 6 times and added 4 hits with 2 doubles in 22 plate appearances, striking out 4 times. The 19-year-old's full Low-A season line of .217/.377/.325 in 106 plate appearances reads as a player prioritizing plate discipline over results, carrying a 19.8 percent walk rate. He is a 70 speed, 60 field shortstop who projects as an everyday player, and the on-base approach at this age and level is the right developmental signal even when the hit tool output is still finding its footing. Over the last 30 days the strikeout rate has climbed to 30.6 percent, and the contact rate of 64.5 percent points to real swing-and-miss risk that will need to be addressed.
Cam Collier (AA, 3B, Rank: 7) · put together 6 hits, a home run, and 3 doubles in 25 plate appearances, but the broader context is harder to ignore: over his last 30 days at Chattanooga he is slashing .172/.238/.280 with a 52.6 percent swing rate. The aggressive approach and below-average hit tool are showing up in his full 2026 Double-A line of .213/.290/.377 with 17 home runs in 527 plate appearances. He still carries a 55 raw power grade and a legitimate left-handed bat when his lower half stays connected, but the mechanical consistency issues that define his profile have been the dominant story over the past month.
Kyle Henley (A+, OF, Rank: 38) · went 4-for-13 with a home run and 2 RBI in his first week back after being activated from the 7-day injured list on August 27. The 21-year-old center fielder is a 75 speed, 40 hit tool prospect whose 32 stolen bases this season remain his most significant calling card. The strikeout rate since his return sits at 53.8 percent across 13 plate appearances, and his combined 2026 K rate of 33.5 percent reflects the swing-and-miss that will determine whether the elite speed ever gets a full-time showcase at the big league level.
Kevin Abel (AAA, RHP, Rank: 43) · worked 4.2 innings of one-run ball against Triple-A competition, allowing 4 hits and a walk while striking out 5 and generating 11 swinging misses on 62 pitches. The 27-year-old has posted a 2.19 ERA in 12.1 innings at Louisville this season after a 6.00 ERA across 93 innings at Double-A Chattanooga in 2026, a split that reflects the swing-man profile more than any true development arc. He is a 40 command arm with a three-pitch mix that misses bats in stretches; the Triple-A results are worth noting, though the path to a big-league role runs through tightening a walk rate that sat at 13.9 percent in the Double-A sample.
Luke Hayden (AA, RHP, Rank: 51) · went 5 innings at Chattanooga, allowing 4 hits and 2 earned runs while walking 2 and striking out 7, generating an eye-catching 20 swinging misses on 88 pitches. The whiff rate is legitimately interesting for a 23-year-old back-end starter profile: over his last 30 days at Double-A his whiff rate sits at 46.3 percent, which is a strong bat-missing number. The ERA over that same stretch is 6.20 across 20.1 innings, driven by 5 home runs and 14 walks; the swing-and-miss is real, but the command is still the separator between a depth arm and a genuine rotation option.
Juan Brito (MLB, SS, Rank: 15) · was recalled by Cincinnati on September 1. Brito spent most of 2026 split between Louisville and Colorado Springs, hitting .237/.351/.394 with 9 home runs in 380 Triple-A plate appearances at Colorado Springs. The roster move is a September addition rather than a development statement, but the 2026 Triple-A numbers at least show a functional offensive profile for a middle infielder in a depth role.