A new season dawns…
Gone is David Bell as manager of the Cincinnati Reds, though the future ejections of a Reds manager may even be more entertaining. In as manager is future Hall of Famer Terry Francona, a baseball lifer who has made quite the habit of taking one-time underdogs to the World Series.
Out the door is Jonathan India. The former National League Rookie of the Year once seemed poised to be the next face of the franchise, but he somehow ended up a polarizing figure among fans – good enough to be a piece of a good club, but not good enough to be the face. In comes Brady Singer, India’s former college teammate at the University of Florida, to help bolster a starting rotation that needed bolstering badly last year.
Back is Matt McLain to take over at the keystone. The former 1st round pick and 2023 breakout star missed the latter portion of ‘23 and all of 2024 with a barrage of injuries, but hopefully returns as Groot to Elly De La Cruz’s Rocket as early as [/checks notes] today. The same goes for Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who once looked like he could hit a baseball over that there mountain before a wrist injury sapped his power, confidence, and just about everything else. Today begins his quest to threaten the 40 dinger threshold as a Reds player, something that hasn’t been threatened since the go-go days of the 2019 juiced ball.
Gavin Lux seemed an odd addition, this winter’s version of the Jeimer Candelario signing in the sense that he didn’t have an obvious place to play everyday. Well, the injury bug has already sorted that out more than we’d ever hope, and now it seems there may be more places for Lux to play than he can physically play at any one time. Perhaps that’s an omen given his actual versatility, and he may help fill the void left by India more than we ever initially imagined.
Spencer Steer is dinged up and destined for DH-only duty until his balky shoulder somehow gets better, while the newly signed Austin Hays – brought in as a rebound candidate after an injury-plagued 2024 – is already out injured. Still, potential ‘returns to form’ from both Candelario and TJ Friedl may well offset that, in theory.
Oh, the tantalizing southpaw that is Nick Lodolo. Is this the year he finally climbs up and over the litany of nagging injuries that have kept him still something of a secret league-wide? Is this the year he gets 28, 29 starts and flashes all the brilliance he’s show in short stints so far? If so, the tandem of Nick and ace Hunter Greene seems poised to be the most dominant, intimidating duo the NL can boast.
And, of course, there is Elly – the beacon of this particular team. It’s his team. It’s his time. He’s already shown himself to be one of the league’s absolute unicorns, the only thing remaining on his rise to superstardom being hoisting the entire team upon his back and carrying them to the promised land. Maybe he’ll do it with his defense, his range and arm second to none. Perhaps it will be again with his legs, an 80 steal season in the wings. It could, though, actually be with his bat, with 40+ homer power from both sides of the plate and a bandbox in which to call home.
Elly’s Reds. Hunter’s Reds. Tito’s Reds.
Our Reds, and they’re back in action today at 4:10 PM ET.
Happy Opening Day.