Previewing 2017 Cincinnati Reds Roster

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The smell of fresh cut grass, beer, and hot dogs are back in the air finally. Its baseball season finally. In my preview of the season, I will overlook the roster to talk about how things look for your Cincinnati Reds and and what to expect this season.

Rotation

Scott Feldman

Brandon Finnegan

Rookie Davis

Amir Garrett

Cody Reed

Feldman is the veteran of this rotation and will be the most experienced of this group once Bronson Arroyo makes his return. He eats up innings and when his stuff is on, he is very tough tough to beat. Finnegan had an outstanding second half where his numbers made him look like an already established ace. There will be some games where he will throw too many pitches early, but once he harnesses his talent, he will be a force to be reckoned with. Garrett is arguably the best pitching prospect on the team. He is young and very talented so it will be tough to decide how he will do in his first year at the major league level. Davis is another pitching prospect that is heralded as one of the best. Like Garrett, he will also be a wild card. Reed will likely slide to the bullpen or head back to AAA Louisville once Arroyo comes back, but his stuff is pretty good and he has some experience in the major leagues so he could work that to his advantage if he performs well once Arroyo returns.

Bullpen

Barrett Astin

Tony Cingrani

Raisel Iglesias

Michael Lorenzen

Wandy Peralta

Robert Stephenson

Drew Storen

Blake Wood

Astin was a starting pitcher in the minor leagues, but if he can establish himself as a solid bullpen piece, his value could go up. Cingrani became the closer when JJ Hoover lost it and did a nice job. He has fastball that is hard to keep up with and his breaking balls are knee-buckling, but command is an issue. Iglesias could be the future closer as he probably has the best stuff out of anyone in the bullpen, but for now, he will just get his reps. When Lorenzen came back last season, the bullpen suddenly went from bad to really good as he established himself as a top notch reliever. Peralta is the second left handed option in the bullpen. He did a nice job as a September call up and looks to establish himself as a reliable arm. Stephenson was the best pitching prospect for a while, but due to control issues, his stock has fallen. The talent is there and could be one of the Reds rotation pieces in the future, but in order to figure out his potential, he will stick it out in the bullpen for the mean time. Storen was once the best relievers in baseball, but after losing his closer job with the Nationals in 2015, he has fallen on hard times. He will look to reestablish himself with the Reds. Wood had a very solid 2016 as he seemed to pitch in almost every game. The hope is that he brings that same type of performance in 2017.

Catchers

Tucker Barnhart

Stuart Turner

Barnhart had a breakout offensive season in 2016 once he took over the starters role filling in for a hurt Devin Mesoraco. Turner is heralded for his defense, but he turned some heads for his bat in Spring Training.

Infield

Zack Cozart

Scooter Gennett

Jose Peraza

Eugenio Suarez

Joey Votto

Cozart has been a trade target for a while, but otherwise he is a great defender and a solid hitter. Gennett was a late pickup in Spring Training, but he has versatility which makes him valuable and he had the ability to play every day. Peraza is their future star as he racks up lots of hits, has great speed, and has a lot of defensive versatility. Suarez finally figured out how to play third base last season and did a great job. He makes himself valuable with his defensive versatility, but he also has pop. Votto is the best hitter on the team hands down. He had an outstanding second half and the hope is that he can put out that performance all season long.

Outfield

Arismendy Alcantara

Adam Duvall

Billy Hamilton

Patrick Kivelehan

Scott Schebler

Alcantara can also play in the infield along with the outfield, but he has pop and speed that makes him a good bat off the bench. Duvall had an All Star season in 2016 and has some serious power. The biggest question is if he can finally figure out how to cut down on strike outs. Hamilton is probably the speediest player on the roster and in the league. He really improved offensively last season with his bat, but he was also robbed of a Gold Glove. Kivelehan made the roster when Ryan Raburn was released, but his defensive versatility helped his cause. Schebler did a great job filling in at right field in the second half when Jay Bruce was traded. He has tremendous power and is a good defensive player.

This is a rebuilding season still. Manager Bryan Price will have a lot to work with in terms of talent, not so much with experience. He doesn’t have an established closer, but he does have a very good bullpen on paper. His rotation is young, but once Anthony DeSclafani and Arroyo come back, things should go more smoothly. The only thing I question is to what happens when Mesoraco comes back as that could mean either Barnhart gets sent down or Turner could be returned to his original team as he was a Rule 5 pick. Another question will be when Dilson Herrera and Jesse Winker make their debuts.

This team actually looks better than what they are projected to be on paper. If there is any indication of anything, the 36-37 second half 2016 record should have showed how good the team should have been. I do think they played a little over the heads (a long with under their potential in the first half) in the second half, this 2017 squad is better than last seasons. Dont be surprised if they win 77 games as that is what I expect them to finish with, but if they get on a hot streak they could even win 80 something games. Also they could be good enough to make a run at the Wild Card, though I don’t expect them do so. Just making an observation based only on talent. They can absolutely do it if they can stay healthy and consistent. The difference between last season and this season is that they are incredibly more talented and have lots more depth from 2016. Their bullpen now should be a lot better than what was a historically bad bullpen in 2016. If you are a Reds fan, you really should be excited for what this team is doing.