The Cincinnati Reds are out to a fantastic start as a team. They are 18-10, in first place in the National League Central division, and only the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Atlanta Braves have a better record in all of Major League Baseball.
But that doesn’t mean that everything has gone well for the team. While the offense has been on a roll for the most part over the last two weeks, there are a lot of players who still are struggling to hit. The offense for the year has basically been Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz crushing the ball and then hoping that they would get enough help from some random other guy in the lineup on a given night. No other regular is even close to being a league average hitter – with Spencer Steer being the closest and he’s still 9% worse than the league average with a 91 OPS+ mark (OPS adjusted for parks played in with 100 being league average).
Bench guys Nathaniel Lowe and Dane Myers have stepped up when given the chance to play, but both guys are just shy of 50 plate appearances on the season. After crushing the ball in Triple-A with Louiville, veteran JJ Bleday came up over the weekend and in his start on Sunday picked up a home run and a walk. He’s now been on base in every game he’s played this season except for his first game of the year. We’ll see how well he can continue to hit and how he will continue to be used.
Guys like Tyler Stephenson (53 OPS+), Matt McLain (84 OPS+), TJ Friedl (49 OPS+), and Ke’Bryan Hayes (6 OPS+) simply have to hit better. All of them should be better than that. They’ve all been better that in the past. And there’s little reason to believe that their current performance is “who they are”. But they have all slumped hard to begin the season, though McLain has turned things around a bit in the last week after hitting .269/.345/.615 against Tampa Bay and Detroit.
The pitching has been similar to the hitting. Some guys are really getting the job done and other guys are struggling in a big way.
Last season Andrew Abbott was a National League All-Star. This season if he were a rookie there’d be talked about how he needs to go to the minor leagues because he currently has a 6.59 ERA through six starts. Just how tough has his start to the year been? Well, he threw six shutout innings on opening day but has still allowed 21 earned runs this season. Last year he allowed 21 earned runs through his first 16 starts, covering 91.1 innings. He didn’t give up his 22nd earned run until AFTER the All-Star break.
He’s not the only guy struggling, though. Brandon Williamson, who only made the rotation because of injuries to Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene in spring training, has an ERA of 5.40 and he’s leading the league in walks, is striking out no one, and has 19 walks+hit batsmen in just 25.0 innings pitched. Brady Singer’s ERA is 4.97.
Singer and Abbott both have long track records of performing significantly better than this. They will probably be fine moving forward, but they have struggled quite a bit this season.
The pitching staff has been carried by Rhett Lowder and Chase Burns in the rotation and then by the staples of the bullpen. Only the last guy out of the bullpen at a given time has struggled – whoever that happened to be at the time.
Things tend to even out over the long haul of a season. Right now the Reds have been at the extremes in so many ways. The offense has been brutal, the bullpen has been lights out, and the rotation has been iffy at best. When things start to even out in all of those phases hopefully there will be some more consistency from game to game, but hopefully it means that the team can maintain their winning ways. Sure, they aren’t likely to continue winning at a .643 pace – that’s a 104 win pace – but not having to rely on two hitters to do enough damage in a game and get to the bullpen and hope they don’t give up a run could go a long way.
Lowe and Myers have earned more playing time, for sure. I was hoping Hinds would shine, but he has not. We definitely need McClain, Steer, Stephenson, and Friedl to improve. KeBryan Hayes is what he is. I would have traded him before this season started.
I’m always amused when comments say they should have traded this or that player. I don’t think there is a team that has turned down a trade that would make thrir team better either through addition or subtraction. It takes two to trade and obviously the Reds feel he has more value that other teams do.
Better yet about Hayes, why did we ever get him? It is wasted money.
I am not too worried about Brandon Williamson. I think he is still building some core body strength. He has been inconsistent.
I am more worried about Andrew Abbott. Is there something wrong with him? Besides Opening Day, he has been pretty consistently bad.
When Nick Lodolo comes back, who goes out of the rotation?
Stephenson needs to do better. He is just not producing. TJ Friedl and Matt McLain show signs of starting to turn it around. The next week will show whether they have turned it around or not.
Idea: Lead off with Dane Myers (CF) and have JJ Bleday bat second (LF). Elly 3rd, Sal 4th (playing 3rd base), Lowe 5th (DH) , Steer 6th (playing 1st base), Rece Hinds in Right batting 7th, Stephenson 8th, McLain at 2nd batting ninth.
Bad idea, good idea?? Same idea as before?
