Better Off Fred

Freddy Galvis is probably one of the best MLB players to completely avoid being a household name.

He wasn't one with the Phils taking over for Jimmy Rollins, he wasn't one with the Padres or Jays, and he probably won't be one with the Reds, despite playing in an infield that features Joey Votto, Mike Moustakas and Eugenio Suarez, all three household names, at least in the midwest.

And even stranger, looking at the Reds' 2020 lineup, with Castellanos, Akiyama and Winker in the outfield, and Tucker Barnhart catching...Galvis is one of the more pedestrian names on there. He's still probably gonna start 52 games at 2nd and do a bang-up job, maybe  hit .300, but he's not gonna be one of the main takeaway. And yet the fact that he's still expected to succeed and do well and not really  be a main factor in the Reds' season...says a lot about  where the Reds are going this year.

I mean...the rotation is Gray-Bauer-Castillo-Desclafani-Miley. That is pretty damn sharp. The bullpen is even stronger than last year, the bench is thicker than any team's, the lineup looks strong and unified, Suarez is coming off his biggest hitting year....this team might be looking at big things.

But then, there's the NL Central competition. The Cardinals might have the best chance to take the division, as they're tricky as hell. You also have to factor in the Cubs  and Brewers, who are sliding a bit from last year, and the Pirates, who can still win games in between their usual tanking. But the Reds have  more upward momentum than they've had in a decade, they look to be even more feel good than they did last year, and they lack a lot of the instability and questions that have plagued then in years past.

This could be  their year. And I'm excited to see how it rolls out, even if it is only 60 games.

Coming Tonight: After 3 years of playing in New York, this Jersey native heads to Arlington, who also have a stronger team than they've had in years.