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

Pitchers:

Ballpark:

Alexis Diaz (5.38) - 22

Cinergy Field / Great American Ballpark

Tyler Mahle (8.0) - 15

Andrew Abbott (6) - 12

Team Name:

Hunter Greene (9.41) - 12

Reds

Luis Castillo (8.34) - 12

Wade Miley (5.18) - 9

Owners:

Graham Ashcraft (3.69) - 9

Bob Castellini CEO of ownership consortium

Nick Lodolo (3.9) - 8

Trevor Bauer (2.73) - 7

General Managers:

Sonny Gray (3.91) - 7

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

Nick Martinez (4) - 7

Brad Meador (2024-2025)

Catchers:

Managers:

Tyler Stephenson (6.89) - 25

David Bell (2020-2024)

Tucker Barnhart (1.12) - 6

Terry Francona (2025)

First Basemen:

Hall of Famers:

Joey Votto (3.38) - 17

None

Spencer Steer (4.57) - 13

Rookie of the Year:

Second Basemen:

2021 - Jonathan India

Jonathan India (677) - 24

MVP

ShortStop:

None

Elly de la Cruz (6) - 27

Kyle Farmer (2.75) - 16

No Hitters:

Matt McLain (3.7) - 11

2021 - Wade Miley (Cleveland)

Third Base:

Cy Young:

Brandon Drury (2.07) - 11

2020 - Trevor Bauer

Eugenio Suarez (0.04) - 6

Notable Events:

Outfield:

TJ Friedl (4.41) - 16

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

Jake Fraley (1.84) - 15

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

Jesse Winker (4.13) - 12

round to the Braves).

Tyler Naquin (1.03) - 12

Nicholas Castellanos (3.44) - 11

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

Stuart Fairchild (2.13) - 6

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

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

Notable Events:

□ Nick Krall was hired in '18 as GM.

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

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

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

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:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And the others thirty and under:

Krall as the team has nosedived.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

average.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

□ 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.