The Cincinnati Reds roughly two seasons into their rebuild and they now have some solid young players at the Major League level. It will be up to their coaches to keep them developing into a contender.
The starting rotation has been filled with rookies or second-year guys the last two seasons. Experience has been the tool the Reds have used to develop their arms. They have used a handful of guys and haven’t decided on a five-man rotation. The back-end is still up for grabs this Spring.
Which position players could the Reds call-up this season?
Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Cincinnati Reds.
2017 Win/Loss Record: 68-94
Key Additions: RP David Hernandez, RP Jared Hughes, OF Ben Revere, SS Cliff Pennington, RP Oliver Perez, RP Kevin Quackenbush, OF Mason Williams, SP Vance Worley, 2B Phil Gosselin & RP Dylan Floro
Key Losses: SS Zack Cozart, SP Asher Wojciechowski, SP Scott Feldman & RP Lisalverto Bonilla
Interleague Schedule: AL Central
Projected Starters: Tucker Barnhart, Joey Votto, Scooter Gennett, Eugenio Suarez, Jose Peraza, Adam Duvall, Billy Hamilton & Scott Schebler
Projected Starting Rotation: Homer Bailey, Anthony DeSclafani, Luis Castillo, Brandon Finnegan & Robert Stephenson
Closer: Raisel Iglesias
Fantasy Sleeper: OF Phillip Ervin – The Reds outfield is pretty much set with Billy Hamilton, Adam Duvall and Scott Schebler starting for the Reds. Ervin ‘should’ get the fourth outfielder job and could find himself in the lineup when the Reds skipper wants to balance out the hitters since Hamilton and Schebler are both lefties. The Reds also signed Ben Revere to minor league deal and still want to find Jesse Winker a place in the lineup. Ervin could be a nice source of steals for NL-only leagues.
Prospect To Keep Your Eye On: 3B Nick Senzel – The Reds selected Senzel 2nd overall in the 2016 MLB Draft. He has tore up the minors and has soared through four levels in the first year and a half. He ended last season in Double-A and hit .340 with 10 homers in 209 at-bats. His bat is almost MLB-ready and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up on the Reds by the All-Star Break.
Team Analysis: The Reds finished with 68 wins two seasons in a row. They have been putting their young arms to work during this time. They should have a better idea who will be the guys they can lean on as they build a contender.
Cincinnati has some young hitters that could be building blocks. It’s nice that they have a leader like Joey Votto to learn from at such a young age. Adam Duvall and Scott Schleber are two corner outfielders that could be cornerstones there for years. The jury is still out on speedy Billy Hamilton. His defense is probably the only thing keeping him from becoming a platoon. He will need to keep improving his contact rate.
The Reds shed Home Bailey’s contract after this season and can put that money to use elsewhere next offseason. They could use another veteran starter to be a consistent force in their rotation. A guy like that could emerge this season, but I doubt Bailey will be that guy, even if he gives the Reds a hometown discount.
The NL Central is top-heavy with the Pirates falling back to the Reds level this season. Reds have upside as one or two of their starters could take the next step in their development. Vegas has their season win total at 73.5, but I predict they finish slightly above that mark.
2018 Wins Over/Under Betting Line: 73.5 (Prediction: OVER)
2018 Projected Win/Loss Record: 75-87 (4th in NL Central)
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.