The Cincinnati Reds and the rest of the Major League Baseball clubs have opened spring training and the season inches closer to opening day. While the Reds are looking to build off last season’s success and make a push for the Post Season, I want to take a look at what Manager David Bell could be looking at for an opening-day lineup and what to expect this coming season
Outfield Outlook
As of today, I believe we will see Spencer Steer in Leftfield, TJ Friedl in Centerfield, and Will Benson in Rightfield on the majority of game days. The fourth outfield spot probably should go to Jake Fraley leaving Stuart Fairchild on the outside looking in come opening day barring any injuries. Jonathan India has the potential to see some time in the left this season in spot starts if Bell wants to try and get his bat into the lineup more when he’s running hot, but other than that I do not see him being a serious contender for playing time in the outfield.
The mess that is the Infield
The way the Reds I hope look come opening day is with Noelvi Marte at Third, Elly De La Cruz at Short, Matt McLain at Second, and newly signed Free Agent Jeimer Candelario at First base. In this situation again Jonathan India is on the outside looking into the starting lineup as Christian Encarnacion-Strand seems to be an early favorite to plug into the DH role. Now with that all said McLain is currently sidelined for five days roughly for an oblique injury which I am sure is more a precaution than anything, but if that injury continues to be an issue India would slide in Second for McLain. Keep in mind McLain was hampered by an oblique injury in the second half of last season as well. During the off-season, there was a lot of talk surrounding India being available via trade, which never developed, if a team gets desperate due to an injury or finds they need a right-hand bat India could potentially still be on the move. In that case, Veteran Josh Harrison would be the most likely candidate to own that reserve infield roster spot come opening day. Tyler Stephenson and Lucas Maile will handle the catching duties for the Reds this season.
Potential Opening Day Lineup
If I were David Bell below is what I would roll with on Opening Day, Yes India at DH over Encarnacion-Strand. I think Cruz being in the back half of the order is the best bet until he can improve against lefty pitching, and avoid the high strikeout rate from a year ago that saw him rack up 144 strikeouts while hitting below .240. The wild card in all of this is how Noelvi Marte handles his first taste of major-league-caliber pitching. Overall I do not think anyone is shocked by anything below or previously mentioned. I think what I have to discuss next might catch a few folks off guard.
- TJ Friedl-CF
- Matt McLain-2B
- Spencer Steer-LF
- Jeimer Candelario-1B
- Jonathan India-DH
- Elly De La Cruz-SS
- Noelvi Marte-3B
- Will Benson-RF
- Tyler Stephenson-C
Bench
- Luke Maile
- Christian Encarnacion-Strand
- Jake Fraley
- Stuart Fairchild
A what if?
So as I mentioned before Jonathan India was mentioned to be on the move this off-season, many think perhaps the return packages for him, just weren’t appealing enough. What if perhaps the Reds, weren’t truly interested in moving to India unless they had their socks blown off? What if instead they are concerned perhaps with how Marte handles the big league pitching year one? What if they were concerned with McLain’s ability to stay healthy which just so happens to be the same concern with India? Or what if as exciting as De La Cruz was last year if they are concerned with a sophomore slump? As I mentioned this isn’t going to be popular nor do I want this to happen either because I love watching him play. In the scenario where De La Cruz continues to pound the ball into the ground more times than not, strikeouts a ton, and just cannot hit for a better average, is there a way this team can send him back to Triple-A to work on his hitting? Last year De La Cruz had an impressive exit velocity of over 119, but hit less than .240, struggled mightly against left-hand pitching and a high ground ball percentage capping his power number potential is there a way they could send him down for more seasoning? In this scenario, McLain would slide to short and India would slide in at Second. I think it’s highly unlikely, but if the team is serious about contending then they will have to pull out all the stops to make sure they put their best foot forward. For the record, I do not see this happening I think there is a better chance of seeing him hit for .250 this year and cut his strikeout down while finding a way to hit 20 HRs and steal 40 bases this year.
Summary
This season should be an exciting offensive season for the Reds, I am looking forward to seeing this team come together for a full season and see what the youthful talent can do this year. I think we see 40 steals as mentioned by De La Cruz, 25 home runs from Benson, 20 Home runs from Marte, and 100 RBIs from Jeimer Candelario this season. With improved pitching which they focused on in the offseason, this team should be contending for the NL Central and hoping to wreak havoc in the playoffs this October!
