Reds No. 15 prospect Leo Balcazar has, arguably, had the best season of his career in 2026. On Tuesday, though, he arguably had the best game of his career.
Balcazar swatted two homers and plated a career-high five runs for Double-A Chattanooga in the Lookouts' 12-3 rout of the Tennessee Smokies at Erlanger Park.
Balcazar and the Lookouts got things started early. In the bottom of first inning, leadoff man Carlos Jorge (Cincinnati's No. 16 prospect) got on base with a single to center field. Two pitches later, Balcazar crushed his sixth home run of the season.
Balcazar struck out in his next plate appearance in the second inning, but in the fourth inning, he capped Chattanooga's six-run inning with his second homer of the game. That was also a two-run shot, giving Chattanooga a 9-0 lead. After a flyout in the sixth, Balcazar got his fifth RBI of the game in the seventh with a single to right field, giving the Lookouts an 11-2 lead.
COMPLETE REDS PROSPECT COVERAGE
Balcazar has seen his power numbers surge recently, as in his last 13 games, he has hit four homers (including his two on Tuesday). In 23 games in April, he hit three home runs.
On the season, Balcazar -- who has played in 45 games -- is second in the Southern League in RBIs (33) behind only MLB.com’s No. 1 prospect, Jesús Made. For comparison, in 2025, Balcazar had 57 RBIs in 126 games between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga.
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If Balcazar continues to display his homer power as well as his ability to drive in runs, he could be looking at his second mid-season promotion in as many seasons.