Reds have yet to fulfill promise
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Five issues facing the Reds:
offense:
Despite playing in hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park, the offense was the team’s weakness during the 2019 season. The Reds hit a franchise-record 227 home runs but scored only five more runs than they did from the previous year. The Reds ranked 12th among 15 NL teams in on-base percentage (.317) and runs per game (4.33), and they fired hitting coach Turner Ward after one season.
Bullpen strength:
One of the main reasons the Reds fell short of their expectations during the 2019 season was a 2433 record in one-run games. It was the most one-run losses in baseball, six more than any other team. Closer Raisel Iglesias had a 3-12 record, the most losses by a reliever in MLB, as he struggled in non-save situations.
The Reds are expected to add at least one reliever this offseason to help their late-inning options: Iglesias, Michael Lorenzen, Amir Garrett and Robert Stephenson.
Weak links:
At the beginning of the offseason, the Reds exercised a $5.5 million club option in shortstop Freddy Galvis’ contract. The Reds are confident he will improve as a hitter, but he owns a career .291 on-base percentage and last year was the first time he produced an OPS above .700.
Tucker Barnhart and Curt Casali might form a platoon behind the plate, but Barnhart had a miserable first half last year with a .191 batting average and .290 on-base percentage. The Reds hope Barnhart builds off his improved second half after he made swing adjustments.
The outfield is filled with players who have upside and short track records. Center fielder Nick Senzel was one of the sport’s top prospects, but he’s dealt with several injuries throughout the last two years. Jesse Winker crushes right-handed pitching, but his last two seasons were cut short by injuries.
Aristides Aquino had one of the best starts to a career in baseball history with 14 homers in August, but he slumped in September.
The Reds signed Shogo Akiyama, who had 216 hits for the Seibu Lions in 2015, but it’s hard to predict how well Japanese players will transition to MLB.