Cincinnati Reds Select A's Prospect in Rule 5 Draft

Jason Burke | 19 Hours Ago

Jul 5, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; The hat and glove of Cincinnati Reds right fielder Tyler Naquin (12) during the sixth inning in the game against the New York Mets at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds made an interesting pick in the first round of the 2024 Rule 5 Draft, selecting Athletics prospect Cooper Bowman seventh overall. Listed as a second baseman, Bowman can play all over and has plenty of tools to give him a decent chance to stick with the Reds.

The way the draft works is that any player selected in the Major League portion needs to remain on his new team's 26-man roster for the entirety of the upcoming season. If a team runs out of room, then that player must be offered back to the original team.

Bowman was acquired by the A's as part of the Frankie Montas trade with the New York Yankees, with Ken Waldichuk, JP Sears, and Luis Medina also headed to Oakland in the deal. Now 24, he's headed to a tremendous hitter's park for what could potentially be his MLB debut.

This past season Bowman made his Triple-A debut, playing in 38 games at the highest level of the minors, while batting .218 with a .284 OBP, zero homers, and eight steals in nine attempts. For the year, he hit .262 with a .351 OBP and 12 homers with 43 steals in 49 tries. He has a bit of pop, and Baseball America rated him the best baserunner in the Texas League in 2024.

While Bowman has spent nearly all of his time in the minors on the infield dirt, primarily at second base, he did get a good run in center when he was in Triple-A with the Las Vegas Aviators, getting 33 games under his belt. That could be a spot that he ends up being more useful for the Reds in 2025.

Part of the reason that he was out in center was because the Aviators didn't have a true centerfielder on the roster late in the season, and Bowman was attempting to make himself more versatile in order to get to the big leagues. Turns out that may be the case, just not with the A's.

From what we have heard, Bowman played good defense in center, according to a couple of pitchers that he played behind in the minors.

Baseball America thinks that Bowman has a pretty good chance of sticking with Cincinnati in 2025, which is obviously the hope for any Rule 5 pick. Here is what they had to say about those chances: "Good. Bowman’s bat may fit in a limited role, but he has the versatility and speed to make a useful role player."

At he very least, he could be a solid option to get a start once or twice a week and will be a useful option off the bench to pinch-run late in games or roam the outfield as a defensive replacement.

Bowman destroyed left-handers this past season, batting .316 with a .415 OBP in 117 at-bats. He also slugged five home runs against southpaws, compared to seven homers against righties in 329 at-bats.

This pick holds plenty of intrigue for the Reds.