Cincinnati Reds prospect Rece Hinds hit his sixth home run in five games Friday for the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts, adding one to his season total of 11 in 233 plate appearances.
Earlier this week, Hinds hit a 446-foot walk-off homer to lift the Lookouts to a 4-3 win.
Hinds, who turns 23 in September, still needs to cut down on the strikeouts, but Reds fans can’t help but be excited by the power he’s displayed in the minors since the team drafted the Florida native.
Here are five things to know about Hinds:
Hinds was the Reds’ second-round pick in 2019.
One round after selecting pitcher Nick Lodolo, the Reds took Hinds with the eighth pick (49th overall) in the second round. The Baltimore Orioles selected infielder Gunnar Henderson seven picks earlier. The Seattle Mariners drafted pitcher Brandon Williamson later in the second round, and he was sent to the Reds along with Justin Dunn, Jake Fraley and Connor Phillips in Seattle’s trade for Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker.
Williamson has posted a 5.40 ERA in 31 2/3 innings over six starts this season for Cincinnati.
Hinds once went toe-to-toe with Bobby Witt Jr. at the Home Run Derby.
In July 2018, Hinds faced the Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. – the second overall pick of the 2019 draft – in the final round of the high school Home Run Derby at Nationals Parkwith Witt prevailing 8-7.
Hinds hit 25 homers in two rounds in the derbywhich wasn’t part of the official competition but did take place during the MLB All-Star Game Home Run Derby.
MLB.com’s Jim Callis wrote that “Hinds, the consensus best power hitter in the 2019 high school class, topped all players with 17 homers in the first round and added eight more in the second round, peppering the seats in left field and left- center with his blasts.”
“He blasted five balls onto the concourse behind the left-field stands and even hit a ball out one-handed after getting caught on his front foot,” Callis added.
One of Hinds’ derby homers traveled an estimated 485 feet.
Hinds had committed to LSU before the Reds drafted him.
Hinds committed to the Tigers when he was a 16-year-old sophomore at Niceville High School in Florida.
But Hinds chose the Reds – and a signing bonus of nearly $1.8 million – over Baton Rouge after playing his senior year of high school at IMG Academy in Bradenton.
Hinds has battled injuries since the Reds drafted him.
A quad injury limited Hinds to just three games during the season after the Reds selected him.
He missed one month with a torn meniscus in his left knee and played just 43 games at Low-A Daytona in 2021.
In 2022, Hinds broke the hamate in his left hand and missed six weeks.
Hinds has transitioned from infield to outfield.
Hinds was drafted as a third baseman, and he played third at rookie-level Greeneville in 2019 and at Daytona in 2021.
He’s played right field and left field since joining High-A Dayton in 2022.
A couple more homers:
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Five things to know: Cincinnati prospect Rece Hinds