The Reds have just finished up their first series post All-Star break and it didn’t go well, getting swept by the Washington Nationals in 3 games. That has been sort of the Reds identity this year. They have beat good teams like the Dodgers, Yankees and Phillies, but play poorly against lesser teams like Pirates, Tigers, Rangers, and Nationals. Here are some of my key takeaways away from the first half of the 2024 season.

Hunter Greene is an ACE!:

Hunter Greene has been the Reds best pitcher this season. Andrew Abbott is a close second. Nick Lodolo would be ranked higher than Abbott if it weren’t for his injury issues. Hunter Greene this year is 6-4 with a 3.34 ERA, 126 strikeouts(tied for 12th in MLB). He has a WHIP of 1.11, which is 25th in baseball. Hunter Greene has all the stuff to be a perennial All-Star, as he got his first All-Star nod this year. If Greene can get more comfortable throwing his splitter/changeup and curveball he will get Cy Young considerations real soon. Greene is budding before our eyes and his contract is beginning to look like a huge bargain for the Cincinnati Reds.

Elly De La Cruz is a superstar and he’s getting better.

Elly De La Cruz has the potential to be one of the greatest baseball players in the modern era. The first time All-Star in 2024 has 48 stolen bases through 100 games and has more stolen bases than a few teams have total. Some people on social media want Elly to give up switch hitting but I think he’s doing fine. No player will have perfect spits from both sides and Elly is no different. Elly has 120 more at bats vs right handed pitching opposed to left handed pitching so the lack of reps could be part of the issue. This season Elly has 5 home runs from the right side and is batting .246. I have a full deep dive on the first full calendar year of Elly De La Cruz here. The 22 year old is budding before our very eyes. Once he figures it out, which I believe he will, Cincinnati will have to figure out themselves if they can keep him long term.

Injuries are…..hurting us

This season has been real hard to swallow, it’s not what we wanted as Reds fans. As a 32 year old Reds fan, I have never seen a championship from this team, and have rarely seen any kind of success from this franchise. 2024 was supposed to be a year that we could finally start to see if our young players can compete for a playoff spot like they did in 2023. Noelvi Marte would start the season out by testing positive for PED’s in March, subsequently being suspended for the first 80 games of the season. Matt McLain would have shoulder surgery, possibly ending his season, he could return in late August at the earliest. TJ Friedl has been on and off the IL a handfull of times with various injuries. Christian Encarnacion-Strand had season ending hand surgery, TJ Antone had a 3rd Tommy John surgery, Ian Gibaut, Emilio Pagan, Nick Lodolo, Jake Fraley all are on or have had significant time on the IL. Reds fans can only hope that this injury plague isn’t a sign of the future, rather just a case of bad luck this year. Either way, the Reds find themselves in a possible Wild Card run and can only hope some pieces can find a way back this season. 2025 could be a pivotal year.

Is David Bell in the future plans?

A lot of Reds fans aren’t happy with David Bell. I have a full article on David Bell and the previous 2 managers here. David Bell is a players manager, he defends his players through and through, he won’t give too much away in press conferences and oh, he loves to get ejected from games. Bell is tied for the all time leader in Reds franchise history with 30. Bell has 380 wins as a manager over 6 years, a .471 winning percentage. The Reds have certainly given Bell a longer leash than some other teams would, there are family ties with the Reds and Bell is a good figure head for the franchise, but the results aren’t there. The Reds have had 1 playoff appearance in 6 years under David Bell, with the 1 being a shorted season due to COVID 19 and even that was a disappointment. The team failed to even score a run in a best of 3 against the Atlanta Braves. Should the Reds move on from David Bell, which I don’t see them doing this year or this offseason, who would the Reds make as manager post Bell? Aaron Boone? Pat Kelly? Bud Black? I don’t see an immediate candidate that would be an actual improvement. I ride this season out with Bell and if things start out bad next season, I move on.

In closing, 2024 has been a major disappointment as a Reds fan, there was a lot to look toward to. Injuries have derailed the team, there’s been some signs of promise with the pieces that are here this year. The team as of July 21st are only 4 games out of a wild card spot. The biggest question will be if the team decides to buy or sell at the deadline. Jonathan India has been red hot since the end of June, do they move on from India and try to get a return or is he in play long term? Tyler Stephenson is playing better this season, is he extension worthy? Is Nick Lodolo’s injury concerns prohibiting the Reds from committing long term?

There are a lot of questions surrounding this team, you can follow me on 𝕏 for all my thoughts on the Cincinnati Reds and Reds MiLB.

Photo Credit; Reuters, NBC24.com, CBS Sports, WLWT, Red’s Content Plus

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