Let the games begin!
TJ Friedl was the best player on the Cincinnati Reds last year according to most every metric that judges these things. All the WARs pointed in that same direction, as the team’s CF provided the kind of baserunning, defense, and – perhaps most importantly – quantity of performance that his peers simply couldn’t match.
He did most all of his offensive work from the leadoff spot in the order, and that’s where we find him in the team’s lineup today in their Cactus League opener in Goodyear, AZ vs. the Cleveland Guardians. The team announced the full lineup on Twitter earlier Saturday, noting they’ll be backing starter Carson Spiers for the 3:00 PM ET start.
THIS IS A LINEUP POST WHICH MEANS BASEBALL IS ACTUALLY BACK!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/VBHgNY9Gql
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) February 24, 2024
There’s enough about this lineup that looks normal for you to read deeply into it. Friedl’s at leadoff, and he’s going to hit leadoff! Elly De La Cruz, Jeimer Candelario, Jake Fraley, Tyler Stephenson, and Will Benson seem a feasible 2-6 in a regular order, a mix of switch-hitters and knifey-spooney with each manning an expected ‘everyday’ spots on the diamond.
From there, though, the lineup leans hard into its vintage Spring Training Satire, and nothing that you read in spots 7-9 should be taken with any semblance of seriousness.
None of the guys in the lineup today will get more than 2 PA, I don’t expect, and we’ll most certainly see the second fleet of the healthy ‘regulars’ hop in the lineup to finish. Or, we won’t, and there’s nothing we should read into that, either!
For now, we just get to be excited that the Reds are going to be playing real, fake baseball today, and that it’s one of the few games that will be televised for you to see. First pitch is set for 3:00 PM ET, an it’ll be televised by Bally Sports Ohio (and on MLB.tv).