Speaking of Abbott the other day, Jeff Brantly said that he is trying to become more of a ground ball pitcher. The Cowboy talked about it being risky to mess with success (my choice of words), and that Abbott should probably accept that he is who he is.
I like your lineup, except for Hinds. He cannot layoff the slider and curveball. Until he proves that he can, I wouldn’t have him in my lineup. I think it’s too early to bench Friedl.
Hinds has all of 28 official AB’s since he was called up. I would think that they would give him 75 or 100 AB’s to see if he can make adjustments. He won’t learn anything on the bench.
He can watch some film or videos and get a better idea of what he needs to lay off of…like you said, the outside breaking ball (either the curve or slider).
Maybe is good to do this , but Tito probably doesn’t think so…he doesn’t like the bingo card lineup as himself said
Abbott can longer take advantage of the high strike he used to rely on heavily. ABS has taken that away
I’d play Steer at 3B, he has a stronger arm than Sal. Just leave Sal be to play 1B and mash.
1. Myers/Friedl, CF
2. McLain, 2B (still getting on base at a good clip)
3. Elly, SS
4. Sal, 1B
5. Lowe, DH
6. Steer, 3B
7. Bleday, LF
8. Hinds, RF
9. Stephenson/Trevino, C
I’m not crazy about the idea of taking our best hitter, a rookie no less, and abruptly yanking him across the infield to play a very different position. Sal’s the kind of guy who could probably navigate a change like that with very little cost to his performance, but why chance it?
He played 3rd base at AAA last year, I believe. And played it at lower levels too, A and AA. So he is not exactly learning a new position.
Is Steer’s shoulder alright now? It was hurting last season, and he probably could not make the throw from 3rd base then. Steer is also a very good 1st baseman, and the 1st baseman is actually in more plays than any other infielder (besides the catcher, who catches every pitch).
Sal’s job is to hit and mature as a big-league player. He appears to be capable of both, so throwing him into the “Stew” doesn’t strike me as a gamble.
Bleday has a career OBP of .308. Bat him 2nd? No, thank you. Actually, now that I’ve checked, Myers also has a career OBP of .308. Smaller sample size, but still over 550 PA. I don’t know what the answer is. Maybe bat your two best hitters 1-2. It might go against convention, but at least they’d maximize times at plate.
If were talking about disappointments thus far, Abbot would be at the top of the list. Pleasant surprises? Graham Ashcraft.
Ashcraft has been pretty phenomenal, so yes, a big surprise. Maybe if he continues to be consistent, he moves into a co-closer role with Pagan.
There are signs of life in the offense over the past week:
Friedl: .333/.333//667
McLain: .269/.345 /.615
Hayes: .278/.350/.611
Lowe: .294/.333/1.000
Myers: .250/.400/.500
I think we’d be pretty happy if those guys hit like that for the rest of the season, although obviously some of those numbers are out of whack due to small sample size.
The problem is, of course, that neither Benson or Hinds have hit at all. The Reds are still one good-hitting outfielder away from being a true contender, even if Bleday hits. They simply can’t afford to have Steer in the outfield because he’s such a defensive liability.
Right now, the Reds’ best outfield is probably:
Friedl LF
Myers CF
Bleday RF
That’s respectable, especially if Bleday can really hit. But it’s obviously missing one more power bat.
Hopefully, if the Reds are in contention come July, they can put together a package to land that missing piece.
Our only real trade chip right now for a big RF splash is Duno, and I think he is probably untouchable and being counted on the be the Reds catcher opening day 2028.
Now, we might be able to swing something for a rental, but our system is kind of thin at the moment. I’d rather not trade Steele Hall. Not sure what a package of something like Chase Petty, one of Balcazar/Arroyo, and a third flier piece like Sheng-En Lin could get us.
I think any package would also have to include Steer. He is a league average hitter good for about 20 HRs a year who also plays GG caliber 1B. He’s 28, so he should still have, on average, about 5-6 productive seasons left to give.
I would have to imagine he would be, at least, a slight upgrade at 1B for a few teams, but the question is do those same teams also have a surplus of good outfielders and one they would be willing to part with?
You could also throw in one of Hinds, Benson, or Marte, if those teams think they could possibly “fix” them.
I think if you package Steer, one of the 3 OF with MLB experience, and some decent prospects, it could probably get it done, but I have no idea which teams would match up with the Reds.
And, if you read my original post, I don’t think the Reds can really make a “splash” in the OF. But I think they have the pieces to trade for an above-average OF. They don’t need to get a “splash” signing (although I wouldn’t be opposed if they did), they just need to get something that is better than what they have, which is a fairly low bar to clear.
