The 2015 Cincinnati Reds take the field this afternoon for their first Cactus League game when they play Cleveland at 1:05 Arizona time (3:05 ET) at Goodyear Ballpark.
You probably saw the lineup yesterday:
- Billy Hamilton CF
- Brandon Phillips 2B
- Todd Frazier 3B
- Devin Mesoraco C
- Marlon Byrd LF
- Jay Bruce RF
- Zack Cozart SS
- Donald Lutz DH
- Josh Satin 1B
The pitchers are: Jason Marquis, Keyvius Sampson, J.J. Hoover, Nate Adcock, Pedro Villarreal, Daniel Corcino, Matt Magill.
Josh Satin (30) has a chance to make the team as a backup 1B/3B because there aren’t any obvious other candidates. Same with Donald Lutz (26) in the outfield; no healthy competition. Matt Magill (25) is the pitcher the Reds got from the Dodgers in the Chris Heisey trade. In January, the Reds picked up Keyvius Sampson (24) who washed out of the Padres organization. As recently as 2013, Sampson was a top-10 prospect in San Diego’s system. He’s got two pitches, so best suited for the bullpen.
Obligatory Lineup Panic: Joey Votto is not in the lineup but he is not hurt. In fact, he feels great.
Broadcast Info: The game will be broadcast on WLW Radio and delayed (4 p.m. ET) on the MLB TV network. The full spring training radio and television broadcast schedule is here.
Get Ready: Now is a great time to buy The Big Reds Preview and start your prep for the regular season. It’s 142 pages of stats and analysis about what you can expect from 30 of the Reds top players.
Elsewhere: Homer Bailey threw a bullpen session yesterday and reported that he feels fine and hasn’t given up on the idea of being ready for Opening Day. C. Trent Rosecrans has a good post up where he identifies the five most important things to watch for during spring training. John Fay on Mike Leake who says the Reds haven’t contacted him about a contract extension. If you’re trying to stay optimistic about the Reds chances this year, don’t read this.
Friendly Advice: Before you put too much emphasis on spring training stats, remember these from last year:
- Roger Bernadina: .413/.518/.738, 3 home runs in 46 PA
- Neftali Soto: .383/.396/.681, 3 home runs in 47 PA
Followed by these in the regular season stats:
- Bernadina: .153/.286/.203 in 59 PA
- Soto: .100/.097/.133 in 30 PA