It's been a while since the baseball universe has been this amped up for an upcoming Reds season. Sure, the 2019 Reds were fun, however, the level of electricity in the air building up to Spring Training was almost non-existent then compared to now. Tickets are flying off the shelves, merchandise sales are booming, local radio can't stop talking about the team, and social media is ecstatic.
The team made moves this offseason and good ones at that. It almost feels like many people have already forgotten about picking up the highly anticipated 3rd Baseman, Jeimer Candelario from the Cubs after picking up Frankie Montaz from the Yankees shortly after. The team has secured deals with Tyler Stephenson (C) and fan favorite Jonathan India (2B), avoiding arbitration. They beefed up the bullpen by picking up 2 polished relievers: Nick Martinez and Emilio Pagan while holding on to Alexis Diaz, Lucas Sims, and Buck Farmer.
So many words come to mind when you sit back and look at this roster: young, hungry, fast, fun, electric, and even experienced. Say what you want about Nick Krall, but you can't argue the fact that he has managed to snag a young and hungry core of guys while surrounding them with not only experienced players but incredibly relatable veterans as well. The mentors in the clubhouse are everywhere. The starting rotation has Frankie Montas, relief pitching has Buck Farmer and Emilio Pagan, and the fielders have Candelario as well as the Cincy native; Josh Harrison.
With that being said, let's take a look at what we can expect on Opening Day.
Starting Pitchers
Hunter Greene. Righty. 4.62 ERA (24 years old)
Frankie Montas. Righty. 3.9 ERA (30)
Andrew Abbott. Lefty. 3.87 ERA (24)
Graham Ashcraft. Righty. 4.81 ERA (26)
Nick Lodolo. Lefty. 4.31 ERA (26)
Catcher
Tyler Stephenson (.272)
Luke Maile (.212)
1st Base
Christian Encarnacion-Strand (.280)
Jeimer Candelario (.243)
2nd Base
Matt McLain (.290)
Jonathan India (.255)
Shortstop
Elly De La Cruz (.235)
3rd Base
Jeimer Candelario (.243)
Noelvi Marte (.316)
Elly De La Cruz (.235)
Outfield
Spencer Steer (.263)
Jake Fraley (.237)
TJ Friedl (.267)
Will Benson (.260)
Utility Players
Nick Martini OR Stuart Fairchild
Bullpen
Alexis Diaz (CL) (R)
Lucas Sims (R)
Buck Farmer (R)
Emilio Pagan (R)
Nick Martinez (R)
Sam Moll (L)
Brent Suter (L)
Ian Gibaut (R)
Some notable factors heading into the season would be that the team has the advantage over the division as it stands. Milwaukee has done nothing to improve their current roster (they have improved their roster for 2025 and beyond). Pittsburgh is still Pittsburgh; their pitching is above average although their fielding and batting are below average. The Cubs didn't make the splash everyone thought they would during free agency and they lost both their manager and Candelario after a disappointing finish to last season. St. Louis picked up some pitching although their batting is questionable to say the least.
One last piece of news is that fans can expect to see mascot, Mr. Red in a new jersey, hat and pants come mid to late April as he is getting a fresh new look. Fans can also expect both Mr. Red and Gapper to show off their newly formed hand-shake as well as updated on-field antics before and during the games.
All eyes are on Cincinnati right now and if you aren't excited for Opening Day then you may want to check your pulse.
GO REDS!
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