Lotta baseball for a Monday!
Andrew Abbott is a lock for the Opening Day rotation of the Cincinnati Reds, isn’t he?
The former 2nd round pick out of the University of Virginia had a truly good rookie year in 2023, valued at 2.7 bWAR (and 2.2 fWAR) in just over 109 innings of work. A high draft pick who performed admirably as a rookie – you’d think that was enough to qualify as a lock, right?
The numbers game for how the Reds manage their rotation is going to be the story of the spring, I think. Despite Abbott’s relative awesomeness for the Reds in a year when the rest of the rotation was hurt and/or struggled, there’s now a glut of healthy options for the Reds to choose from. Hunter Greene and Frankie Montas appear to be locks given their talent and track records. Each of Graham Ashcraft and Brandon Williamson flashed talent last year and will firmly be in the mix, while Nick Lodolo – himself a former 1st round pick who showed elite talent the last time he was healthy – is gearing up to be ready for Opening Day.
And there’s Nick Martinez, a the former San Diego Padres swingman, who was one of the Reds biggest splashes in free agency. He pitched better as a starter than as a reliever last year, and how the Reds lean on him is yet to be determined.
Someone’s going to get squeezed out in the rotation battle, and who that person is remains to be seen. Perhaps today will give us some further insight!
We’ll get the first look at Abbott today while also getting to see what Martinez has to offer, as both will serve as starters in Cincinnati’s split-squad action. Abbott & Co. will face the Mariners at home in Goodyear, while Martinez and his crew will head to Phoenix to take on the Brewers.
Both games are slated for 3:05 PM ET starts, while the home game in Goodyear will be televised by Bally Sports Ohio. Reds lineups are below!
Let’s play two! It’s a split squad day in Arizona pic.twitter.com/m98e3rMWaX
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) February 26, 2024