Outside of maybe Marte, I don’t think most any of those guys have any real value in a trade. Steer maybe because he has MLB track record, but I don’t think they have any interest in trading Steer away. Ideally, he is their utility player who can fill in 5 positions, that’s a good bench guy.
Bleday, reportedly, is a dreadful center fielder. Is he good in right?
Well if you look at DRS for his career:
LF- +2
CF – 38
RF -2
He is listed as a circus show in CF.
Problem with our outfield recently is the ones who’ve been hitting can’t play defense very well or have a weak arm or both. The exception is Myers. I don’t see why he doesn’t get the chance for more playing time to be honest….as long as he doesn’t challenge anymore pitches. He’s been pretty bad at that so far.
Thanks, JB. I’ve wondered the same thing, Melvin.
As an example, the last game was on the way to be won as usual , it means by 1 run if the bullen would have been able to hold that lead one more time but that thing is not going to happen in every game.
The Reds still wait for Caleb Ferguson and Lodolo to be back from injury in order to improve the pitching staff as long as the other guys stay healthy.
The thing is more difficult on the offense if those guys such as Friedl, Stephenson, Steer , McLain can’t contribute throughout the season…What are the options? Try on Myers , Lowe and Bleday more time while they are performing well and expecting others can recover their confidence…
A key player is Eugenio Suárez, he should hit better tha he’s done so far and we could guess he was playing a little hurt before going to IL…Hopefully he will heal completely and get back on track soon
Suarez hasn’t hit many homers yet, but he’s otherwise not far from his production in recent years. He no longer hits for average or gets on base much. He actually has, several times this season, demonstrated some other useful hitting skills– advancing runners, primarily. I realize that I’m grievously outnumbered, but I think the Reds should be concentrating more on getting guys on base, and should prioritize that in player acquisitions. That and pitching which, contrary to many earlier opinions, is not a position of surplus.
But his entire production is based on him hitting homers…. so not hitting many homers yet means he’s been a poor hitter. His OPS+ is currently 81. It’s been 118 over the last four seasons. He’s essentially as much below average this season as he has been above-average the last four.
“But his entire production is based on him hitting homers…. so not hitting many homers yet means he’s been a poor hitter.”
Very glad we only signed him to one year. Hope he picks it up. He does seem to have a good presence on the team.
With Lowe hitting so well they’re going to have to decide between Hayes or Suarez at 3B.
I get that, Doug. My point was that, a few times, he has demonstrated that he retains some of the well-rounded hitting skills he had earlier in his career.
Earlier, I think during ST, I had suggested the Reds pursue Mike Trout, but I think that was quickly shot down. Now I am going to say, I told you so, because Mr. Trout is outplaying the entire Reds outfield combined. All 6 or so Reds outfielders. This team is capable of going deep into the playoffs and Mike Trout has never had that opportunity in his career. The Angels need to start a rebuild and Reds have some players that could probably help. The only question is whether the Castellini’s would sign the check. Nothing fishy about that.
Mike Trout has said repeatedly that he does not want to be traded. He has 10-and-5 rights. He’s not going anywhere.
Trout not going anywhere? Sounds fishy to me.
Never say never…chance for the playoffs… could look good on his resume. Ya never know. ..
If the Reds used some bait, they might be able to get Trout.
Holy Mackereloni these are some good replies.
They wouldn’t be sole team interested. You’d think that Trout would have haddock with not winning.
It’s not every day that a player like Trout comes down the pike.
Remember how lucky we felt to reel in a moose.
Yes, a cautionary tale about fisherman’s luck.
This is a good team.
But they ‘re only 18-10! Why have they lost 10 games? 🙂
Yeah they are pretty good, I hope they can keep it up.
Go Reds!
Season is very long, still 134 games to go. Hinds must be given every opportunity until proven otherwise. There’re no options to the Stephenson/Treviño duo, it’s what it’s. Two players that shall be removed from the active roster are Benson and Hayes; there’s no reason to expect any significant improvement from them and bring back Marte after +100 ABs in AAA and Suarez once healthy. IF: Stewart, Lowe, McLain, Steer, EDLC & Suarez; OF: Bleday, Friedl, Myers, Hinds & Marte.
Have you watched the last few games? Hayes is hitting the ball with authority, and his defense is excellent. If he gets to 230 I’ll be ecstatic. No way do we get rid of him.
