Cincinnati Reds Summer Check Up


Cincinnati Reds

27-45 (5th in NL Central)



Eye Popping Stat

.337

When Scooter Gennett came into the Bigs with the Brewers, he was an average but not great second baseman. After coming to the Cincinnati Reds last season, he’s been elite. Last year he hit 27 home runs, including four in one game, and this season he is second in all of baseball in batting average, while also continuing to slug at a tremendous rate. The trio of Gennett, Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez have been one of the best trios in all of baseball this season.

Biggest Surprise

Suarez has been one of the biggest surprises in all of baseball this season. He’s currently 12th in baseball in creating runs with a 153 weighted runs created, 53 percent better than the average hitter. He had a good year last year with 26 home runs and 25 doubles, but he’s well on pace to break both of those career highs. He also has career highs in batting average, on base percentage and slugging at .296/.384/.563. He also cut down his strike out rate by a large margin. All great keys to creating runs.

Player to Watch

Joey Votto is always must watch, and this year is no different. He is second in baseball with a .428 on base percentage. While his power is a bit down from usual, he’s still sitting at a 144 weighted runs created, meaning he’s still 44% better than the average hitter. Even on a down year, that’s ridiculous. He also continues to play very well in the field, and loves to entertain crowds on the road by throwing foul balls as high as he can.

What to Watch for at the Deadline

Once again, the Reds are going to be sellers at the trade deadline. Hopefully before Votto’s career with the Reds is over, he’ll get another chance to go to the postseason, but it’s definitely not going to be this year. Gennett is going to be the biggest target the Reds can offer, with a reasonable contract that expires after the 2019 season. A team needing a second baseman can get one of the greatest bats on the market, and the Reds can get some premium prospects for their farm system. Billy Hamilton would be interesting if the Reds can find a taker for a fourth outfielder to play defense and steal bases come October. For teams looking for young, controllable relief pitchers, Raisel Iglesias and Amir Garrett will probably be on the market for anyone willing to pony up. Jared Hughes is a pitcher that came out of nowhere to have an excellent year, so the Reds will probably try to move him as well while the iron is hot.

*All stats as of 6/20 via fangraphs.com and baseball-reference.com


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