All-Decade Cincinnati Reds Infield
Zack Cozart, Shortstop
- Years: 2011-2017
- HRs: 82
- OPS+: 97.14
Awards: All-Star, 2017.
Cozart enjoyed five seasons as a regular, making him the most veteran candidate for the Reds’ All-Decade team. The statistics are not overwhelming, but they’re plausible: a .265 average, plus three seasons with an OPS+ of 108 or better. In his best season, 2017, he hit 24 home runs, drove in 63, batted .297 and made the All-Star team.
Beyond that, the only competition is the incumbent, Jose Peraza. But Peraza, who won the job when Cozart left for free agency in 2018, hit only .239 in 2019.
Eugenio Suarez, Third Base
- Years: 2015-2019
- HRs: 143
- Average OPS+: 116.6
Awards: 2018 All-Star team
With 49 home runs and his second consecutive 100+ RBI season, Suarez blossomed into one of the game’s legitimate threats in 2019. If the Reds are on their way to contending status in the NL Central, he’s the reason.
The downside to Suarez is that he led the league in just one category in 2019…and it was strikeouts (189). The upside is that he still produced a 930 OPA and 134 OPS+, making him about one-third more valuable than the average National League third baseman.
Suarez’s competition may be better known but lacked that consistent offensive production. Todd Frazier held down third from 2011 through 2015. He did hit 108 home runs and he did make the 2015 All-Star team. But Frazier never bettered a .273 batting average and never topped 90 RBIs.
Scott Rolen played third in 2010, was an All-Star in 2011, and shared the position with Frazier through 2012. But after his 20 home run, .285 2010 season, Rolen was essentially through.