Profiling the Cincinnati Reds bench-bat choices

[Lowthers]

Many great baseball teams don't have several placement battles in springtime training.  That's because, of program, they're chock packed with gamers both good enough and developed enough to anchor lineups, leaving most of the battling for the edges of the Opening Day roster. For the Cincinnati Reds, that's precisely just how things look on-paper as the 2020 period dawns.  The front workplace invested big to land the sort of Nick Castellanos, Mike Moustakas, and Shogo Akiyama to enhance what already looked like a fairly substantial roster, which coupled with the lineup increasing to 26 should give David Bell sufficient alternatives to blend and match as he so selects throughout the work of the season https://www.losangelesdodgersprostore.co...ton-jersey. Instead of focusing today on the sort of Joey Votto, Eugenio Suarez, and the will-be day-to-day players (when healthy), we're mosting likely to take a look at exactly how the Reds may complete the last few spots of their 13 allotted setting players.  That implies factoring in late-inning defensive swaps, pinch-hitters, squad opportunities, and the like, making selecting precisely who the Reds will pick to lug a little a moving target.  These aren't mosting likely to be forecasts, at the very least not yet.  Instead, let's simply set out the questions/criteria that the fringe men on the roster need to address, and consider the options with that lens.  (And for the purpose of peace of mind, we're not mosting likely to roll Eugenio Suarez's shoulder issue into this, given that all indicators aim to him being readily available either by Opening Day or very quickly after. )Backup CatcherWe'll start with the simplest one, because there will absolutely be one on the active roster every single day (presuming they do not all get harmed at the same time again like in 2014).  One of Tucker Barnhart or Curt Casali will be on the ache to begin every game, and with Barnhart finally, mercifully deserting batting right-handed, it can wind up a squadron (with Casali still obtaining adequate PA versus RHP to make it something of a 55% to 45% split).  The inquiry here, as it will be for several other areas, is whether the Reds choose to lug Kyle Farmer, too.  Farmer certainly revealed he's a qualified catcher in 2014, and having that 3rd catcher on the lineup suggests Casali/Barnhart can then be utilized as pinch-hitters rather of simply being reserved for emergency obligations.  Farmer undoubtedly brings positional convenience to the table, as well - we'll get to that in a sec - but also for the function of this group his largest possession would be enabling every player on the bench to be readily available for pinch-hit tasks rather of 'all however one. 'Back-up ShortstopWith Jose Iglesias on to Baltimore and Jose Peraza DFA 'd and on to Boston, the pickings among Reds shortstop choices past Freddy Galvis have actually certainly been thinned.  The majority of every team in baseball still carries somebody with the ability of manning that placement in a pinch despite having the introduction of mass changing, and finding out who that will be for the Reds is a little bit of a head-scratcher.  Farmer, for the document, has actually played a grand overall of 1 inning at SS as a Red, though he did log 58 innings at the placement at AAA in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization for them before involving Cincinnati via trade last winter season.  He 'd be a lot more satisfactory there than good if need be, though with 99 MLB video games played as a 1B/2B/3B there goes to least some evidence that he's capable with a non-catcher's mitt.  He's also obtained an option left. Alex Blandino is the one other on-roster gamer who resembles he 'd have a within shot for this duty, considering that we're mosting likely to think the Reds position that Eugenio Suarez's days as a SS are over.  Blandino certainly got adequate SS experience in college at Stanford, has 11 games (60. 2 innings) played there at the big organization degree for the Reds, and has normally looked suitable there in limited activity.  Like Farmer, though, the bulk of Blandino's work has actually come at 2B/3B both in the minors and with the Reds, so he's hardly a safe bet.  Like Farmer, Blandino has alternatives staying, so an AAA stockpile is possible. Off the roster sits Blake Trahan, that the Reds noticed a minor-league agreement previously in the week.  Not that either Farmer or Blandino profile as offending juggernauts, yet Trahan's bat merely pales in comparison to either of those two, but that has actually never ever been his business card.  Trahan, to put it mildly, has the track record of an elite defender at brief regardless of his woeful offending numbers, and if that's where the Reds want to place top priority, he absolutely has what it takes.  His non-roster inverse is Christian Colon, that has actually played a lot of innings around the infield in his prolonged profession between the minors and majors, however is absolutely known a lot a lot more for his professional technique at home plate than for his glove https://www.losangelesdodgersprostore.co...man-jersey. The Outfield MixOn the one hand, I might compose 5,000 words on the outfield alone.  On the various other, that's probably best suited for a different post with a various tone, since instead of the Reds carrying 'bench' OFs in 2020, it truly looks as if they have actually constructed a mix/match team that will regularly rotate. The most noticeable foursome is undoubtedly Castellanos, Shogo, Nick Senzel, and Jesse Winker, with the latter trio all having actually gotten time in CF in their careers at numerous levels.  2 lefties, 2 righties, and a genuine opportunity to see them each get lots of  in optimized scenarios. Of course, that team doesn't consist of the 2 gamers who installed the solitary most jaw-dropping runs in 2019 - Aristides Aquino (August) and Derek Dietrich (May), both of whom can cover edge OF areas.  It also leaves out Josh VanMeter (a lot more on him in a sec), Phil Ervin's capability to maul LHP, Travis Jankowski being likely the very best protective CF choice, that Scott Schebler still exists (!), or perhaps Guideline 5 draftee Mark Payton. Safe to say, the Reds have a heap of decisions to make right here, with a couple of complicating elements.  Payton, obviously, should be used back to Oakland of he doesn't make the lineup, while each of Jankowski, Schebler, and Ervin run out choices and must get rid of waivers to be stowed away in AAA if they do not make the Opening Day cut.  And we have not even obtained to Michael Lorenzen..  so, great luck figuring this one out, Reds. Reserve InfielderIf the Reds intended to, they could just carry Farmer and Blandino both, as each has a lot of ability to back up throughout the infield.  Things is, both of them bat right-handed, and if Ervin and/or Aquino land that last OF place, that's a bench (with Casali) that comes to be totally right-handed.  So while 'that makes the OF' and 'that makes the IF' are independent choices in concept, they certainly influence one another when you eliminate the protective element and emphasis on what they 'd offer the table as a pinch-hitter.  That brings us to VanMeter, whose lefty swing raked at AAA last year and played plenty well for a lot of his time at the major league level as a rookie.  Considering his total positional flexibility and existing lineup spot, I  want to assume he and among Blandino/Farmer have the inside track for the 'infield bench bats,' but VanMeter's continuing to be options could well function versus him here.  And after that there's Dietrich, who was picked up on a minor-league bargain previously this week just like last year Dodgers Store.  His Might was famous for how impressively leading it was, but he quickly fell totally apart once the schedule transformed to June, though it was at some point revealed that a shoulder problem had been hindering him.  If he's healthy and balanced once again, he's got a lengthy performance history of being a strong offensive huge leaguer, and if that's what gets presented in springtime camp in Goodyear, it's difficult to see him not making the club.  His lefty swing and defensive adaptability properly makes him an extra proven version of VanMeter, and optioning VanMeter while adding Dietrich to the lineup (at another person's expenditure) is one method of maintaining both in the system, whereas just bring VanMeter would mean Dietrich deciding back right into totally free company, most likely.

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