You’re right, but I hope he’ll get there by the ASG, now @.114/.184/.200
The hitting is fine. No need to change anything. The only starters with xwOBAs below average are Suarez and Friedl. Believe it or not, McLain, Steer and Stephenson are all above average. Hayes is average. The Reds as a team are 7th in xwOBA, the Cubs are 9th.
The area of concern is the pitching, both starting and relief. Reds are second to last in xFIP for starters and 27th for relievers.
I don’t know about that:
Steer .702 ops, hitting .118 w/risp
Stephenson .551 ops
McLain hitting .208
None of those guys are average.
No other regular is even close to being a league average hitter – with Spencer Steer being the closest and he’s still 9% worse than the league average with a 91 OPS+ mark (OPS adjusted for parks played in with 100 being league average).
Hinds & Bleday have a chance to do damage. Maybe you platoon those 2? Idk? I do know Hinds looks horrible most of the time, but like I posted the other day, Steer was hitting in the .180s in mid-May last year after 130 at-bats. Hines could start throwing lefty and he’d be a better OFer then Steer. Bleday has numbers that are slightly better then Steers for 2024-25. Idk? I’m not looking for miracles, but maybe somebody that could do .825 ops maybe? Marte could always come back too. Steer & Friedl have no ceiling…zero. Steer hits too many 300 ft flyballs and he’s too small of a man to ever be a masher
Not sure which is more amusing: The comical criticism of Steer or the blind certainty in a player who has so far in his mlb career struck out every 2.5 PAs while hitting .179.
xwOBA means expected wOBA. Sure you can be results oriented (OPS/wOBA), but that’s like saying someone who got a bloop double had a better at bat than someone who hit a ball 400 feet to straight center for an out. In the long run, the guy with hits the ball 400 feet is going to have a better wOBA/OPS.
Maybe Steer, McLain, Hayes and Stephenson, have been hitting the ball better than they normally do and their current xwOBA is higher than their true skill dictates. It still doesn’t change the fact that they have been pretty unlucky so far with their actual results. Since it’s still fairly early in the season, expected stats are probably a better predictor of future performance than current stats.
How about the fish puns? Those might be even more amusing.
Same size as Mickey Mantle. Same size as Willie Mays.
I guess he needs to beef up.
Blind certainty? You’re reading into things pal. Ceiling….not the one you look up at, but an athlete’s chance to be good. Steer is what he is. They’ve all been chasing 2023 and none of them have found it.
I correctly stated all Steer & Friedl can do is pursue average….and thats an uphill battle. Prove me wrong? How many Torkelson’s come in and hit 2-3-4 in a series in Gabp? Dozens and dozens of no-names could hit 20+ playing all season in Gabp. Hinds might completely suck, but give him half the at-bats Steer took doing zero last year
June 17 last year. Steer was at .220 w/a .606 ops. Thats like 240-50 at-bats!! Cmon? Everyone else and its a cup of coffee and adios.
And I get xwOBA…exit velocity etc etc. Stephenson is hitting the ball hard…heard that from tv. The thing is you also have to beat the spray chart like Friedl did yesterday with that ball to left-center. It could be bad luck, but I have noticed guys like KBH rarely pull anything so that means fielders can squeeze where he will hit the ball.
We don’t really know the extent to which Steer’s production was affected by his shoulder injury, Indy. I don’t read any comments trying to make the case that he will be a star, but it’s not a stretch to think that, healthy, he can be a solid contributor. Sure, plenty of hitters could hit 20 homers, but Steer is already a Red, and he has positional flexibility and willingness to play where Tito needs him, along with moderate base stealing ability. I don’t really understand the ire he incites, but we all have our heroes and villains.
McLain has like the third highest OBP of our starters and he is starting to hit for a little more power. He’s fine, especially with his glove at 2B.
I agree, Duke.
Good points! Given that our concern is pitching rather than hitting and especially the uncertainty around Green and Lodolo, maybe rather than trying to swing a trade for Trout who has said he doesn’t want to be traded, go all in for Alcantara.
The best I believe the Reds can hope for is that Friedl Tyler and MM and Hayes match their career OPS+.The two of them are just a tick over 100 and one is a tick under and Hayes is at 84.My concern is the age of Frieldl who will be 31 in August and Tyler who will be 30 in August.Along with that is MM and his 96 OPS career wise is helped big time by his 127 in 2023.Hayes has not hit for 2 years and 84 would be a stretch for him at 29 years old with a bad back.Not trying to be negative at all but it is what it is until it isn’t.All will get many many many chances to prove they still can hit.Maybe they can and surely none of them will be a bad as they have shown so far.GO REDS
Maybe game management and the field managers have something to do with this. MiLB trade rumors mentioned miracles by Tito.
