Tyler Stephenson
Tyler Stephenson is having a career year in 2024 and a resurgence in the hearts of Reds fans. Who is Tyler Stephenson? Here is my case to why I believe he should be a part of the Reds’ plans going forward.
Tyler Stephenson was born and raised in the Atlanta, Georgia area in Kennesaw, Georgia. Tyler is the son of David and Rhonda Stephenson. Growing up a Braves fan, Tyler was an avid fan of Chipper Jones, attending many games throughout his childhood. Tyler would play baseball for Kennesaw Mountain High School as a catcher and a pitcher. His Junior season he would pitch 4 games in relief with an ERA of 3.94 with 11 strikeouts and 2 walks. His offensive game was where the scouts would fall in love with him. Tyler would finish high school with a .413 batting average with 12 home runs and 6 doubles. Tyler Stephenson would become the number one ranked catcher in the country and the number 6 overall prospect, committing to Georgia Tech.
The Cincinnati Reds would select Tyler Stephenson with the 11th pick in the 2015 MLB Draft and Tyler would sign, forgoing college ball to become a part of the Reds organization signing for $3.14 million.
Tyler Stephenson would debut with the Reds organization in 2015. He would bat .268 with 1 home run and 15 doubles. Tyler would spend 4 seasons in the minor leagues. He would have a slash line of .263/.349/.390 during that time. Injuries to his wrist and thumb throughout his time in the minor leagues would hamper his numbers a little, but the talent and potential was there to show why the Reds would take him with the 11th pick.
Tyler Stephenson would make his Major League debut on July 27th, 2020 as a defensive replacement in the 7th inning against the Chicago Cubs. In his first plate appearance, Stephenson would hit a home run to deep left center field. He is just the third Red to hit a home run in their first plate appearance in team history.
He would play in just 8 games in the shortened 2020 season. He would slash .294/.400/.647. In 2021, Tyler would earn a large role, playing in 132 games and primarily being the team’s starting Catcher and some time at first base. Tyler would display what the Reds saw in him in 2021, he would bat .286 with 10 home runs, 21 doubles and earning an All-Rookie team selection.
Injuries would derail his sophomore season in 2022, Tyler would suffer a broken thumb in June and less than a month later a broken clavicle, he would miss the last 2 and a half months of the season. He would still bat .319 and hit 6 home runs in 50 games. 2023 would be a struggle for Tyler for the majority of the season. He would bat .243 with 13 home runs but inconsistency would be the issue. He would bat .287 in April and .281 in June, but he would bat .215 in May, .211 in July and .224 in August. 2023 seamed like a season where confidence was lacking.
In 2024, we are seeing a resurgence and a confident Tyler Stephenson. Tyler became a dad in June of this season. We are seeing career number in almost every statistical category, but more so, we are seeing consistency and confidence in his play. With 17 games left as of writing this, Tyler Stephenson is batting .261 with 18 home runs, 24 doubles and has an OPS plus of 118. Compared to an 86 OPS plus last season.
The Reds have Tyler Stephenson under contract for 2 more seasons, both being his last 2 years of arbitration. The Reds have a decision to make and I feel it should be made now. The Reds should extend Tyler Stephenson to be a part of the long term future of the team. I know, catchers are more of a risk when it comes to extensions long term but I believe Tyler Stephenson has flexibility to play first base in the future along with being a DH and possibly a corner outfield position. His production this year isn’t a fluke in my opinion. He has played well every season minus his injury shortened season in 2022 and the majority of 2023. 2024 Tyler Stephenson is healthy and productive and I believe that’s the player he can be long term.
Knowing everything above, would you sign Stephenson to a long term contract? How many years would you sign him to? What would be the total amount of the contract? Would you do it now, or would you wait for his last two years of arbitration? Comment below and let me know what you think, we are all Reds fans, and this one would like to know your opinion.
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Photo Credit; Fantasy Alarm
Sources: MLB.com, Max Preps, Reds.com, perfectgame.com, BaseballReference.com
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