Cincinnati Reds looking to make some noise in 2019
By David Hill
The Cincinnati Reds offense was not the problem
Usually, when a team is rebuilding, there are problems everywhere. That was not the case with the Cincinnati Reds.
In fact, offensively, the Reds were good enough to be a contender. They ranked tied fourth in the National League with a .254 batting average, and were fourth with a .328 on base percentage. Their .728 OPS and 696 runs scored were in the middle of the majors, and while Cincinnati could use a bit more pop, the offense was good enough.
That was particularly the case in the middle of the lineup. Joey Votto slumped a bit in the power department, hitting only 12 homers, but he continued to get on base at a league leading clip while drawing walks. Eugenio Suarez was a breakthrough star, and Scooter Gennett continued to be a star at second base. Getting Jesse Winker into the lineup on a more consistent basis could make a major difference as the Reds look to move forward.
There is also the possibility of addition by subtraction. Billy Hamilton dazzled with his speed, but never hit enough or got on base at a good enough clip for that speed to be a weapon. Winker can draw a walk and work a count, which may push him to the leadoff spot next year. Simply replacing Hamilton in the lineup with a decent enough center fielder, potentially a buy-low option like Keon Broxton, could make a difference.
While the pieces are there for the Cincinnati Reds on offense, that is not the case on the other side of the ball…