It’s been far from a direct path for Callihan, the Jacksonville area high schooler who was thought to be one of the better prep bats in the 2019 Draft. The Reds went over slot to get that bat into their system, giving him $1.5 million in the third round. His first obstacle was the pandemic in 2020, followed by Tommy John surgery a month into his first full season in 2021. His next two seasons were fairly nondescript but were relatively healthy. He got off to a very slow start in Double-A last year, then missed two months with a hand injury. He was a different hitter when he returned, posting a .966 OPS from Aug 8 through the end of the season, then made up for some lost at-bats in the Arizona Fall League.
What Callihan showed at the end of the season earned him a spot on the Reds’ 40-man roster this offseason. He has a sweet left-handed swing that’s capable of loud contact. He can shoot line drives to all fields and taps into his power some, mostly to his pull side, and he absolutely pummels fastballs. He’ll draw walks, but there’s also some swing-and-miss in his game, though he cut that rate down during his hot stretch at the end of last year.
Callihan has re-made his body to be as athletic as possible. He’s still a below-average runner, but turns in some surprising home-to-first times, legging out more infield hits than you’d expect. His defense has improved at second base, making him a viable option there, and the more reps in left field he gets, the better he is out there. His bat might be ready to contribute soon.
It’s been slow going for Callihan ever since he came out of the Florida high school ranks, when he had a reputation as one of the best pure prep hitters in the 2019 Draft class and signed for well over slot ($1.5 million) in the third round. He played in just 23 games in 2021 because of an elbow injury that resulted in Tommy John surgery. His return in 2022 was uneven at best, though he did make his way from Single-A Daytona Beach to High-A Dayton. With his first normal offseason in a long time, the Reds think the real Callihan is ready to show up in 2023.
Callihan’s calling card is still his offensive upside, even if it hasn’t shown up consistently in terms of production just yet. He has a smooth left-handed swing and can barrel up the ball with hard contact. He still has the ability to be a solid hitter who doesn’t strikeout a ton, and he's still learning how to get to his considerable raw power. He’ll never be confused for a burner, but he’s more athletic than people give him credit for.
Some of that is because he retooled his body completely while he was rehabbing his elbow. He moves much better than he did in high school and his early Reds days, giving him a better chance to actually stick at second base, where he is getting most of his reps. He’ll get time at other positions to make sure he’s getting enough at-bats, but the Reds think he still has the chance to develop into a left-handed-hitting, offensive-minded second baseman, with a Daniel Murphy type of ceiling if he can get rolling.
Callihan was thought of as one of the best pure high school hitters in the 2019 Draft class and the Reds paid him as such, more than doubling pick value in the fourth round to sign him for $1.5 million. While his pro debut that summer was rather nondescript, he was off to a good start with the bat during his full-season debut when his season ended after a month with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. A 2002 return has been uneven as he’s gone up and down between Single- and High-A.
Before getting hurt, Callihan showed off the same smooth left-handed swing that made him a coveted Draft prospect in the first place. He is capable of making hard contact and barreling up the ball, with the chance to be at least an above-average hitter with a low strikeout rate and solid approach that should allow him to get to his power. He’s not a runner, but he’s maintained his excellent conditioning, even while rehabbing the elbow.
Even before the injury, there were questions as to where Callihan fit best defensively. He did have the arm for third, but played second base exclusively in 2021 and while he was showing improvements there, he’d be a bat-over-glove type there for sure. He saw a lot of time at designated hitter in 2022, slowly working his way back to defensive play, both at second and third, with his hit tool being the one that will carry him up the ladder.
As the 2019 Draft approached, Callihan was ranked as the second-best high school hitter from Florida, behind eventual top 10 pick Riley Greene, now with the Tigers. He ended up being the fourth one taken when the Reds nabbed him in the third round, though Cincinnati did go above slot to sign his bat away from his commitment to the University of South Carolina. He had a solid pro debut across two levels of Rookie ball in 2019 and participated in instructional league play then and again in 2020. He was off to a good start in Low-A in 2021 when an elbow injury shelved him one month into the season, requiring Tommy John surgery.
Callihan’s carrying tool remains his bat, and it has the chance to be a very good one. The left-handed hitter has shown the ability to barrel up the baseball and make hard contact consistently, with outstanding raw power to tap into. He got a little overly aggressive during his pro debut, but has displayed a solid approach in the past, which should allow him to tap into that pop more consistently as he matures.
There are remaining questions about where Callihan will play defensively when all is said and done. He played both third and second during his pro debut and got a lot of time at second base during instructs. That seems to be a better spot for him, and while he’s never going to look pretty over there, the Reds feel he made strides there and can make the plays in a Mike Moustakas kind of way, with a path to being an offensive-minded regular at the position.
Cincinnati’s third-round selection in 2019 and rated highly because of his bat, Callihan received almost $1.5 million -- more than twice the pick value at No. 85 overall -- to bypass his commitment to the University of South Carolina. They sent him to the rookie-level Applachian League for his pro debut and he earned a late promotion up to the Pioneer League.
Since he can hit, the Reds will be able to find a place for Callihan to play, but it will most likely be either second base or third base. A set position has yet to be determined, however, as the organization waits to see how he develops physically. A stocky player, Callihan has shown to be a better athlete than he looks, but is still maturing and is expected to lose some of his baby fat. He has good enough hands that he could definitely handle himself defensively at second base if he doesn’t slow down too much.
Callihan is an aggressive player who some might compare to former hard-nosed Reds third baseman Ray Knight. He was over-aggressive at times at the plate during his pro debut, but he’s shown a solid approach in the past with plenty of power to tap into. He gets high marks for his baseball IQ and competitive nature, giving the Reds confidence he’ll make the adjustments necessary at the plate.
They say guys who hit always find a place to play. Callihan, who swung the bat consistently well all summer, might put that to the test. A member of USA Baseball's 18-and-Under National team that took home a gold medal at the Pan American Championships in Panama, Callihan started this spring a little slowly, but his bat was coming on as his senior season wore on.
Strong and stocky, Callihan has shown an innate ability to barrel up the baseball, both at a number of elite-level events over the summer, as well as this spring, with an advanced approach from the left side of the plate. He has legitimate raw power he's already tapping into and hit two home runs, along with a .528 average during Team USA's gold medal run. He's a better athlete than you might think, though he is a below-average runner. The big question surrounding Callihan is where he'll fit defensively. He does have the chance to stick at third, with enough arm and the bat to profile there, though some worry about his range.
Callihan did get some work behind the plate, including catching some innings in the Pan Am Games, but scouts aren't sure that will work long-term. Some see an Eric Chavez-type at third, with less range defensively, and it's the bat that will get the South Carolina commit off the board early on Draft day.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
