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Chris Okey's long minor league journey pays off with big league debut for the Reds

ST. LOUIS –– On April 5, 2019, Cincinnati Reds catching prospect Chris Okey made his Triple-A debut with the Louisville Bats.

Okey was the Reds’ second round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft after starting at Clemson, and it only took him three years to reach Triple-A. In that game on April 5, Phil Ervin, Aristides Aquino and Brian O’Grady were starting in the field for the Bats. Lucas Sims was the starting pitcher and threw three innings.

Those players all spent time in MLB over the next few years. But three years later, Okey was still in Triple-A.