Exactly a week after the Jays called up top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr, the Reds will be calling up their own top prospect in Nick Senzel to make his MLB debut. Here is all about the newest player in Major League Baseball.

About Nick Senzel

Nick Senzel was born June 29, 1995, in Atlanta, Georgia but attended high school in Farragut, Tennessee. He later attended Tennessee University where, in three years at the university, he slashed .332/.426/.508 with 126 RBIs and 46 SB.

Professional career

Senzel was selected second overall by the Reds in the 2016 draft where he a received a $6.2 million signing bonus.

In 2016, he appeared in 68 games in the minors split between Rookie ball and single-A. He slashed .305/.398/.514 with seven HR, 40 RBIs, and 18 SB.

In a 2017 split between A advanced and AA, he batted .321/.391/.514 and hit 40 doubles.

In 2018, when he spent the whole year at AAA, he slashed .310/.378/.509 but only appeared in 44 games as he required season-ending surgery on his right index finger.

Senzel was invited to big league spring training where the Reds coaching staff gave him serious consideration to receive a roster spot on the opening day roster. In spring training, he slashed .308/.300/.462 but was still sent to the minors in a move that was widely seen as manipulating his service time in order to gain an extra year on his contract.

In eight games this year at AAA, Senzel got nine hits with only two of them going for extra bases (one of them being a home run) but did score seven runs.

Player comparison: Matt Carpenter

Nick Senzel and Matt Carpenter can be considered similar players for the way they play the game of baseball. For starters, while Carpenter is two inches taller than Senzel, the both weigh 205 pounds and the primary position for both Carpenter and Senzel is third base.

While third base is their primary position, what makes them similar players is that they can both play multiple positions on the diamond. While Carpenter is the Cardinals starting third baseman, he can also play second and first. Other than third, Senzel can also play second, center field and a bit of left field as he learned how to play the outfield during his time in the minors.

In fact, Senzel will most likely not play third base for the Reds as they currently have Eugenio Suarez entrenched at the hot corner.

Another attribute that makes Senzel and Carpenter seem similar is that they both bat in the lineup. Carpenter is the leadoff man for the Cardinals but also has experience batting second, and third, as well. While Senzel may not bat in the top of the lineup right away, he will certainly do so in the future as he would go a long way in contributing to the Reds batting near the top of the lineup.

Throughout time spent in the minors, both players have similar numbers in some statistical categories. In the minors, Carpenter has hit 29 HR whereas Senzel has hit 28 HR.

Also in the minors, Senzel has hit one more double (77) than Carpenter has (76).

Senzel is a player that Reds fans can get excited about as he should be a solid player at the major league level and should help contribute to a Reds team that could eventually be competitive in the next little while.
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