Ooops – I meant the MLB Trade Rumors. Enough MiLB trade rumors in this comment section.
Francona’s miracle might just amount to being consistent in his use of hitters and pitchers. Baseball players, if nothing else, can value consistency.
Way too much “the sky is falling”. I’m 76 and enjoying the ride
You are wiser than many here that are still not pleased with most success we’ve seen in a long time.
The future looks bright with the youngest regulars in Elly and Sal leading the offense and Chase and Rhett leading the pitching staff to date this season. Some of the younger minor leaguers are also performing well early in the season in Arroyo, HRod, Balcazar and Jorge. Marte is absolutely crushing AAA since being sent down and I think Hinds should be sent down to get regular ABs when Geno comes off the IL.
Looks like the Cubs and the Pirates lost. Our lead lengthened a little bit without playing.
This year’s version of the Reds are better because the De La Cruz, Stewart and Suarez in the middle of the lineup, hitting the ball have changed how opposing teams pitch. Add to that error less baseball, and excellent bullpen pitching, has allowed them to close the door late in the game. Once those mentioned in this article, Tyler Stephenson, McLain and TJ Friedl just hit like they are capable, the Reds could be a tough team to beat, particular in one run games, which is new. Thanks Francona!
If March/April numbers matter, then lets remember Marte had an ops of .966 last year in a stretch twice as long as what he played so far this year.
THIS. The recency bias in the comments most days is exhausting.
Back to baseball tonight. I’m still optimistic the Boyz will get it in gear. We’ve seen flashes of it. But that’s just from a fan’s POV. Only time will tell and only W’s matter in the end.
Steer has a career war of 4.7. A career batting average 242.
Friedl career war 6.7
And career batting average 253.
Again not sure why they get all this negativity.
Because boomers don’t understand WAR and still think league average is .275-.280.
Most RLN commenters don’t understand the value of average MLB performers to fill out a team, that’s why. They look a gaudy AAA stats and think there are greener pastures on the other side of the fence.
Hinds, CES, Benson, Barrero, Marte and many others would love to be average MLB players, but they aren’t. It is not easy to go from mashing AAA pitching to being average in MLB.
For his 2022-25, Spencer Steer had 5.1 bWAR (the 4.7 career total factors in bWAR in 2026 to date, -0.4)
This is an annual rate through 2025 of 1.7, which puts him in the Baseball Reference “Substitute” range of 0-2 per year. He would need an annual rate of >2 to make their Starter range. Note that I cut Steer a bit of slack by using 3 years as his service time in calculating this annual rate through 2025 because, in 2022, he was only in MLB for a month.
Over the last 2 full seasons, 2024-25, he has just 2.2 bWAR, an annual rate of 1.1, which dropped him into the Substitute range after a net bWAR of 3.0 in 2022-23 combined.
His -0.4 bWAR so far in 2026 does not improve his situation.
The shorter story on Friedl is that he is 7.0 net career bWAR, not counting his 2021 cup of coffee and current 2026 negative numbers. And surprise, surprise, he also comes out with an annualized bWAR rate of 1.7 (for 2022-25). However, he spent close to half of 2022 at AAA, so it would not be unreasonable to fudge him marginally into the Starter category.
And what do you conclude from that?
That Steer and Friedl should be substituted? Who can provide with slight-above-average production they’ve provided over several seasons?
Myers maybe, Bleday maybe. Hinds maybe. Lots of maybes that more often than not turn into maybe nots.
There’s value in average production to complement the above average producers. A team like the Reds will not have 8 position player all stars. Nor will the Dodgers for that matter.
Steer is ok. Friedl might be on the backside of ok. Nothing wrong with that except they’re not batting 7th and 9th. Hinds? Idk, but he hasn’t played enough to smooth out his wrinkles. Looks bad sure, but I’m sure many big time boppers looked bad in their first 117 at-bats. He’s not 5’9 and he’s not hitting 315 foot flyballs when he gets the barrel on it….when & if is the hard part?
Bleday? Dude just had a .791 road ops in 2024 playing every day. The other half was in big old Oakland Colosseum and he hit 13 HRs there.
That peaks my interest. Same batting avg as Steer over the last 2 years.
KBH will never hit. Recover from .060 but he’s not going to hit righties regularly. Not happening.
