It feels so hypocritical for me to say this, because on one hand, the expanded playoffs has led to so many things I'm dissatisfied with, but on the other hand, it seems unfair that there wasn't room in the playoffs for the Cincinnati Reds this year. What a fun team these guys were, and they got insanely close.
Ultimately, what did them in was a rotation that could not stay healthy, with Nick Lodolo, Hunter Greene, Vladimir Gutierrez and Connor Overton all being out of commission at some point, and the replacement guys like Luke Weaver and Ben Lively only doing so much for them. What ruled this season for Cincinnati was the rookies, the guys who came up and helped carry the team, especially in the second half. The fans will remember this season for bringing them Matt McLain, Spencer Steer, Elly de la Cruz and Andrew Abbott at once, just to name the ones I already did customs of.
And the thing about this team having so many cool players without making the postseason is that I barely made customs of this team. So I have a ton left over for Uncustomed Heroes.
Case in point: I didn't even do a Tyler Stephenson this season, and it's honestly because after missing a lot of 2022 with an injury, he was still just...kinda off this year. Both defensively and offensively he was a few steps back from his strong 2021. Despite playing 142 games thanks to the Reds using him at DH on his off days behind the plate, he only hit .243, a career low, with 56 RBIs and 13 homers, ironically both career highs. It just feels like Stephenson was stuck in second gear for a lot of the year, and hopefully 2024 is an improvement.
2024 Prediction: An improvement, but I think the Reds are gonna consider moving Stephenson out of the backstop position.
Nick Senzel is one of the last remaining pieces of the burgeoning late-2010s teams, and I feel like Senzel just kept narrowly avoiding his potential. Literally every season of his Reds career, Senzel has either been blocked at a primary position or underwhelming at the plate. Or, alternatively, he's injured for most of it. Senzel played 104 games this season, and he hit .236 with 13 home runs and 42 RBIs, which are both career highs, but with injuries, regime changes and general inefficiency, it was impossible for Senzel to really factor into the Reds' plans this season. Senzel finished the year with a respectable WAR total...of 0.0. Which is 0.1 lower than his season mark.
2024 Prediction: The Nationals have signed a third base prospect from the late 2010s who kept hanging around an organization without being healthy or imperative to the team? Him and Carter Kieboom are gonna fight to the death!
Graham Ashcraft made the most starting appearances for the Reds this season, and he did it while still fighting injuries sustained during the 2022 season that would lead to a different injury that would end his 2023 season and make his 2024 debut questionable. That...sums up a lot about the Reds' season. That said, Ashcraft still did a lot for the Reds, with 26 games, a 7-9 record, a 4.76 ERA and 111 Ks. This still gave him a 2.4 WAR, making him the team's most valuable pitcher.
2024 Prediction: Finally produces some peak mastery in the middle months of the season, and helps legitimize the Reds.
The Reds' bullpen had a lot of really cool pieces this year. One of them was former Rangers farmhand Ian Gibaut, who, fun fact, was part of the World Baseball Classic's Great Britain squad, a team whose uniforms and hats must have been made on a 20 dollar budget. Gibaut appeared in 74 games for the Reds, and went 8-4 with a 3.33 ERA and 69 Ks. Gibaut was the Reds' most valuable reliever this season, and it's hopefully a precursor to a solid MLB career.
2024 Prediction: Lower ERA, less innings, but more eyes will be upon him.
Before the Reds went to Andrew Abbott on their minor league depth chart, they chose Brandon Williamson, a 25-year old rookie who got 23 starts in for the Reds, and in a year where they kept trying so many minor league pitchers, it's nice that one of 'em stuck around. Williamson had a season that got better as it went on, as his ERA evened out to a 4.46 with 98 Ks. I think he would have had a smoother ramp up to the majors had everybody not gotten hurt, but he did well enough for himself overall.
2024 Prediction: The rotation going into 2024 seems to be Greene-Lodolo-Abbott-Ashcraft, and Williamson is up for that last spot against Connor Overton. Will he have the spring to get that last spot? Uh...honestly, I think he'll be called upon for it rather than get it out of camp.
The Reds' sharpest trade deadline move was actually getting Sam Moll from Oakland, as he was one of their best bullpen performers in the second half. Moll had 25 games in Cincinnati and only gave up 2 earned runs, with 22 Ks and a 0.973 WHIP. In a year where a lot of smart trade deadline moves didn't entirely pan out, Moll did everything he was acquired to do.
2024 Prediction: Becomes the Reds' top bullpen piece and continues his excellent work.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand was a big prospect that was brought up as an offensive addition, even if there wasn't an open position for him yet. Spencer Steer and Joey Votto both were covering first, so it was really only the DH position that CES could land at, and given that limited option, he did alright for himself as a power bat. In 63 games he hit .270 with 13 home runs and 37 RBIs, a nice boost in the stretch run for the Reds.
2024 Prediction: Either in an infield position or just the DH, the Reds will try to make sure CES can play every day, and it will work out for them.
Meanwhile, Noelvi Marte, another huge organizational piece for the Reds, got a late August call-up and filled in at 3rd for a lot of September. He impressed in that time, hitting .316 with 36 hits, 15 RBIs and 6 steals in 35 games. Perhaps this may be why the Reds felt they didn't need Senzel going forward- between McLain, Steer, India, Marte and de la Cruz, they kind of have their infield figured out for the next few years.
2024 Prediction: The Reds will go with Marte as the starting 3rd baseman [I also think they're gonna try to move Jonathan India], and he'll be in the top 3 of Rookie of the Year voting.
The Reds took advantage of a few waiver deals late in the year, and even if neither went especially well, I figured they'd both be cool to talk about. The Yankees parted ways with Harrison Bader after some spotty numbers for them, and the Reds gave him a shot in the outfield. In 14 games, Bader hit .161 with 5 hits, 3 RBIs and 3 steals. And then he was cut again.
2024 Prediction: Someone will give Bader a shot, but will he ever produce a full season of strong work rather than just a month or so of it?
And then they grabbed Hunter Renfroe from LA, after a decent enough year there. Renfroe also got 14 games in Cincinnati, mostly as a DH, and he hit .128 with 5 hits, 4 RBIs and a home run. Renfroe was also cut after this, meaning this gambit did not work at all for the Reds.
2024 Prediction: He'll be a lot better off with the Royals. Considering that he's played for 6 teams since 2019, something tells me he won't need the second year of the contract.
I think it's a safe bet to say that Joey Votto has played his last game as a Red. After 16 years, over 2000 hits, an MVP and some Hall of Fame votes waiting to happen, the Reds aren't likely to pick up Votto for another season. It's for the best reason, honestly- the Reds have so many great young pieces to lead the team that they don't have room, or much use, for Votto right now. Votto only played 65 games this year, and he only hit .202 with 42 hits, 38 RBIs and 14 homers, which is still no slouch. The Reds owe so much to Joey Votto for making them fun over the last decade and a half, and he'll certainly be welcome there after he's done playing.
2024 Prediction: Yeah, I don't think he's done. As weird as it would look, I think he suits up for someone else in a DH role, knocks some of his last-ever career homers, and finishes his career his way.
Coming Tomorrow- I don't usually do a post on Christmas, so Tuesday the next one will go up. That post is on a team that didn't have much of a chance but still had some intriguing storylines pop up.
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