Cincinnati Reds - The Covid-19 Years (2020-2029)

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2020

Decade

100

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Titles:

Top Reds Players of the Twenty Twenties

2020 - WC Lost to Atlanta

2025 - WC Lost to Dodgers

Pitchers:

Alexis Diaz (5.38) - 22

Ballpark:

Andrew Abbott (11.6) - 18

Cinergy Field / Great American Ballpark

Tyler Mahle (8.0) - 15

Hunter Greene (13.81) - 15

Team Name:

Nick Martinez (6.3) - 13

Reds

Nick Lodolo (8.8) - 12

Graham Ashcraft (3.99) - 12

Owners:

Luis Castillo (8.34) - 12

Bob Castellini CEO of ownership consortium

Wade Miley (5.18) - 9

Brady Singer (3.1) - 9

General Managers:

Emilio Pagan (2) - 7

Nick Krall (2020-23, president 2024-25)

Trevor Bauer (2.73) - 7

Brad Meador (2024-2025)

Sonny Gray (3.91) - 7

Managers:

Catchers:

David Bell (2020-2024)

Tyler Stephenson (8.19) - 30

Terry Francona (2025)

Tucker Barnhart (1.12) - 6

Hall of Famers:

First Basemen:

None

Spencer Steer (5.17) - 19

Joey Votto (3.38) - 17

Rookie of the Year:

2021 - Jonathan India

Second Basemen:

Jonathan India (677) - 24

MVP

Matt McLain (3.7) - 13

None

ShortStop:

No Hitters:

Elly de la Cruz (9.6) - 38

2021 - Wade Miley (Cleveland)

Kyle Farmer (2.75) - 16

Cy Young:

Third Base:

2020 - Trevor Bauer

Brandon Drury (2.07) - 11

Eugenio Suarez (0.04) - 6

Notable Events:

Outfield:

2020 - Cincinnati broke a six year losing streak (70-92 average record) with a

TJ Friedl (6.71) - 26

31-29 mark that got them into the post season (where they lost in the Wild Card

Jake Fraley (2.24) - 16

round to the Braves).

Jesse Winker (4.13) - 12

Tyler Naquin (1.03) - 12

□ Bob Castellini bought the club in '06. It hasn't been pretty. They have had

Nicholas Castellanos (3.44) - 11

only four winning seasons in his fifteen years of ownership thru '20 with

Will Benson (0.8) - 7

two Division titles. Bob's biggest problem is shallow pockets.

Austin Hays (0.8) - 7

□ Nick Krall was hired in '18 as GM.

Notable Events:

□ David Bell was hired in '19 as field manager.

2024 - The Reds will get better in '24. Probably significantly.

They've got a young team both on offense and on the mound.

2021 - Cincinnati again pokes their heads a bit above .500 at 83-79.

On offense, everybody is 30 and under, half of them under 25.

Here's some of the youngsters who will make that happen on offense:

2022 - The Reds drop twenty one games in the standings to 62-100. Their

□ 2B Edwin Arroyo, 20, '22 trade from Seattle, highly regarded prospect

brief interlude a bit above .500 was not sustainable. The organization does not

□ SS Matt McLain 24, '21 17th overall pick, 16 50 .290

spend money and their management team, at best, is mediocre. Owner Castelliini

□ SS Elly De La Cruz, 22, '19 IFA, 13 44 .235 35 SB

has pretty much given up even trying to give the impression that the team is

□ 3B Noelvi Marte, 22, '19 IFA , 3 15 .316, top prospect

trying to win as he has kept on GM Krall, who has, in turn, kept on manager

□ 3B Cam Collier,19, '22 18th overall pick, well regarded prospect

Krall as the team has nosedived.

□ DH Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 24, '22 trade with Twins, 13 37 .270

And the others thirty and under:

2023 - There really isn't much in the way of veteran talent on the Reds roster.

□ C Tyler Stephenson, 27, 1st round pick in '15 draft, 13 56 .243

No stars. All of the losing, however, has brought a lot of high draft picks into the

□ 1B Jeimar Candelario, 30, '24 FA from Cubs, 22 70 .251

organization and, at the moment, the Cincinnati farm system is highly

□ 2B Jonathan India, 27, '18 5th overall pick, 17 61 .244

regarded. There's some hope that help is on the way.

□ 2B Santiago Espinal, 29, '24 trade from Toronto, 2 25 .248

□ SS Jose Barrero, 26, '17 IFA, 2 17 .218

2023 - The Reds gain twenty games in the standings to an over .500 82-80.

