After sweeping the Chicago White Sox in three games, the Reds are currently tied for third place in the NL Central with a 9-6 record. They will now go to the West to play the 6-10 Seattle Mariners, who are coming off a two-game loss in their three-game series against the Chicago Cubs. While Matt McLain and TJ Friedl are still out of the lineup, Nick Lodolo has returned to the lineup. Since Noelvi Marte was suspended for using a prohibited substance, Jeimer Candelario has been the Reds’ third baseman this season.
As a result, Christain Encarnacion Strand ends up playing first base most of the time. The problem at hand is that neither of these two has started the year hitting the ball particularly well. Jeimer is making cuts.has a.629 OPS thus far this year, 190/.250/.379, etc. With a.526 OPS for the year, CES is slashing.192/.197/.329 on the field. While Spencer Steer is now required in left field and is blazing at the plate, I’m sure that if TJ Friedl had been healthy, we would have seen him earn a few starts at third base.
Evan Longoria, third base
Although he will turn 39 in October, this veteran third baseman may be worth a one-year contract at a moderate salary to cover for him and be a valuable bench player for this young Reds club. Last season, Longoria was a player for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Last season, he had 211 at-bats and participated in 74 games. In addition to 47 hits, nine doubles, 11 home runs, 28 RBIs, 23 walks, and 73 strikeouts, he also scored 25 runs. He had a.717 OPS and slashed.223/.295/.422 with the Diamondbacks the previous season. With the Diamondbacks, he participated in 16 postseason games in 2017 and recorded three doubles, four RBIs, and three walks. Additionally, he continues to be a dependable hot corner defender.
He had 34 chances and a flawless fielding % in 14 games at third base the previous season. Once he is cleared from suspension, I see him serving as an excellent mentor for Noelvi Marte and as a reliable reserve player for the squad the rest of the way.
Conclusion: Considering Longoria’s age, I doubt the Reds will pursue him, but there are situations in which having an experienced mentor/leadership role could benefit the young prospect Noelvi Marte. Tommy Pham recently agreed to a minor league deal with the White Sox; that is what I would have preferred to see the team sign. It would have been possible for the team to move Steer to third if Pham had been signed at the conclusion of Spring Training and then moved to the outfield after the first week. Of course, this is all in retrospect. Nobody, I believe, anticipated Jeimer to struggle at the plate as much as he has this season.
While I don’t want to start panicking just yet, having clubs like the Pirates and Brewers playing well to start the season and extending their lead over you this early in the season does not make sitting fourth in the Central a favorable place to be. Two of the team’s hitters have averages above.300. Spencer Steer opened the year at.317, while Jake Fraley batted.425. Six of their hitters (CES, Jonathan India, Candelario, Santiago Espinal, Luke Maile, and Bubba Thompson) had an average below.200 for the season.
Despite having just played 17 games, they have a 9–8 winning record. These numbers are still alarming; they do have a +14 run differential, but they have only really faced one difficult team—the Phillies—and they prevailed in that series, 2-1, aside from the Brewers, whom they lost in the series. The remaining games have been played against the Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, and Washington Nationals. Pitching will get harder as the schedule gets harder, but if these hitters can’t get going, no matter how excellent the pitching is, the run difference will decrease and the record will suffer.
Despite having just played 17 games, they have a 9–8 winning record. These numbers are still alarming; they do have a +14 run differential, but they have only really faced one difficult team—the Phillies—and they prevailed in that series, 2-1, aside from the Brewers, whom they lost in the series. The remaining games have been played against the Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, and Washington Nationals. Pitching will get harder as the schedule gets harder, but if these hitters can’t get going, no matter how excellent the pitching is, the run difference will decrease and the record will suffer.
Forecast
The Reds will hold off on signing Longoria in favor of waiting for players like Matt McLain, TJ Friedl, and Noelvi Marte to return from suspension and injury. In the near term, I believe Longoria might benefit this team on the field, and in all honesty, I believe that with Joey Votto’s departure, a leadership role appears to be lacking. It is really unfortunate to see these bats struggling as management waits for everyone to recover, as there are still four to six weeks left and the hole may become difficult to escape due to the schedule that calls for it to get harder in April and May.