Ryan McCrystal: Cincinnati Reds' Hidden Gem

0:00It's April 23rd, MLB News Today starts now, AI-powered and game-ready. I'm Cory with the story. Cincinnati Reds fans keep an eye on Ketcher Ryan McChrystal. They snagged him in the ninth round of the 2024 MLB draft out of East Carolina University. In his first pro-season, he hit 3-95 with a 7-91 OPS and four home runs at single-A Daytona. When he got bumped up to high A in July, slashing 271 over 311 over 371. This year, he's crushing it even more with a 133WRC Plus. That promotion came right over the team's top prospect, Alfredo Dono, who's their number one overall guy. Both had monster years, but McChrystal's hot bat earned him the call up first. McChrystal didn't even start catching until he was about 10 or 11 years old. He pushed from infield because his team needed someone behind the plate, and it clicked for

1:00him fast. Keeps him locked in, no distractions. After the news dropped, he made sure to chat with Dono, keeping things cool between the two. Told him it's just timing, McChrystal's 22, a bit ahead in the pipeline. Dono still snag league MVP that year anyway. Reds finally got real depth at Ketcher, with Dono leading 19-year-old Jervin Marillo at number 21 in the system, and now McChrystal pushing his way up. This kid's flying under the radar, but could crack those top prospect lists soon.