Baseball is the ultimate team sport. It has seen many unlikely heroes making their name in the postseason. Helping their team hoist the commissioner’s trophy in October. With that being said, the Cincinnati Reds may not be a title contender in 2025, but their primary bench depth could be one of the more underrated ones in MLB.
Infield: Santiago Espinal
The former all-star in Toronto has seemingly settled in with the Cincinnati Reds as their infield utility man. The 30-year-old is listed as a 2B/3B, but he can fill in at shortstop and in the outfield occasionally.
In 2024, he registered -1 DRS in 245 innings at second base and -4 DRS in 504 2/3 innings at third base. These are not great numbers, but they are definitely serviceable. He was essentially the same at his lesser played positions, recording o DRS in 34 innings at shortstop, 1 DRS in 19 innings in left field, and -1 DRS in 14 innings in right field.
While he likely wouldn’t be called upon often to play in the outfield, he has shown that he can do so if needed, providing the Reds with an extra layer of depth if injuries luck hits them in 2025.
On the offensive side, Espinal is a bit of a coin flip. He struggled heavily in the first half of 2024, with a measly .585 OPS (55 wRC+). The second half of the year was a completely different story, as he posted a solid .731 OPS, good for an exact league average of 100 wRC+. He dominated July and August, with a 1.184 and .887 OPS respectively. The coin-flip aspect of his offense is the fact that besides July and August, Espinal failed to reach an OPS above .659 in a full month, posting an OPS under .500 three separate times.
Outfield: Stuart Fairchild
Fairchild is a seemingly under-the-radar guy on the roster right now. The 29-year-old outfielder will serve as a platoon fourth outfielder against left-handers. He hit .273/.350/.436 for a .786 OPS and a 115 wRC+. On the flip side, he slashed an underwhelming .152/.213/.293 for a .506 OPS and a 34 wRC+. He is essentially unplayable against right-handed pitching but produces well above league average against left-handers.
Defensively, Fairchild is solid, as he’s capable at all three positions, logging 10 games in left field, 59 in center field, and 22 in right field in 2024. He tallied a total of 6 DRS in 2024, as he was an above-average defender at all three positions.
Catcher: Jose Trevino
The 32-year-old Jose Trevino will start the season in the starting lineup in lieu of Tyler Stephenson’s injury. He will return to the primary backup catcher role once Stephenson makes his return.
Trevino is coming off of a 2024 season with the Yankees where he played in 74 games. Trevino hit .215/.288/.354 for a .642 OPS and an 84 wRC+. He is considered a contact hitter with solid plate discipline, as his 17.5 K%, 18.7 Whiff%, 28.7 Chase%, and 8.5 BB% are all at or above league average.
He continued his stellar defense, with 10 Framing Runs (95th percentile), 9 Fielding Run Value (89th percentile), and 7 Blocks Above Average (88th percentile) in 2024.
His main struggle, however, is his arm. He was in the 5th percentile in Caught Stealing Above Average (-5). An unfathomably slow pop time of 2.07 seconds, placing him at the bottom of MLB (1st percentile).
Overall Value
The Reds have arguably two starting-level players as their primary bench pieces, Santiago Espinal and Jose Trevino. It is a luxury for a team to look down the bench. They see someone who knows their role and executes it well. He will not have to worry about the bench for this Reds team, barring injuries.
Main Photo Credits: Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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