Cincinnati Reds: Tony Renda Throwing Wrench in Peraza Plans

The Cincinnati Reds had to trade away a fan favorite in Brandon Phillips in order to find some elbow room. The middle infield is pretty crowded at the moment. Tony Renda has shown he can play, but a rebuilding team has a focus on younger talent.

Nobody can blame the Cincinnati Reds for choosing to play a 22-year-old former MLB.com top-100 prospect in Jose Peraza. He earned the opportunity after his 72-game rookie campaign in 2016 that saw him play to a .324/.352/.411 slash line. The Cincinnati Reds then chose Arismendy Alcantara and Scooter Gennett to play behind Peraza. They don’t appear to be a sure step above Tony Renda.

Renda, a former second-rounder out of the University of California, Berkeley, had his first extended stay in major league camp this spring. He made the most of it. The 26-year-old went 14-for-47 in his 26 games. Five doubles, a triple, one home run, two stolen bases and eight walks later, and Tony Renda had himself a resume to make any college grad envious. He was seemingly passed over in the end due to experience and defense, despite having played at a .298/.411/.511 clip.

Last year was Renda’s first official feel for major league dirt. He saw more time in the outfield than he did at second base. He didn’t hit too well, going 11-for-60 in his 32 games. His glove work was fine. Renda played a fair right field in his 28.2 innings at the position. Third base didn’t worry him much either.

His defense was what ultimately led the Cincinnati Reds to pick up Gennett from the Milwaukee Brewers and carry Alcantara into the regular season. All three players were hitting truly well. It wasn’t that he was particularly poor in the field, it just ended up being the unfortunate tie-breaker.

How It Has Played Out

The Reds reassigned Tony Renda to the minor leagues at the close of Spring Training. Triple-A Louisville would take him in and allow him to keep shining. Renda hasn’t slowed down, hitting .325/.391/.475 with six doubles and more walks than strikeouts. The breakout is a direct result of Renda’s desire to show the league that his 2016 debut does not define his play.

Tony Renda will gladly point to 2016 as a perfect example of his work ethic. Cincinnati’s Double- and Triple-A affiliates each got acquainted with the California native on his way to Great American Ball Park. Before last year, one season at Double-A with the Washington Nationals and New York Yankees was the highest he’d climbed up the ladder. With that in mind, it’s not a surprise his initial stint in The Show wasn’t up to par. Expect a far different second impression. Soon.

What About the Other Guys?

Arismendy Alcantara is the backup in center and right field, as well as the third option at second, short and third. Alcantara is currently 1-for-13 with eight strikeouts. He’s struggling at second base. The 25-year-old has committed two errors in eight total chances through 13 innings. He’s converted all three total chances to outs in center field through 10 innings. Keep in mind Alcantara has a .190 career average paired with a 32.9 percent strikeout rate.

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Scooter Gennett has played in 13 games, going 9-for-33. The bat has been alive as a starter, but has been largely dead off the bench. Still, Gennett has driven in 10 runs with the help of two doubles and three home runs. He’s fielded second and third very well so far.

It’s possible with the Cincinnati Reds not necessarily in demand for Jose Peraza to be the everyday second baseman right this second that they may consider swapping him and Renda out for a while. If the struggles don’t work themselves out as mid-May arrives, it’s a move we’d have to expect if they truly see Peraza as their second baseman of the future. If that is the case, it may not be the best choice.

One reason the Atlanta Braves soured on Peraza was his lengthy and potentially worrying track record of hitting in the minor leagues. He doesn’t walk. He’s incredibly fast, but there’s only so much value in speed when you can’t get it on the base paths at a league average rate. The second baseman only walked 117 times in 2,343 minor league plate appearances.

That’s a five percent walk rate, which is pretty bad. That rate is kept afloat by a 6.2 percent walk rate from his first three minor league seasons, compared to a 4.1 percent rate in his last three. The trend continued with a 2.7 rate his rookie season. It’s interesting to see the Reds wanting to run Billy Hamilton and Peraza as their one/two hitters with this in mind.

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Tony Renda may have pulled the short straw toward the end of the spring, but the way he’s played since winter ended means he’ll be back sooner than later. Renda knows what he needs to do, and he’s primed and focused to do what it takes to get a second chance.