The Reds are the hottest team in baseball, with a ton of strengths to their roster. But, they also have one huge glaring weakness.
The Cincinnati Reds have surged up the NL Central standings through the month of June. They are riding a nine-game win streak and are 11-2 since they called up their top prospect, Elly De La Cruz. The excitement and energy surrounding this team have reached new peaks that fans haven't seen in over a decade. They stand alone atop the NL Central, at least for the time being.
They look forward to continue putting themselves in positions to win. The Reds have some tremendous strengths in their team and in their situation. They have been dealt a pretty good hand of baseball, besides injuries, during the 2023 season.
And the Red could very well go on to win the division this season.
4. The Reds could win the NL Central because the division is weak
The Reds are only in the position they are in because of how bad the NL Central has been. The NL Central has been one of if not the worst division in baseball. The Reds find themselves sitting three games over .500 yet in first place in their division. This isn't a common outcome, as they wouldn't be leading too many divisions in the MLB.
Actually, the Reds would only be in first place in the NL Central and the AL Central. They would actually sit in dead last in the AL East while coming in fourth in the AL West, NL West, and NL East. This shows how fortunate the Reds have become with their situation, which could cause some critics to say that the Reds don't deserve to be in the place they're in.
But this is just part of the hand the Reds are being dealt. They can't change how the teams around them play, so there is no reason to nitpick on this idea. The Reds need to continue to win and take advantage of the abysmal NL Central. If they can continue to improve and stay hot, they could begin to pull away with the division, as the Pirates and Brewers have struggled mightily as of late.
3. The youth movement could lead the Reds to the NL Central title
The Reds wouldn't be anywhere close to where they're at without the growth and production of their young stars. When a team is calling up prospects and debuting rookies, they can only hope that these players will find a home in the MLB after a while. A lot of prospects never make it or fizzle out after a week or two of struggles. That is far from the truth in Cincinnati.
The youth movement didn't truly begin this year. A few years ago, the Reds saw Jonathan India and Tyler Stephenson debut in the same season. Both of these players still play crucial roles in the 2023 team. Last season, the Reds debuted all three of their top three starting pitchers, Graham Ashcraft, Nick Lodolo, and Hunter Greene. When healthy, each of these players will be in the rotation. Last season was also the rookie year for their closer, Alexis Diaz.
This season's youth movement has completely pushed the team over the top. Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, Spencer Steer, and Andrew Abbott have all shown up and shown out. These four players are crucial to the success of the team now and in the future. To have all four prospects performing at the same time in the same magnitude of success is unimaginable. This young core could lead the Reds to multiple division titles.
2. The consistency of the bullpen could lead the Reds to the NL Central title
To win a division title or hold any sort of sustained success, a team needs a reliable bullpen. There won't be any consistent success if a team is continuously giving games away in the last few innings. Luckily for the Reds, their bullpen has been one of their biggest strengths.
This bullpen is anchored by, potentially the best closer in the game, Alexis Diaz. Diaz is a perfect 19/19 on save opportunities where he holds the longest active save streak in the MLB. Diaz has improved across the board, with an improved H/9, K/9 and BB/9. His 1.80 ERA and 0.867 WHIP across 30 innings pitched rank among the best bullpen arms in the game.
The Reds have also seen consistent quality innings from a few unsung heroes. Lucas Sims has been much improved this year, typically handling the 8th innings in close games. Buck Farmer has been a reliable mid-late-inning reliever for the Reds.
Alex Young has been a good option out of the bullpen for the Reds, but he is the only lefty in the pen. Even Ian Gibaut has given them quality innings in the middle of the games. The Reds will look to continue to improve their bullpen at the deadline though.
1. Starting pitching depth could come back to haunt the Reds, ruining their NL Central dreams
The Reds have seen some major injuries affect their starting rotation. They've seen missed time from a few of their top guys, as Graham Ashcraft, Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo all find themselves on the IL right now. Ashcraft and Lodolo also haven't lived up to their hype, struggling so far in 2023. The Reds will be without Hunter Greene for a little less than three weeks, where he will likely be missing two starts. Ashcraft looks to make his return this weekend.
But for now, the Reds are cruising with a young rotation full of players that haven't proven themselves.
The most consistent starter has been Andrew Abbott, who has only started three times in the MLB. If the Reds want to win the NL Central, they're going to need to make a move for starting pitching. Their rotation currently has Luke Weaver and Ben Lively in it, but these two cannot be on a postseason pitching rotation. They currently have one of the worst starting pitcher ERAs in the MLB.
There will be plenty of options for the Reds to improve on their starting pitching. A ton of pitchers will be made available before the deadline and the Reds will likely be one of the first teams to call about the players available. It's an upgrade that needs to happen or else it will come back to bite the Reds.
