Photo: Doug Gray
After the game in Dayton on Sunday the Cincinnati Reds informed multiple players on the Dragons that they would be moving up to Double-A Chattanooga. Among the group of players was the team’s top prospect Alfredo Duno. He’s heading to Tennessee with teammates Kien Vu, Carter Graham, Carlos Sanchez, and Jose Montero.
The promotions were well earned. For Duno it’s just another step in his fast rise. He signed in January of 2023 and was the Reds top international signing that year. While he was a catcher he spent that entire first season serving as the Dominican Summer League Reds designated hitter as he was dealing with some arm issues that weren’t an issue in the batters box but kept him from playing defense. He crushed the ball in his debut, posting a .945 OPS.
Cincinnati felt he was so advanced that he jumped over rookie ball as an 18-year-old and was sent straight to Single-A Daytona in 2024. He hit well through his first 32 games, but he broke a rib in late May and did not get back on the field the rest of the season. When he came back to Daytona the next year he won the league’s Most Valuable Player award and led the league in nearly every offensive category except batting average (where he finished second) and triples.
This season the Reds pushed the 20-year-old from Venezuela to High-A Dayton this season. He didn’t have the best start to the year in some ways as he didn’t hit for much average or power in April, but he showed plenty of plate discipline. When May came around so did the hits and the power. Duno capped off his time with Dayton on Sunday by walking four times and adding in a single in his only official at-bat. He finished his time with the Dragons with a .260 batting average, a .390 on-base percentage, and a .512 slugging percentage. Duno had 13 doubles to go along with 16 home runs and 49 walks in his 65 games played. You can see his career stats here.
The bat for Alfredo Duno is certainly impressive. The ball explodes off of his bat and he’s got power for days. He also shows a good understanding of the strikezone, particularly for his age. Behind the plate the tools and athleticism are there. Even at his size – he’s 6′ 2″ and 248 lbs. – he’s agile and athletic. He’s got big time arm strength to work with, too. With that said, he’s 20-years-old and has basically missed two seasons behind the plate of his career due to injuries. While he’s not exactly raw behind the plate, he is going to need more time behind the plate to continue to develop the skills at the most difficult and demanding position on the field.
Even with missing most of the 2024 season, Duno has rocketed through the farm system. When you consider that he’s also a catcher – a position that is notoriously a slow climb for players – he’s moved at the speed of light. Chattanooga has 63 games remaining this year. It’s likely that Duno remains with the Lookouts for all of them, but given how quickly he has moved through the farm system nothing would be too surprising.
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