Enjoyable info on each Reds’ place participant

With Opening Day getting nearer, let’s undergo a enjoyable truth or two for every Cincinnati Reds’ place participant. (This article additionally serves as a recap of my spring coaching protection in case you missed a narrative).

Attached to each participant’s identify is a hyperlink to a narrative I wrote about them this spring. So if you wish to learn extra about that participant, click on their identify.

TJ Friedl (CF)

Before final season, Terry Francona advised TJ Friedl that he needed to see Friedl on base twice a sport. Last 12 months, three leadoff hitters in MLB reached base two-plus instances in a sport 77-or-more instances: Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis Jr. and TJ Friedl. He’s an elite on-base man and among the best leaders on the staff.

The huge factor this 12 months will probably be getting again on monitor defensively. Friedl stated that he felt sluggish final 12 months, and he spent the winter working to develop and reestablish the burst and vary that he had in 2023. Friedl is 30 this 12 months. Since 2023, there have solely been eight gamers in all of baseball who’re 30-or-older and performed 100+ video games in a season in heart discipline. Friedl desires to buck that pattern and keep in heart discipline for years to return.

Matt McLain (2B)

He spent the spring sporting lengthy pants for the primary time. Elly De La Cruz stated he has been attempting for years to get Matt McLain to have that look. De La Cruz stated, “Long pants, more flow, more swag.”

McLain earned the No. 2 spot within the lineup by making tangible progress together with his at-bat high quality and his method in opposition to low and away sliders. He has regained some confidence.

Elly De La Cruz (SS)

In practices and video games, there’s a little bit of a defensive competitors between Elly De La Cruz and Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. In follow, they battle to see who makes the fewest errors. While Hayes is the extra constant defender at this level, additionally they commute delivering unimaginable spotlight performs.

For the primary time, there’s no statistical quantity like 70 steals or 162 video games that De La Cruz is chasing this 12 months. This 12 months is about being a extra constant successful participant.

Is De La Cruz’s prime about to start?

“You’ll see,” De La Cruz says, laughing. “You’ll see.”

Sal Stewart (1B)

This goes to be Terry Francona’s twenty fifth 12 months as a supervisor.

In his whole managerial profession, he has solely had one rookie make a minimum of 25 begins in a season within the cleanup spot. That can be Scott Rolen in 1997, which was Francona’s first 12 months as a supervisor. Rolen went on to be the Rookie of the Year.

If Sal Stewart finally ends up hitting cleanup this 12 months, he’d be part of Rolen on that checklist.

The incontrovertible fact that Francona is contemplating batting Stewart cleanup over Suárez tells you every part about how Francona feels about him.

Eugenio Suárez (DH)

In Mariners spring coaching in 2022, Eugenio Suárez may inform {that a} younger Noelvi Marte was placing an excessive amount of strain on himself.

“The advice he gave me was your time will come,” Marte stated, by way of interpreter Tomás Vera. “Your time to get to the big leagues will come. Relax. Work on the things you need to work on. Success will follow you. He helped me understand instead of rushing, let things happen.”

The recommendation actually helped Marte.

It’s an instance of the impression that Suárez could make within the clubhouse.

Spencer Steer (LF)

“You always hear the story about Wally Pipp,” Spencer Steer stated. “That’s my biggest fear. I just want to be available. I like to be a guy that when I show up, you know what you’re going to get out of me.”

He’s sneakily one of many guys that the Reds can least afford to lose. He’s primarily their utility participant along with being an vital bat. His versatility allowed the Reds to place a real bench bat like Nathaniel Lowe on the roster.

Tyler Stephenson (C)

No homegrown Reds participant has taken the standard path to free company (six consecutive years on the massive league roster) since Michael Lorenzen hit free company on the finish of the 2021 season. No Reds place participant has taken that path since Zack Cozart in 2017.

Tyler Stephenson is about to be a free agent on the finish of the 12 months.

“You never know what the future holds,” Stephenson stated. “I love being here, and we’ll obviously see what happens. My goal this year is to have as much fun as I can because this is the group of guys that I came in with. I’ll try to have fun with it.”

Noelvi Marte (RF)

Noelvi Marte wanted a “nudge” in early March as he had a poor begin to camp. The coaches introduced him in for a dialog. Marte instantly turned it round and did sufficient to reclaim the beginning proper discipline job.

Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B)

Over the final two years, Hayes has discovered that the LG5 disk in his again is “the most important one.” Hayes has a power again subject — a degenerative disk — that he’s continually managing.

“With the alignment issues that I have, stuff feels different day-to-day,” Hayes stated. “Sometimes I feel like I’m standing a certain way but it’s completely different. I battle with that a lot.”

He’s getting higher at coping with these again points, nevertheless it’s a relentless course of.

Will Benson

Terry Francona has stated that Will Benson might be “streaky.” Benson’s huge focus is being higher at creating consistency.

In the spring, Benson went as much as Eric Davis for a one-on-one dialog concerning the subject.

“I’m so grateful day-to-day to be in his presence and to have a resource like that,” Benson stated. “He’s not only somebody who looks like me. In some ways, he thinks like me. He also has a rich history in this game. To be able to ask him so many questions and to know that he has experienced it, there’s nothing better than that.

Dane Myers

He’s known as a standout playmaker in center field. His defensive mindset is a product of his experience as a pitcher.

Dane Myers’ professional career started on the mound. He said, “I remember pitching and thinking that a couple of guys weren’t giving it their all and playing hard defense for me. Now, I’m on the flip side of things. I like to make plays for my pitchers.”

He’s additionally recognized for the sting that he performs with on the sector. Myers says that edge comes from being near being out of baseball at one level. He has an actual appreciation for the place he’s at.

Jose Trevino

He’s extraordinarily obsessed with working with and mentoring minor league catchers within the group, and his enthusiasm shines by each time he speaks about it.

“I’m not going to play this game forever,” Jose Trevino stated. “I understand that. I know that. I feel like I take a lot of pride that if (guys) are going to be around me, it’s my job to help them as much as I can. Whether it’s giving them a shortcut on how to receive a pitch, how to block a pitch, whatever it is. I’m giving them my feedback.”

Prediction: Trevino is the perfect catcher within the league on the ABS problem system this 12 months.

Nathaniel Lowe

Nathaniel Lowe’s mother, Wendy, died it early March. Lowe determined to remain in camp with the Reds as he competed for a spot on the staff. He stated, “I feel like she’d want me to keep going.” The plan was that Lowe’s dad would go to him in Arizona in March.

Lowe’s dad made it out to Arizona final week, and he acquired to see Lowe on the day that the primary baseman discovered that he had made the Reds’ Opening Day roster.

“I’m very grateful for being raised around the right people,” Lowe stated. “I feel prepared to take on what life is throwing at me.”

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