As we welcome back baseball, five reasons the Reds should be a contender
Baseball is back. Or it will be back Thursday night with a pair of games on ESPN. The Yankees are at defending champion Washington at 7 p.m. The Giants are at the Dodgers at 10 p.m. The Reds open Friday night at home against Detroit, 6:10 p.m. at Great American Ball Park.
Will it work? Will Major League Baseball’s short sprint of a 60-game season make it from start to finish without elongated interruptions or a total shutdown? Who knows? The virus rules, but to this point MLB has appeared to do a good job following its rules of containment. Positive test numbers are low. Spirits are high. Even without fans, we’re just glad to have baseball back.
Locally, we’ll be glad to have the Cincinnati Reds back. Better still, this looks like a Reds team that can win. Probably not the World Series, maybe not the National League, but after an offseason of spending some money, and making some improvements, this team looks like it should contend for the Central Division title.
Five reasons why:
1. The rotation
According to MLB.com only Washington and Tampa Bay have a better starting pitching rotation among all major league teams. The Reds boast Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo, Trevor Bauer, newcomer Wade Miley and Anthony DeSclafani. Scheduled to be the opening night starter on Friday, Gray was 11-8 with a 2.87 ERA last year after reuniting with his old Vanderbilt pitching coach, Derek Johnson. Castillo was 15-8 with a 3.40 ERA. Bauer should improve on the 6.39 ERA he posted after coming over from the Indians. Free agent Miley was 14-6 with a 3.98 ERA last year for the Astros.
2. Improved power
Despite playing in cozy GABP, the Reds were 25th last year in runs scored, 14th in home runs. That should change. Healthy after offseason shoulder surgery, third baseman Eugenio Suarez hit 49 homers last season. Free agent pick up Michael Moustakas hit 35 homers last year for Milwaukee. He’ll take over second base. Free agent outfielder Nicholas Castellanos led the majors in doubles last year with 58. The offense should sizzle.
3. The designated hitter
Pitchers won’t hit in 2020. There’s a universal designated hitter in both leagues. The rule change comes just in the Nick of time for the Reds. Pun intended. Nick Senzel might have been the odd man out in the team’s crowded outfield, especially with Japanese import Shogo Akiyama joining the club. Senzel can DH. So can Castellanos. Or Jesse Winker. Or Phillip Ervin. Second-year skipper David Bell has options.
4. The bullpen will be better
The Reds were 18th in bullpen ERA last year. That was with closer Raisel Iglesias slumping to a 3-12 record with a 4.16 ERA. The Reds are hoping for a Raisel resurrection And he has help in Michael Lorenzen, Amir Garrett, Robert Stephenson and newcomer Pedro Strop. Former Pendleton County star Nate Jones made the team as a non-roster invitee. With the season shortened and spring/summer training abbreviated, popular opinion says the bullpen will be more important than ever this year.
5. The NL Central is not that strong
St. Louis won the division a year ago with just 91 wins. Milwaukee was 89-73. Chicago was 84-78. All three have holes. None of the three made the improvements that the Reds did over the offseason. The Cardinals have their fingers crossed that pitcher Jack Flaherty can replicate his 2019 second-half run. The Cubs hope a new manager in David Ross is the answer. The Brewers have Christian Yelich and . . . a lot of question marks.
Bottom line: The season is so unusual and so short, anything can happen. No doubt the Reds need some things to fall into place. (The hope is Joey Votto is coiled from a comeback.) And this is a team that hasn’t posted a winning record since 2013, its last trip to the playoffs.
But the offseason additions have provided energy and optimism. Bell isn’t a rookie manager anymore. The roster is constructed to contend. And there’s no reason why the Reds shouldn’t contend. And win.
Reds opener
Detroit at Cincinnati
When: 6:10 p.m. Friday
Where: Great American Ball Park (no spectators allowed)
