The Cincinnati Reds are the best bad team in baseball. No matter what, even if they're in last and being decimated, they won't...stop...taking wins away from people.
I saw this team up close back in June, and their under-the-radar prowess can't be underestimated. They still have a killer core of Eugenio Suarez, Joey Votto, Scooter Gennett and Scott Schebler, the best defensive catcher in the NL in Tucker Barnhart, one of the best base-stealers in baseball in Billy Hamilton, an up-and-comer like Phil Ervin, and Jose Peraza playing some decent defense as well. The lineup is strong, and it doesn't look like it's going to be split up a great deal.
The pitching is still a weak point, but at least Tyler Mahle has emerged as someone who can go 6 innings without getting completely clobbered. I feel like Mahle would be a decent third-or-fourth starter on a better team, but here, where he's one of the sole good starters, he's been comparatively great. So has Matt Harvey, but a lot of people reportedly want to trade for him, so it may just be Mahle and the mess of undercooked youngsters from here on in.
The Reds have a possibility of chasing the rest of the division next year...but the problem is, I feel like all 4 want to compete, and the Reds would be infringing on that. It could be very complicated, but if something in that rotation FINALLY clicks, we could be onto something for 2019.
Coming Tomorrow- One of the Rangers' last few lines of defense as the deadline approaches.
No comments:
Post a Comment