John Sickels outlines Reds top 20 Prospects

John Sickels over at Minor League Ball has his list of the Cincinnati Reds top 20 minor league prospects. Here they are along with the grade he gives them. Pay attention to those top 5:
1. Aroldis Chapman, LHP A-
2. Todd Frazier, INF-OF B+
3. Yonder Alonso, 1B B+
4. Mike Leake, RHP B
5. Chris Heisey, OF B
6. Juan Francisco, 3B B
7. Brady Boxberger, RHP B-
8. Travis Wood, LHP
9. Matt Maloney, LHP
10. Zack Cozart, SS
11. Donnie Joseph, LHP
12. Billy Hamilton, SS
13. Josh Fellhauer, OF
14. Chris Valaika, SS
15. Neftali Soto, 3B
16. Yorman Rodriguez, OF
17. Juan Silva, OF
18. Juan Duran, OF
19. Juan Carlos Sulbaran, RHP
20. Enerio Del Rosario, RHP

I always take prospects with a grain of salt, especially the guys listed after 5 and 10 on this list. The reason for this is these guys won’t ever make it to the show wearing a Reds cap, or wearing any MLB uniform.
So much can happen between your days in A or AA baseball and your MLB Debut. You must be able to sustain consistency, stay healthy, and make an impression on the scouts at the different levels that you can make an impact at the show. That’s why I’ve never really gotten overly into following careers of prospects, save for a few.
It’s fun to think about what those top 5 or 6 guys will do as Cincinnati Reds, but beyond that who knows what the future holds for any of these guys.