Fantasy baseball: Analyzing the Cincinnati Reds after their win streak comes to a close

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The longest winning streak of the MLB season came to an end Saturday at the hands of one of the best teams in the league. The 12-game winning streak for the Cincinnati Reds had been the talk of baseball. However, thanks to one of the best teams in baseball, it’s all over. The Reds managed to beat the Atlanta Braves Friday night for their 12th victory in a row, but dropped two 7-6 decisions in a row to the National League’s best team and are eager to get another win streak going.

With the national spotlight on them now dimmed a bit, let’s take a look at the fantasy baseball prospects for some Cincinnati Reds players so that you can get a winning streak of your own going

Spencer Steer, First Baseman/Third Baseman

With all the excitement around Cincinnati’s win streak, you would think everyone in the lineup rode the wave of success and upped their production numbers. Not exactly. Although second-year cornerman Spencer Steer is enjoying a nice sophomore season in the Bigs, he wasn’t exactly a reason the Reds won 12 in a row. On the season, Steer is .274 with 11 homers and 43 RBI, but his average is down .017 since peaking at .291 on June 7, two games prior to the Reds season-high win streak.

During the captivating run for the Reds, Steer stumbled going only 8-for-42 (.190) with two home runs, eight RBI and nine strikeouts. Along with his batting average, Steer’s OBP, SLG and OPS all fell significantly while his team was shooting up the NL Central standings. It’s quite possible Steer is going through a June swoon and sophomore slump at the same time after a solid May where he hit .318. Since that June 7 game against the Dodgers, Steer has hit just .218 with three homers, 11 RBI, three stolen bases and 10 strikeouts.

With the Reds run of victories in the record books, Steer may be coming back to life. In the two losses to Atlanta over the weekend, Steer went 3-for-8 with a home run, three RBI and a stolen base. The Reds have Baltimore, San Diego, Washington and Milwaukee on the schedule heading into the All-Star break. On the season, Steer is 5-for-24 against the Padres and Brewers, while the Reds have yet to face the Orioles and Nationals this season.

Since he plays at both first and third base, Steer is a quality depth guy to have on your roster. He performs a touch better at the plate when playing third base, but still more than reliable when he’s holding down first base. Go grab him and stash him. If he heats up back to those June 7 numbers, he could be trade bait in your league if an injury around the league pops up.

Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Alexis Diaz (43) reacts after closing the game in the ninth inning of a baseball game between the Colorado Rockies and the Cincinnati Reds, Monday, June 19, 2023, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Reds won, 5-4. /

Alexis Diaz, Relief Pitcher

Unlike his teammate Spencer Steer, Reds closer Alexis Diaz continued to thrive during Cincinnati’s recent win streak. Over the 12 wins in a row, Diaz recorded seven of his 21 saves this season, giving up only six hits and three earned runs to go along with eight strikeouts and five walks over 7.2 innings pitched. Diaz, the younger brother of Mets pitcher Edwin Diaz, has eight saves and one win this month and is a solid 21-for-21 in saves opportunities on the season with a 1.91 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. As good as Diaz has been this month, his May was absolutely scorching hot: nine saves, .73 ERA, 22 strikeouts to just eight walks over 12.1 innings pitched while holding opponents to a .122 batting average.

Remarkably, I picked Diaz off the waiver wire in my league about a week before Memorial Day and haven’t looked back since. As one of the top closers in the league in just his second season in the majors, there’s no way he’s still sitting on your league’s waiver wire. If I were you, I would start figuring out a trade deal for him. With Pittsburgh seemingly falling apart at the baseball seams and St. Louis a complete afterthought in the NL Central, the Reds are on target to be very competitive for the rest of the season, which should result in many save opportunities to come for Diaz as long as he doesn’t blow out his knee celebrating a win (like his brother, Edwin). Diaz already has two saves and five strikeouts while giving up two walks without any hits against all four of Cincinnati’s pre-All-Star break opponents. In daily fantasy, he’s an automatic play when the Reds are in action.

Jun 21, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds center fielder TJ Friedl (29) runs after hitting an RBI single against the Colorado Rockies during the fifth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /

A detour from the Reds roster…

Cincinnati starts this week in Baltimore looking to start another win streak while facing the Orioles, who currently occupy the top Wild Card spot in the American League. If you’re in a league that rewards points for Holds by relief pitchers, then I strongly advise looking at Orioles reliever Yennier Cano. The third-year Cuban pitcher seems to have found his role in the majors as a late inning set-up man, a role he’s flourishing in much to the delight of fans throughout Charm City.

Cano’s 18 Holds are second most in the MLB thus far while his ERA (0.95) and WHIP (0.84) are the best amongst the league’s leaders in Holds. The Orioles reliever has seven Holds so far this month and also has four saves on his season resume. His splits across the board are pretty solid as Cano seems up to facing any in-game challenge. If you have to nitpick, I guess he’s not great against batters hitting eighth in a lineup (.500 OBA) nor when the count is 1-1 (.500 OBA).

Jake Fraley & TJ Friedel, Cincinnati outfielders

Reds outfielders Jake Fraley and TJ Friedel have more in common than playing the outfield in Cincinnati and catching my fantasy interest. Both are in their late 20s, both are lefties and both have recently come off stints on the IL after wrist injuries.

Thankfully for the Reds, both Fraley and Friedel have excelled since returning to the lineup. Fraley, .270 on the season with 11 homers and 47 RBI, rejoined the team midway through the winning streak and chipped in right away, going 2-for-4 with a home run in his return game June 18 against Houston. Fraley has hit .300 with four home runs, six RBI and a stolen base since his return. His batting average has climbed .022 points so far this month.

For Friedel’s part, he came back from his wrist injury right at the start of Cincinnati’s 12-game run and went 12-for-43 (.279) with seven RBI and four stolen bases in 11 of the 12 wins. Friedel is .311 on the season with pedestrian power numbers (four homers, 27 RBI) but boasts 12 stolen bases (four in the past week) and has been a steady presence at the top of the Reds batting order.

The duo is a combined 11-for-30 (.366) with two home runs, three RBI and five stolen bases against upcoming opponents Milwaukee and San Diego (they’ve yet to play the Orioles or Washington). Keep these guys on your Watch List and be ready to pull the trigger when you have a player slumping, injured or just looking for a change.

These are good days in the ‘Nati so hop on board and ride the wave down the Ohio River!

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