With baseball back, five questions about the Cincinnati Reds
Thursday is baseball’s opening day in Cincinnati for the Reds. The St. Louis Cardinals are in town for a 4:10 p.m. first pitch. And the fans are back at Great American Ball Park. Attendance is limited, but you get the point.
When last we saw the Redlegs, they had snuck into the playoffs in 2020’s abbreviated season, only to suffer the embarrassment of going 22 innings without scoring a run in a two-game sweep by the Atlanta Braves.
Ah, but a new season means new hope. So here are five questions about the 2021 Cincinnati Reds:
1. Will moving Eugenio Suarez to shortstop work?
In the age of the defensive shift, the Reds are trying one of their own. Suarez is moving from third base to shortstop. Mike Moustakas is returning to his natural position, third base, so that rookie Jonathan India can start at second. The reason? Reference above stat concerning Reds’ 2020 playoff production.
Suarez was a shortstop when the Reds acquired him from Detroit in 2015. He’s played third base ever since. He also hit 49 homers in 159 games in 2019. He lost 15 pounds over the winter and claims to approve the move.
India was the fifth overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Florida, but was a minor league disappointment before catching fire in fall ball. His hot spring start prompted Manager David Bell to shuffle his deck.
2. Who will be the closer?
In a cost-cutting move, the Reds traded Raisel Iglesais to the Angels over the offseason. After a 12-loss 2019 season, Iglesias was better in 2020, though still shaky, thus expendable.
Amir Garrett will now get the ball in the late innings. The former St. John’s basketball player posted a 2.45 ERA over 18.1 innings a year ago. He’s fired up about his new role, but that could be a problem. Can Garrett hold his emotions in check? Lucas Sims takes over the set-up spot.
Positive sign: Garrett struck out 10 of the 12 spring training batters he faced.
3. How much will Trevor Bauer be missed?
Bauer was the National League’s Cy Young Award winner last season, after all, posting a 1.73 ERA over 11 starts before signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Unfortunately, the small-market Reds were never in the free agent competition between the mega-market Mets and Dodgers for Bauer’s 2021 services.
Despite the departure, Fangraphs ranks the Reds’ starting rotation as the sixth-best in all of baseball. Sonny Gray and Luis Castillo comprise a strong 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. Tyler Mahle and Wade Miley are expected to be No. 3 and No. 4 on the list. Former reliever Michael Lorenzen is expected to assume the fifth spot, though Tejay Antone allowed but one earned run over his 7.2 spring training innings.
4. Can Joey Votto return to being Joey Votto?
Votto hit just .226 in last summer’s shortened season. And he missed a chunk of this year’s spring training after testing positive for COVID-19. And did we mention the Reds’ first baseman turns 38 in September?
On the other hand, after being benched by Bell for four games last August, Votto batted .258 the rest of the way. He says he has changed his approach to hit for more power and went 6-of-18 in spring training. Don’t count Joey out.
5. How many games can this team win?
The Suarez/India move is a gamble worth taking. With Shogo Akiyama starting the season on the injured list, Nick Senzel has center field all to himself. He’s overdue for a breakout. Even minus Iglesias, the bullpen should still be in good shape. Lorenzen needs to come through in his new role. And pitching coach Derek Johnson is the most valuable Red.
Adding Nolan Arenado from the Rockies makes the Cardinals the NL Central favorite. After that, it’s a toss-up. The Brewers have close-out relievers Josh Hader and Devin Williams. The Cubs are navigating a slippery slope. The Pirates are in full rebuild mode. So put me down for a third-place finish for the Reds. Record: 82-80.
Opening Day
When: Thursday
Schedule: All 30 MLB teams will be in action, starting with the Toronto Blue Jays at the New York Yankees (1:05 p.m.) and ending with the San Francisco Giants at the Seattle Mariners (10:10 p.m.).
Reds opener: Cincinnati hosts St. Louis at 4:10 p.m. (Fox Sports Ohio)
Nationally televised games:
1 p.m.: Blue Jays at Yankees (ESPN)
4 p.m.: Dodgers at Rockies (ESPN)
7 p.m.: Mets at Nationals (ESPN)
10 p.m.: Astros at Athletics (ESPN)
