Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

John Carroll Catholic High School sits roughly between Port St. Lucie, the current Spring Training home of the New York Mets, and Vero Beach, the former spring home of the Los Angeles Dodgers, on the east coast of Florida. It’s had its fair share of draftees over the year, but none since 2006, when right-hander Colton Willems was a first-rounder. Allen, a three-sport standout at the school, will break the 15-year drought in July.

Allen plays both football and basketball along with baseball, and he has gotten some interest in continuing to play on the gridiron as well as on the diamond, though he currently is committed to play baseball only at the University of Florida. The 6-foot-3 right-handed hitter has the chance to hit, and with power. Scouts like his swing and he’s likely to add strength to his super-athletic frame, pointing to a lot of extra pop. There has been some swing and miss, but this spring he was showing a better ability at staying balanced, driving the ball the other way and not chasing breaking stuff out of the zone. 

While his athleticism is apparent and he plays center field now, scouts wish they saw better run times from him over the summer. Some see him as more of a power-hitting right fielder in the future, with the arm to profile well there, though evaluators this spring believed he had the chance to stick up the middle. The team taking him early enough to keep him from joining the Gators will be the one that believes in his bat.

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

The Reds took just one high school player -- Jay Allen -- in a 2021 Draft class that produced big leaguers like Andrew Abbott and Matt McLain. They signed Allen for $2.4 million as the No. 30 overall pick that summer. He raised the expectation bar with a terrific Arizona Complex League debut after signing, but it's been tough sledding since, with injuries and a lack of production keeping him from advancing. After really struggling in his first season of Double-A in 2025, there were signs of life when repeating the level in 2026.

Still only 23 years old, Allen's premium athleticism might finally be turning into performance. A three-sport standout in high school, the missed development time early in his career certainly didn't help sharpen his tools. He still has an intriguing raw power-and-speed combination, and he was tapping into that pop more in 2026, driving the ball in the air more consistently and tying his career high in home runs by July. Continued improvement against soft stuff will only help those numbers.

Allen still has plenty of speed to make him a threat to steal, and he has shown the ability to handle all three outfield spots capably. His ceiling might be a fourth outfielder, but that's looking like more of a possibility than at any point in his pro career. 

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

Two members of the Reds’ college-heavy 2021 Draft class have already made significant first impressions in the big leagues, with Matt McLain and Andrew Abbott turning in strong rookie seasons in 2023. Allen was the only high schooler taken in that class, signing for $2.4 million, selected with the compensation pick for losing Trevor Bauer to the Dodgers via free agency. After an excellent debut in the Arizona Complex League that summer, Allen has had trouble staying healthy and gaining any traction, missing time in 2022 with an oblique issue and a bulk of the 2023 season with a thumb injury suffered very early on.

Because Allen split his focus among three sports in high school, there was an understanding that it might take time for his baseball skills to come to the forefront, so the fact he’s missed so much development time has been particularly unfortunate. He probably needs a mulligan for his at-bats last year because he likely wasn’t at full strength even when he came off the injured list. He seems to still be growing and filling out, so there could be some raw power for him to tap into if he can get into a groove. There’s some strike zone judgement as well, with decent walk rates, but there’s also been a lot of swing-and-miss.

Allen’s plus speed makes him a legitimate basestealing threat and he can cover a ton of ground in center field. The goal is to try and keep the right-handed-hitting outfielder on the field for an entire season to see if he can start moving towards his very high ceiling. 

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

The Reds were super college heavy in the 2021 Draft, making all but one of their 22 selections from the college or junior college ranks. The one exception was Allen, a three-sport prep star from Florida who was taken No. 30 overall and signed away from his commitment to the University of Florida. He missed some time in his first full season with a minor oblique issue, but while he had mixed results at the plate, the Reds gave the chance to see how his athleticism would play up a level in High-A at the end of the year.

Allen has good bat speed from the right side of the plate and a line-drive approach. He didn’t impact the ball as much as some had hoped, though there is raw power to tap into if he can continue to add strength to his 6-foot-3 frame. He has a feel for the strike zone and drew a good amount of walks in 2022. His speed is a huge offensive asset, and he finished fifth in the Single-A Florida State League in steals even though he played in just 73 games there before his promotion. 

That speed also serves him well in center field where he can really go get the ball and has the chance to stay there long-term. Like with many multi-sport athletes, there’s a ton of unlocked potential here, with the full-time baseball reps he’s now getting sure to help him turn his plus athleticism into performance more consistently.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

Allen was a three-sport star at his high school on the east coast of Florida, one who was a good enough football player to get college interest in that sport as well. He was committed to go to the University of Florida for baseball only, but the Reds liked his athleticism and overall tools enough to use the compensation pick they got for losing Trevor Bauer to the Dodgers via free agency to select him and sign him for just shy of $2.4 million before watching him make a very strong first impression in a brief pro debut in the Arizona Complex League.

