Will that be the case on Opening Day?
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We broached the subject of a post Joey Votto world in Cincinnati yesterday, wondering just who you think should be the first baseman of the Reds on Opening Day now that the 21 year run of the future Hall of Famer has ended within the organization.
With an overwhelming majority, you think Christian Encarnacion-Strand will earn the role.
CES absolutely destroys baseballs, and while he came up as a 3B (and while the Reds have flirted with the idea of him getting time in the corner outfield spots), he’s pretty much a natural 1B at this point. There’s versatility there if there absolutely needs to be, but given the immense versatility of the rest of the roster it seems a bit silly to move him around the diamond, too.
The ‘Opening Day’ clause here certainly tipped the scales in his favor, too. We’ve yet to see anything from Jonathan India this spring as he works his way through another recurrence of plantar fasciitis, while that injury (and the one to Matt McLain) means Jeimer Candelario is almost assuredly going to get time on the other side of the diamond early in the season.
Unless he doesn’t, of course, and starts at 1B while Noelvi Marte is at 3B, Elly De La Cruz is at SS, and McLain is at 2B…while CES begins the year in AAA.
Did I just say that out loud? I probably shouldn’t have said that out loud…
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