We’ll see what Tito does. No head scratchers like last year at all. They’re running smart (Sal) and he’s working the pen. We’ll look pretty strong if the rotation gets right
What do I make of it??? Both guys are borderline “average,” trending toward below-average offensively.
Steer is a defensive negative anywhere except first base, and because scooping less-than-ideal throws is his weakness at 1B, even his value there is depreciated. He is a right-handed hitting bench bat on a strong playoff team.
Friedl is not a top-level centerfielder anymore, if he ever was, owing to his weak arm, even before he started having issues tracking and getting to fly balls. If Friedl can get and keep his OBP in the .350 or greater range, he can still be a leadoff hitter on a good team. EDLC at SS, not typically a power spot, does give the Reds some utility to burn a corner OF spot on a guy like Friedl as a leadoff batter.
Are the everyday replacements in the Reds organization? No one knows for sure either way.
However, “average” teams don’t make the playoffs without a lot of luck and then tend to be gone in a flash. So, the outlook of a team looking to be on the rise and make a playoff run needs to be to minimize the number of average players they have by replacing as many as possible with better players. As we are seeing with Lowe and, quite possibly, Bleday, the pool of candidates seems plentiful.
I’ll add that Steer’s versatility works against his WAR computation, which assumes a player is playing the highest value defensive position they are capable of playing. I really like the objectivity that stats like WAR bring to compare various players, but every stat has limitations that must be considered.
@Jim
I would agree Lowe is worth giving playing time to. He had a run of good years through 2024, above what would be considered “substitute” years.
But Bleday and Myers are “substitute” guys as well, historically.
There’s room for all 5 to play at times.
But the pool of candidates beyond that is fraught with risk and does not seem plentiful. as you say. Take Hinds. You wouldn’t want Hinds starting over Friedl or Steer, I presume, at least not regularly. Maybe over Benson or Marte (who he replaced on the roster). Since 4/14 when Hinds first started, their respective OPS are
Steer .873
Friedl .696
Hinds .444
It’s a fine line and committing too much or too often to a guy like Hinds could risk sabotaging a season. I’m not saying pull the plug on Hinds. Just saying the Reds have to be smart about it.
All teams have average guys in their supporting cast and need them, even the Dodgers, who got an OPS+ of 80 out of the primary Left Fielder in 2025 in a bat-first position. They would have loved to have an average guy in LF last year, but instead got well below average production there. Of course, they were World champs in spite of it though.
But you do seem to often post about Friedl and Steer in a negative light as if there are better options, and I don’t see it. The Hinds experiment is proving that, so far.
As long as Stewart and De La Cruz stay healthy, and the pitching stays relatively healthy, I think the Reds will stay in the playoff race, and headed towards 85-90 wins.
It’s interesting, a lot of the experts still think Chicago, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh are better than Cincy. I understand why, but that should be a little bulletin board material for Francona and the Reds to motivate them.
I think this upcoming road trip to Pittsburgh and Chicago is pretty important. If the Reds don’t win many games on the trip it’s not going to put them out of the race, but if they get hammered, overwhelmed for instance by Chicago’s Offense, or Pittsburgh’s pitching, it could cut the Reds confidence down for awhile, and they’ll be thought of as kind of a cute 83-85 win team that could sneak into the playoffs, but not really a Division winning or Deep playoff run type of team.
I’m kind of torn on Hayes. He’s hitting better recently. I’d give he and others some more time to come out of slumps especially with the Reds winning. Winning covers up some things thankfully, and gives your more time to let things naturally play out. Thankfully they’re not in a Mets/Phillies type of start, where you start firing the Manager, or having a short leash on players because of pressure.
I’d keep an eye on the Mets, Phills, Giants. It would be helpful for the Reds if all have bad seasons, as that takes out a lot of competition for the Wild Card Spots. I’m a little surprised how good Atlanta is, and even Arizona. I think one of those big markets will turn it around and be in contention, maybe the Phillies.
I will say this, alot of good discussion and dialog with one another.
For me in the end I do think Suarez and Lowe will help this team to playoffs and even winning a playoff series.
Yes,alot has to happen. Yet, this team is special I think.
Not doing Hinds any favors, batting him ahead of Hayes
Facts
He’s not getting pitches in the zone because he chases and gets himself out. He wouldn’t be pitched any different if Elly and Stewart were behind him.
I mean, do you see him laying off pitches and taking walks? No. So why would pitchers pitch to him any different anywhere else in the order?