Spring training is here!
The ‘by design’ infield logjam created by the Cincinnati Reds has garnered much of the spotlight this winter, as the free agent addition of Jeimer Candelario to the youthful mix created a bit of a playing time conundrum. With Jeimer, Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Jonathan India, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Noelvi Marte all in the mix, it’s hard to see a path to everyday playing time for all of them, even with the presence of the designated hitter in the National League.
That doesn’t even get to Spencer Steer, either – the guy who led the Reds in dingers last year while logging 395 of his 582 PA as an infielder. He’s already been effectively pushed to the outfield full-time, his lack of defensive prowess currently pigeon-holing him into the likely role of everyday LF. He will, almost every day of the year, line up alongside the TJ Friedl, the breakout CF of the Reds who led the team in both bWAR (3.8) and fWAR (4.4) while showing that he was far more than just a platoon bat, too.
Infield logjam? Check!
Two of the three spots in the OF already claimed? Check!
I’ve skipped around the RF spot for 200 words, though it’s the premise of this entire piece. That’s because the Reds themselves have seemingly backed themselves into some redundancy at the position, with both Jake Fraley and Will Benson serving as lefty-swinging mashers of right-handed pitching, the exact opposite of the platoon roles the Reds have built at other positions on the diamond.
Fraley’s 15 HR vs. RHP tied Friedl for the most on the Reds last year, while Benson’s 147 wRC+ against RHP was the best mark on the entire roster (min. 150 PA vs. RHP). Fraley wasn’t just a quantity guy in this role, either, as his 117 wRC+ against RHP was the 4th best on the Reds roster, too.
So, which one do you bench against RHP to begin 2024 if Steer, the most consistent bat of the fleet of rookies last year, is your everyday LF? Which one do you bench in favor of Friedl, who hit as well as both, for the most part, while providing better CF defense and elite baserunning speed?
The easy answer is that it won’t really matter, as whichever of Benson/Fraley who’s not in RF will serve as the team’s DH that day. That’s probably a prudent call! However, if the infield is aligned as Candelario – the big FA expenditure – at 3B most days flanked by Elly (SS), McLain (2B), and one of India/CES (1B), that’s relegating Noelvi Marte to either a non-existant role or to AAA altogether. On top of that, whichever of India/CES isn’t getting reps at 1B that day becomes relegated to the role of DH only against LHP, hardly the kind of regular playing time either wants (or deserves, especially with India’s reverse platoon splits over the course of his career).
It’s a good problem to have, of course. Both Fraley and Benson showed out well in their time with the Reds last year, and both surely know there’s a competition at hand. Having either as a prime bench-bat would also be a good thing for manager David Bell to have, assuming both can maintain their proclivity to hit while also not receiving everyday PA.
Thing is, there are some flaws in each’s game that might well be focused upon more so than their individual work in Goodyear now that spring training has begun. Fraley, as we saw again last year, has had a terrible time staying healthy for more than just spurts, and it’s always a wise idea to build in redundancy at a position when perhaps the best option there can’t be counted on to be out there every planned opportunity. Benson, for all his prodigious numbers in a small sample last year, perhaps also has some serious regression heading his way – his .391 overall BABIP included an even more absurdly high .422 mark against RHP, the single highest mark of the 268 MLB players who logged at least 250 PA vs. RHP last year.
This sure has the makings of the plan simply being ‘these things have a way of working themselves out.’ Maybe Marte’s hammy issue means he starts the year on the 15-day IL and works his way back slowly through AAA rehab, and that culls some competition for other spots. Someone else’s hammy can, and will, likely go for a time, or a sprained ankle or ill-fated foul ball will send a key someone to the sidelines and forge a clearer path. In a perfect world, though – and that’s what we’re all hoping for – it seems that Benson/Fraley are going to be asked to share an already platooned role, as neither has shown any true ability to hit LHP in their career. Nor, with the other quality platoon options on the roster, should they be given ample time to try to prove they can this year.
That makes it perhaps the position-player battle I’ll be scrutinizing most as Cactus League play begins, both in their respective performances and in how the Reds choose to use them while both (and everyone else) are healthy.