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Get to know Miami basketball’s impressive 2023 recruiting class
Five reasons to be hopeful about the Cincinnati Reds in 2023
JACK SCHMELZINGER SPORTS EDITOR
To any Cincinnati Reds fans reading, I’m sorry for what you’ve been through in the last ten years.
It’s truly sad that the oldest professional baseball team, an organization with such a storied history, has fallen on such hard times. Especially because those hard times have been largely brought about by an owner unwilling to spend, even to keep his own homegrown talent around. But don’t stop reading! I’m going to try to mix some hope in with the doom and gloom.
The Cincinnati Reds finished the 2022 season tied for the third worst record in Major League Baseball. Cincinnati was number 23 in MLB for runs scored with 648 and had the 27th best team ERA at 4.86.
So all in all, a pretty awful season.
It’s been a string of awful seasons for Cincinnati. But here’s five reasons to be hopeful in 2023 and beyond!
Reason #1: Hunter Greene
JACK SCHMELZINGER SPORTS EDITOR
When Miami University hired Travis Steele to be the 28th head coach in program history in March 2022, Miami fans were most excited about his recruiting chops. At his last job at Xavier University, Steele brought in a nationally ranked class every year as head coach, including two ranked in the top 20. As an assistant, he helped secure two top 10 nationally-ranked classes. His groups featured many 4-star athletes, a type of player that Miami has never seen.
Steele didn’t sign any four stars to Miami in the high school class of 2023, but he signed some seriously exciting prospects. Here’s a little information about each of the new guys you’ll be seeing at Millett next year.
Mekhi Cooper - 6-0 GBolingbrook High (IL):
Cooper is known as a conscientious floor general who can shoot from all over the arc. Twitchy athlete and a vocal leader on defense. Scouts who have kept tabs on him say that his playmaking has taken huge strides in the past year. Steele believes that he can score at all three levels in college.
He didn’t get a ton of attention before this summer, but a strong showing on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit led him to get six offers in less than two weeks in late June of 2022. In late July, he committed to Miami. In a press conference earlier this season, Steele said he sees Cooper as more of a true shooting guard.
Evan Ipsaro - 5-10 GCovington Catholic (KY)
This is the guy that Steele sees running the point in the future for the RedHawks. Ipsaro is the “top dog,” for Covington Catholic high school in Park Hills, Kentucky, a team that has gone 22-4 this season. They’re ranked number three in the state. Ipsaro is averaging 25.2 points per game (ppg) on the season so far, making 56.9% of his shots from the floor.
Despite those impressive scoring numbers, Ipsaro is known as an elite passer with a high basketball IQ. He’s even leading his high school team in rebounding. He’s great at getting to the basket and incredibly dangerous from the mid range. He’s only shooting 25% from three this season, and he’s still averaging over 25. Read into that how you want.
Reece Potter -
7-0 C - Lexington Catholic (KY)
It’s pretty fun to think about the prospect of a 7-footer roaming the floor at Millett Hall, especially when you think about the crafty playmakers Steele has coming down the pipe in Cooper and Ipsaro. Potter is leading Lexington Catholic, who is 17-3 and currently ranked the second best team in Kentucky, with 18.0 ppg and 9 rebounds per game (rpg). He’s shooting 55.3% from the field, and he’s even making 32.7% of his three pointers on the year.
Miami women’s basketball (9-16, 4-8 MAC) stats leaders
Player (points per game (ppg), rebounds per game (rpg), assists per game (apg) field percentage (fg%),
3-point percentage (3p%))
Miami men’s basketball (8-18, 2-11 MAC) stats leaders
Player (points per game (ppg), rebounds per game (rpg), assists per game (apg) field percentage (fg%),
3-point percentage (3p%))
Miami hockey (7-17-2, 2-13-3 NCHC) stats leaders
Listed at 215 pounds, Potter looks surprisingly strong for a 7-foot-tall 18 year old, but he’ll probably need to put on some weight if he really wants to make a difference at the college level.
