Nick Lodolo’s offseason seems to be going in the right direction. Mark Sheldon of Reds.com reported that the left-handed starter is throwing again and on a progression program.
The 2024 season was one that saw Lodolo on the mound for 21 starts, but also on the injured list four different times. He began the year on the injured list while rehabbing back from a calf injury, but only missed two weeks with that one. A month later he hit the injured list with a strained groin and once against missed two weeks. A month after he returned from that injury he headed back to the injured list with a blister issue. That injury cost him a little more than two weeks.
When he returned from the blister issue he just wasn’t the same. He made nine starts and had an ERA of 7.54 in that time. His ERA on the year entering that stretch was 2.96 (through 12 starts). On August 27th he was once again moved to the injured list – this time for a sprained middle finger. That would ultimately end his season as he didn’t return before the season came to an end five weeks later.
The Draft Lottery
Tonight at the winter meetings the 2025 MLB Draft lottery will take place. Last year the Reds beat the odds and landed the 2nd overall pick in the draft despite odds that would have put them in the teens.
This year they will be trying to find the same kind of luck as they had 12 months ago. With the White Sox and Athletics ineligible to participate in the lottery, the Reds have the 7th best odds of landing the top pick. At 5:30pm ET the lottery will take place. You can watch on MLB Network.
Dave Parker elected to the HOF
Cincinnati native and former Reds outfielder Dave Parker was elected to the Hall of Fame through the Classic Baseball Era committee voting this week. Players on the ballot needed to receive at least 12 votes from the panel. Parker (14 votes) and Dick Allen (13 votes) made the cut and will be inducted this summer.
Parker spent 19 years in the big leagues, debuting in 1973 and playing through the 1991 season. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates for the majority of his career, spending the first 11 seasons with them. Then he joined the Reds from 1984-1987. With Cincinnati he hit .281/.334/.469 with 107 home runs. He made the All-Star team with the Reds in both 1985 and 1986 – two of the seven seasons he was an All-Star during his career. In that 1985 season he led the league in doubles with 42 and RBI with 125. He also clubbed 34 home runs that year.
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer has up a good article on Parker, with quotes from Parker as well as Eric Davis, who spent time playing with him on the Reds and is now in the club’s front office. You should be sure to go read it.
The post Reds Notebook: Nick Lodolo, Dave Parker, and the lottery appeared first on Redleg Nation.