Cincinnati Reds: Predicting the 2015 Opening Day Roster and Stats

Wouldn't it be fun if we could look into the future and see what it holds for our favorite sports teams? Well, the All-Star break is here, the Home Run Derby has come and gone, boredom is setting in (I hate off-days for my Redlegs), and it is time to break out a fun topic where we attempt to do just that—predict the future.

Let's have some fun here and attempt to not only predict the Cincinnati Reds 2015 opening day roster but, also each of the respective starter's stats.

I chose the year 2015 because it gives us enough time for a few premier prospects to enter the picture. Super-speedster Billy Hamilton should be manning the leadoff spot by this time, while pitchers like Tony Cingrani, Donnie Joseph, and Daniel Corcino should be breaking into the rotation and bullpen.

So without further adieu, here is the lineup with a few possible bench players added in for even more fun:

	SLASH	AB	HR	RBI	R	SB	BB
CF Billy Hamilton	.288/.373/.381	622	1	51	122	91	84
SS Zack Cozart	.281/.339/.467	630	23	72	110	8	45
1B Joey Votto	.339/.457/.622	561	36	132	128	7	122
3B Todd Frazier	.277/.333/.513	509	28	90	83	2	43
RF Jay Bruce	.305/.379/.591	584	45	129	109	9	70
2B Brandon Phillips	.285/.328/.442	502	17	80	84	10	32
LF Jesse Winker	.265/.365/.482	423	20	68	77	6	67
C  Devin Mesoraco	.283/.366/.499	495	27	81	59	1	65
UTL Henry Rodriguez	.289/.334/.422	277	8	40	30	4	19
OF Donald Lutz	.249/.294/.489	221	15	34	22	2	14
OF Drew Stubbs	.240/.314/.475	204	10	30	39	24	22
UTL Ryan Wright	.238/.318/.402	189	5	18	18	11	22

One name that many may not recognize is Jesse Winker, the 2nd pick by the Reds, and 49th pick overall, in the 2012 draft. Winker possesses true power and the talent to get to the Majors in a few years. He's hitting .381 with a .500 OBP through his first 18 professional games, and will probably end his rookie year at Single-A.

The obvious addition to the starting lineup is Billy Hamilton. The 2015 season should be Hamilton's sophomore year, and if you notice, he will have a new position.

Todd Frazier, Devin Mesoraco, and Zack Cozart will be seasoned veterans with three-plus seasons in the books by this time. All project to be solid contributors and the stats above reflect that.

Joey Votto and Jay Bruce will both be contending for the 2015 MVP award. Bruce will be just 28 years old and continuing to progress. I foresee him eventually breaking out for a couple seasons with a .300-plus batting average during his prime years. Votto will continue to put up Votto numbers, but with more RBI as he is provided with more opportunities w/RISP due to the addition of Hamilton at leadoff.

Now on to the pitching staff, where we will predict the starters along with a few pertinent bullpen contributors. Here we go:

	W-L	ERA/WHIP	IP	BB	SO	SV
SP Johnny Cueto	21-6	2.65/ 0.98	230	44	191
SP Mat Latos	15-8	3.38/ 1.25	222	63	210
SP Aroldis Chapman	18-5	2.61/ 0.96	189	64	241
SP Mike Leake	14-8	3.45/ 1.20	212	55	146
SP Tony Cingrani	12-3	3.12/ 1.11	156	38	172
CL Donnie Joseph	4-3	1.67/ 0.94	70	28	109	40
RP Sean Marshall	2-4	2.09/ 1.18	72	21	89	4
RP Jose Arredondo	5-3	2.31/ 1.25	80	39	91	1

Wow, that looks like one pitching staff to be reckoned with. Two new names were added to the mix here, and one obvious addition to the rotation was Aroldis Chapman. One noticeable subtraction from the rotation was Homer Bailey.

Donnie Joseph will take over the closer role in 2014 and continue on here in our 2015 simulation. Tony Cingrani will make his debut in 2014, and should continue to progress in 2015. Cingrani is going to make his way to the top of the rotation. He has continued to progress and put up ridiculous numbers at Double-A this season—9-2 with 1.28 ERA in 17 starts. After 98 IP, he has allowed only 65 hits with a 28/121 BB/K ratio.

Cueto and Chapman will both contend for the Cy Young Award, and Mike Leake and Mat Latos will put up stellar numbers.

Summing it all up: The future looks bright for Cincy. The potential really is out of this world, but it is just that—potential. The players have to live up to that potential. Most likely the stats won't look as great as these, but they have the chance to all come together at the same time. Regardless, even if everyone doesn't live up to their full potential, the future looks very very bright.

The minors are chock-full of other great prospects who could be ready to break camp in 2014 and 2015 like SP Daniel Corcino, 2011 first-round draft pick, SP Robert Stephenson, and another couple 2012 draft picks in OF Jeff Gelalich and SS Tanner Rahier.

It's been fun. Hope you enjoyed this look into the future.