Eian Elmer - 6-6 F - Robert A. Taft HS (OH) Elmer averaged 8.1 ppg and 7..4 rpg last season. Since committing to Miami, he has been a revelation. He’s averaging 15.4 ppg on 64.7% shooting. He’s averaging 11.1 rpg, 3.8 blocks and 2.3 steals. He’s even shooting 37.9% from three. He started the season as maybe the fourth or fifth most exciting guy in this class. It’s not a stretch to say he could be number one right now. Long and athletic with a scoring touch from all three levels, one scouting service said Elmer has “almost unlimited upside.” Now just imagine he did this in front of a packed crowd at Millett?
Jackson Kotecki - 6-9 F - St Ignatius HS (IL) schmelj2@miamioh.edu
Kotecki is solid and strong down low on both sides of the floor. He can block shots, and he already looks to have a pretty college-ready frame. If he’s left open outside, he can nail threes. He’s an impressive athlete at 6-foot-9. He’s dangerous with his back to the basket and he can face it as well. For probably the least hyped prospect of the bunch, Kotecki looks like a player with a seriously high upside.
Miami basketball (8-17, 2-10 Mid-American Conference) isn’t having a great season in 2022-2023. But RedHawk fans should be excited for the future. I know I am.
The biggest reason to be excited about the 2023 Reds is indisputably Greene.
One of baseball’s most electrifying young pitchers had an impressive rookie campaign in 2022, striking out 10.6 batters per nine innings and walking just 3.1. If he can get the home run ball in check (1.4 homers per nine in 2022), he looks like he could be one of the best pitchers in baseball for years to come. He throws his fastball at an average of 99 miles per hour, which is really just ridiculous for a starter. In his rookie season, he was in the 88th percentile among MLB pitchers for whiff rate.
Look forward to Greene missing bats in 2023 and for years to come.
Reason #2: The farm
The Reds have the 13th best farm system in MLB according to The Athletic. The crown jewel of the system is Dominican shortstop Elly De La Cruz, whom veteran MLB prospect correspondent Keith Law says has the highest ceiling in the minors. De La Cruz is projected as an above average hitter and fielder with plus arm and power. He’s a plus plus runner. He tore up Double A in 2022, hitting 28 homers and swiping 47 bags as a 20 year old. Ridiculous stuff.
Noelvi Marte, another shortstop acquired from the Mariners in the Luis Castillo trade last July, has some of the best raw power in the minor leagues. He got on base 37% of the time last season and hit 19 homers in High-A as a 20 year old.
Edwin Arroyo, their third best prospect, according to MLB.com, is projected to be a plus fielder at shortstop, and he hit nearly .300 last season across two levels, spending most of the season as an 18 year old.
Cam Collier, a third baseman and the 2022 no. 18 overall pick, is projected as a plus hitter and will make his full season pro debut in 2023. The Reds infield looks like it could be set for years to come.
Reason #3: Alexis Diaz is actually nasty Alexis Diaz finished 11th among qualified NL relievers last year in
ERA. According to baseballsavant. com, Diaz has some of the most unhittable stuff in the league. His fastball spin rate is 100th percentile among MLB pitchers. Expected slugging on balls batted against him is 96th percentile. His whiff rate is 97th percentile. There’s a good chance he’s wearing a different uniform come Aug. 1, but he’ll be fun to watch while he’s in red and white.
Reason #4: Spencer Steer Steer didn’t do much in 108 plate appearances with Cincinnati in 2022, but the 24-year-old slugger tore through the minor leagues the last two seasons. He started 2021 in High-A, and in 216 minor league games over the next two seasons hit 47 home runs and got on base over 35 percent of the time. He cut his strikeouts and raised his average, on base percentage, and slugging, while playing against better competition. Steer is considered the Reds no. 2 prospect right now by Fangraphs, and he is projected to start at second or third base for the Reds this season. He could be one of their best hitters as a rookie.
Reason #5: It’s a fresh start schmelj2@miamioh.edu
The Reds won 83 games in 2021. Then they were gutted in the 20212022 offseason. After this season, the Reds are finally off the hook for Joey Votto’s contract. They have no guaranteed money on the books for 2024. Now, I know it’s borderline ridiculous to insinuate that the Castellani’s might spend a buck or two, but with an impressive crop of infield prospects on the way and a decently deep stash of arms on the farm, the Reds will be well positioned to spend in one of these upcoming offseasons to supplement their homegrown talent.
The Reds open the regular season on March 30 against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. It’s almost certainly going to be a long season for fans of professional baseball’s oldest team, but hey, there could be some bright spots.
