Analyzing the Reds: Reds’ young team promises an exciting team
The Cincinnati Reds have one of the best farm systems in baseball. MLB Pipeline recently ranked the Reds as having the fifth best farm system in MLB. You can make a case that the Reds’ current farm system is the best they’ve had since 2008—back when Joey Votto and Jay Bruce were still considered prospects.
The majority of the players that comprise the Reds’ strong farm system will not be on the Opening Day roster. Christian Encarnacion-Strand was the talk of the Cactus League after hitting four home runs and putting up a 1.192 OPS in Arizona. Elly De La Cruz showed off his out-of-this world talent at times this spring, and Matt McLain displayed just how good of a ballplayer he is. Unfortunately, none of those guys will make the Reds’ opening day roster.
It can be very challenging to be patient with such great talent in the minor league system, but there is something different about this Reds team on opening day than previous teams that were waiting on players to develop. Many other teams would feature an opening day roster with a bunch of older veterans trying to stay in the game, but this Reds team is constructed in a much different manor. Among the Reds’ starting nine projected position players and designated hitter, seven of those players are still in pre-arbitration. If you are unfamiliar with that term, it means that the player has yet to reach three years of MLB service time.
Joey Votto and Wil Myers will be the only fully established big league position players at the start of the season for the Reds. The rest of the roster is full of hungry young players trying to prove themselves.
In the outfield, you have TJ Friedl, Jake Fraley and the newly acquired Will Benson. Friedl has great speed and showed some serious promise in the second half of last season. Fraley displayed impressive power late last season hitting 11 home runs in his final 53 games after returning from injury. Benson is a raw talent with great power and speed potential that could be a major weapon at Great American Ball Park.
In the infield, you probably already know about the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year, Jonathan India. India has looked great at the end of spring training, as he is looking to bounce back from a tough 2022 plagued with injuries. You also in the infield have Spencer Steer, a guy that can really hit and some believe has big time upside. José Barrero is the real wild card at shortstop. He skyrocketed up the prospect rankings in 2021 but has yet to show signs of life in the big leagues. He had a nice spring as well after making a big swing change. Could he be a potential breakout candidate in 2023?
Tyler Stephenson rounds out the Reds’ young talent behind the plate. The Reds plan to be more conservative with Stephenson this year, who, like India, dealt with a lot of injuries in 2022. The Reds plan to only play Stephenson about 60 games at catcher, while trying to still get him in the lineup as much as possible at first base and at designated hitter.
The young talent is the most exciting and interesting thing about the 2023 Reds team. There are not many national pundits or projection models giving the Reds much of a chance this season, but there is plenty of young talent to watch and be excited about. The best part of all of it for Reds fans is that they are not just banking on the current crop of young players starting the season with the big-league club in Cincinnati. For the first time in a long while, there is a strong pipeline of talent in the Reds minor league system full of players like Encarnacion-Strand, De La Cruz and McLain who are just chomping at the bit to take a spot on the big league roster.
Findlay Market Opening Day Parade
Thursday, March 30, noon-2 p.m.
Race Street between Findlay Market and Fifth St., and Fifth St. between Race St. and the Taft Theatre
Opening Day Game: Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Thursday, March 30, 4:10 p.m.
Great American Ball Park, 100 Joe Nuxhall Way, Cincinnati
Nick Kirby is the co-host of Chatterbox Reds—the new home for daily Cincinnati Reds content all season long. Chatterbox Reds will have LIVE shows on YouTube after EVERY Reds game this season and daily podcasts as well. You can find Chatterbox Reds on YouTube on “Chatterbox Sports” here and by searching “Chatterbox Reds” wherever you listen to podcasts. They can be found on Apple Podcasts here. Nick can also be found on Twitter @nicholaspkirby.