Allen is capable of doing a lot of things well on the baseball field with a chance to impact the game on both sides of the ball. He has the chance to be at least an average hitter, with a simple setup and good bat speed. Especially given how his focus was divided among three sports, he showed an advanced approach at the plate and feel to hit during his debut, making consistently hard contact from the right side of the plate. He’s sure to get to more power as he fills out his 6-foot-3 frame. He runs well, occasionally with plus run times, and showed in the ACL he isn’t afraid to steal a base.

After playing center field in high school and during his pro debut, Allen does have the chance to stay up-the-middle, and the Reds believe he can stay there long-term, though some amateur scouts thought he’d be better suited for a corner in the future. He has the chance to be an everyday regular somewhere in a big league outfield if it continues to click.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

John Carroll Catholic High School sits roughly between Port St. Lucie, the current Spring Training home of the New York Mets, and Vero Beach, the former spring home of the Los Angeles Dodgers, on the east coast of Florida. It’s had its fair share of draftees over the year, but none since 2006, when right-hander Colton Willems was a first-rounder. Allen, a three-sport standout at the school, broke the 15-year drought when he was taken No. 30 overall by the Reds and signed away from his Florida commitment for $2,397,500.

Allen was a three-sport star in high school, one who could have kept playing football and baseball in college should he have wanted to. The 6-foot-3 right-handed hitter has the chance to hit, and with power. Scouts like his swing and he’s likely to add strength to his super-athletic frame, pointing to a lot of extra pop. There was some swing and miss at times as an amateur, but this past spring he was showing a better ability at staying balanced, driving the ball the other way and not chasing breaking stuff out of the zone. 

While his athleticism is apparent and he plays center field now, scouts wish they saw better run times from him over the summer. Some see him as more of a power-hitting right fielder in the future, with the arm to profile well there, though evaluators this spring believed he had the chance to stick up the middle, and that’s where the Reds let him make his pro debut in the Arizona Complex League.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/12/2026	OF Jay Allen II assigned to Louisville Bats from Chattanooga Lookouts.
	07/31/2026	OF Jay Allen II assigned to Chattanooga Lookouts.
	07/24/2026	Chattanooga Lookouts placed OF Jay Allen II on the 7-day injured list.
	03/05/2026	CF Jay Allen II assigned to Cincinnati Reds Prospects.
	02/21/2026	CF Jay Allen II assigned to Cincinnati Reds.
	04/02/2025	OF Jay Allen II assigned to Chattanooga Lookouts.
	03/06/2025	activated CF Jay Allen II.
	02/22/2025	CF Jay Allen II assigned to Cincinnati Reds.
	04/21/2024	Dayton Dragons activated OF Jay Allen II from the 7-day injured list.
	04/10/2024	Dayton Dragons placed OF Jay Allen II on the 7-day injured list. Left knee inflammation.
	03/07/2024	Cincinnati Reds Prospects activated OF Jay Allen II.
	02/26/2024	OF Jay Allen II assigned to Cincinnati Reds.
	11/07/2023	Dayton Dragons activated OF Jay Allen II.
	11/07/2023	Dayton Dragons activated OF Jay Allen II.
	11/06/2023	Dayton Dragons activated OF Jay Allen II.
	11/06/2023	Dayton Dragons activated OF Jay Allen II.
	09/18/2023	Dayton Dragons activated OF Jay Allen II from the 7-day injured list.
	08/07/2023	Dayton Dragons placed OF Jay Allen II on the 7-day injured list.
	06/26/2023	Dayton Dragons sent OF Jay Allen II on a rehab assignment to ACL Reds.
	04/19/2023	Dayton Dragons transferred OF Jay Allen II from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Left thumb UCL sprain.
	04/10/2023	Dayton Dragons placed OF Jay Allen II on the 7-day injured list. Left thumb UCL sprain.
	03/01/2023	OF Jay Allen II and assigned to Cincinnati Reds.
	08/16/2022	OF Jay Allen II assigned to Dayton Dragons from Daytona Tortugas.
	07/22/2022	Daytona Tortugas activated OF Jay Allen II from the 7-day injured list.
	06/28/2022	Daytona Tortugas placed OF Jay Allen II on the 7-day injured list retroactive to June 27, 2022.
	04/07/2022	OF Jay Allen II assigned to Daytona Tortugas from ACL Reds.
	08/12/2021	OF Jay Allen II assigned to ACL Reds.
	08/12/2021	OF Jay Allen II assigned to Cincinnati Reds.
	06/04/2021	High School Workout activated OF Jay Allen II.
	06/15/2020	OF Jay Allen II and assigned to PG National 2 - Cardinal.