INFUSION OF YOUTH
Youngsters play big roles in team’s sudden surge.
— As the Cincinnati Reds stick their toes into unfamiliar waters this weekend, a more-than-meaningful four-game series against the Chicago Cubs, the talk of “The ‘Nati” seems one-faceted.
To most, it is all about the starting rotation, how wellarmed the Reds are with Alex Wood, Trevor Bauer, Sonny Gray and Luis Castillo lined up for the Cub invasion.
While that does seem eye-popping, fans must remember Wood is making his third start of the season and Bauer is making his second start for the Reds.
So what is the undercurrent to the team’s sudden surge, a 10-5 spurt, that has kept it within a boarding-house reach of first place?
Pitcher/outfielder/pinch-hitter/pinch-runner Michael Lorenzen offered his opinion Thursday before the Reds and Cubs began the series.
“The biggest thing for this team is the young guys stepping up,” he said. “I mean, where are we bringing these guys up from? It is unbelievable with Aristides Aquino, Josh VanMeter and Phillip Ervin.
“With them being able to do what they have been doing for us, the consistency they are showing, they are doing a ton for our team. I don’t know if they realize what they are doing for us, especially with the morale.
“They’ve come up with big
hits in big situations and it has been awesome,” Lorenzen added.
The Reds had their eye on Aquino before he could drive. He was 16 when signed him out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He spent two years in the Dominican Summer League, nearly a season in the Arizona Instructional League and a year at Billings, Montana in the Pioneer League.
He began blossoming at Class AA Pensacola in 2017 with 20 home runs. He hit 28 home runs at Class AAA Louisville this season before his recent call-up.
And it has been sudden magic, the perfect replacement in right field for the traded Yasiel Puig. With their similar body-builder physiques, it would be a toss-up which one would win baseball’s Mr. Universe contest.
After a 0-for-6 start in his first two games, Aquino’s bat became a red-hot poker. He has started five of the last six games and pinch-hit in the other. He is 7-for-10 with two homers and five RBIs in his last four games.
VanMeter’s story is just as intriguing. He is one of those mysterious players
to-be-named-later. The Reds acquired him as the PTBNL after sending catcher Luis Torres to San Diego hours after selecting Torres in the Rule 5 draft at the 2016 winter meetings.
The 24-year-old native of Ossian, Indiana displayed no propensity for power. He hit 12 home runs last year at Pensacola and Louisville over 128 games.
Then his power switch flicked on this year at Louisville. He hit 11 home runs in April and hit .358, sending the Reds into scramble mode. He wasn’t on the 40-man roster, but they brought him up in early May.
He struggled a bit and was sent back down, with a couple of brief recalls. His latest trip up began July 18 and he has solidified his place. Over 17 games he is hitting .344 with four homers, two doubles and seven RBIs.
What makes VanMeter so enticing is that he is a second baseman, prefers second base, but has played there just briefly. He is playing most of the time in left field or right field.
“He is an athlete with a great swing, with power, and I’m not afraid to play him anywhere,” said manager David Bell.
It has been a long and winding road, filled with rocks and mud holes, for Ervin. He is a No. 1 draft pick (2013) who has had to push and shove his way toward the top — 5 1/2 years in the minors, a long time for a No. 1 pick.
After a solid spring training this year, he was once again dispatched to the minors. He was summoned to the big club June 15 and stuck. Used mostly as a pinch-hitter and an outfielder against left-handed pitching, Ervin is hitting .341 overall and is 7 for 17 as a pinch-hitter with a home run and five RBIs.
Lorenzen is a perceptive man.
Relief pitcher Jared Hughes began serving his three-game suspension Thursday for allegedly throwing a pitch at a Pittsburgh Pirates batter that eventually led to the dugout-emptying brawl. That leaves the Reds one man short in the bullpen and with a 24-man roster.
Relief pitcher Amir Garrett has yet to serve his eight-game suspension, so he is available until Hughes serves his time.
When a team has multiple players suspended, only one player at a time is required to sit.
After serving his sixgame suspension, Bell returned to the dugout Thursday. He watched the two-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels from a Great American Ball Park suite.
“It was tough not being in the dugout and I can’t wait to be fully engaged with our team,” he said. “That’s my job and I’m glad to be back.”