□ OF Spencer Steer, 26, '22 trade with Twins, 23 86 .271

They overachieved over what their runs scored would have predicted (77-85).

□ OF Will Benson, 25, '23 Trade from Cleveland, 11 31 .275

Usually when a team overachieves on runs, they've got a lights out closer that

□ LF Jake Fraley, 29, '22 trade from Seattle, 15 65 .256

wins the close ones but the Reds Alexis Diaz was good but not that good.

□ CF TJ Friedl, 28, '16 undrafted FA, 18 66 .279

The offense was a lot better than the defense as the Reds scored 34 more runs

than the league average while they gave up 73 more runs than the league

The pitching is behind the hittiing, but the Reds added several solid veterans

average.

and the starting candidates consist of a lot of live young arms:

Cincinnati's twenty game rise in the standings can be attributed to a very quick

□ RHP Hunter Greene, 21, 2nd overall pick '17 draft. TJ surgery in '19, 4-7 4.82

rebuild. '22 was a rebuilding year as a lot of veterans got old and were

□ RHP Graham Ashcraft, 25, 6th round pick '19 draft, 7-9 4.76

jettisoned. '23 marked the emergence of a bunch of talented youngsters who are

□ LHP Andrew Abbott, 24, '21 draft 2nd round, 8-6 3.87

going to get a lot better as time goes on. Credit to GM Nick Krall for amassing this

□ LHP Nick Lodolo, 22, 1st round pick '19 draft, 2-1 6.29

talent influx. The young hitters are ahead of the young pitchers at the moment,

□ Closer Alexis Diaz, 26, '15 draft 12th round, 9-6 3.07 37 saves

but there is a lot of talent on both sides of the ball.

□ LHP Brandon Williamson, 25, '22 trade from Seattle, 5-5 4.46

□ RHP Chase Petty, 20, '22 trade from Twins, Minors 0-2 1.72

□ RHP Connor Phillips, 22, '22 trade from Seattle, 1-1 6.97

Some solid veterans in the Bullpen:

□ RHP Lucas Sims, 29, '18 Trade from Braves, 7-3 3.10

□ LHP Nick Martinez, 33, '24 FA from San Diego, 6-4 3.43

□ RHP Frankie Montas, 30, '24 FA from Yankees, injured in '23

□ RHP Emilio Pagan, 33, '24 FA from Twins, 5-2 2.99

□ RHP Brent Suter, 34, '24 FA from Colorado, 4-3 3.38

2025 - Wrong again. Expected a jump up in the standings but, instead, dropped

five games in the standings in '24. It was my bad. Over expected hot prospects

2B Matt McLain, 1B Christian Encarnacion-Strand and 3B Noelvi Marte who

were hampered by injuries, to perform but were flat out not ready. They're still

prospects and maybe '25 will be the year they break thru, it certainly wasn't '24.

In an odd little coincidence, the Reds overachieved with their runs differential

predicting a 77-85 mark, but, instead they finished at 82-80 in '23.

Then, in '24, their runs differential predicted a five game increase to 82-80,

but, instead, they finished five games down at 77-85.

It was one player who accounted for these odd discrepancies - closer Alexis Diaz.

In '23 Diaz was effective and the Reds were winning the close ones.

In '24 Diaz was ineffective and the Reds were losing the close ones.

So, runs-wise, the Reds did improve five games in '24 over '23.

2025 Pitching (Starters look good, bullpen not so much):

Righty Hunter Greene, 26, is poised to be an ace, he went 9-5 2.75 in '24

Behind him, young lefties Andrew Abbott, 26, and Nick Lodolo, 27, pitched

well combining for a 19-16 4.20 mark. Brady Singer, 29, obtained from the Royals

for 2B Jonathan India and OF Joey Weimer, slots in nicely as the fourth starter.

Young righty Graham Ashcraft was not good last year but has potential.

There are a couple of twenty two year old righties who may be able to

contribute: Rhett Lowder and Chase Burns.

The Reds bullpen had a combined 4.09 ERA last season - in the bottom half

of the league. Don't see much reason to think that will improve much.

2025 Hitting (There are Ifs) :

SS Elly de la Cruz, 25, is a budding superstar at the plate, in the field and on the

bases. OF Spencer Steer, 28, C Tyler Stephenson, 29, CF TJ Friedl, 29,

and 1B Jeimar Candelario, 31, are all solid veteran hitters. However, for the Reds

to become a better than mediocre offense, the three youngsters, Marte, McLain,

and Encarnacion-Strand are going to have to start living up to their potential.

Terry Francona, a manager who makes a difference, was coaxed out of

retirement by the Reds for 2025.