Cincinnati Reds: Top 10 Reds of Week 15
The Reds roll into the All-Star break just 1.5 games back of first-place Milwaukee and seven games above the .500 mark. Two weeks ago, the Reds were flirting with .500 and anywhere from seven-to-eight games back of first.
A lot has changed in so little time. The Reds went 6-2 last week alone.
What's most remarkable about this recent Reds run is that it's being facilitated by names Reds fans might never expect to witness on a Reds Top 10 list, but their contribution has been very real.
Nonetheless, here were the Reds that contributed most to winning four of five from the Chicago Cubs and two of three from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
All stats courtesy of ESPN.com/MLB unless otherwise noted.
No. 10 Jumbo Diaz (Last Week: Unranked)
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The jumbo-sized right-hander has found his stride of late. Reds fan will remember a tumultuous debut where Diaz surrendered two home runs en route to an eventual shocking loss to the Toronto Blue Jays after the Reds led by eight runs.
Diaz worked in four games last week and pitched a total of 3.1 innings, striking out three batters and walking two. His WHIP for the week was an impressive 0.90.
Diaz has not allowed an earned run since June 28 when he pitched an inning against the San Francisco Giants.
No. 9 Aroldis Chapman (Last Week: Unranked)
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Aroldis Chapman has been stellar in recent outings. Last week, the Cuban flamethrower saw four save opportunities and converted all of them. In the five innings he pitched during that time, Chapman only allowed one hit.
He struck out 13 batters while walking just two. His WHIP for the week was a remarkable 0.60.
Chapman also set an MLB record for most consecutive relief appearances with a strikeout. According to MLB.com, Chapman surpassed Bruce Sutter's 39 when he recorded a strikeout in his 40th consecutive appearance.
No. 8 Zack Cozart (Last Week: Unranked)
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Add Zack Cozart to the list of recent unlikely contributors. Cozart turned in a productive slash line last week of .269/.387/.308. He had seven hits in eight games, including a double and four walks. He also had a stolen base.
Cozart's recent performance has enabled Reds' manager Bryan Price to bat him second in the absence of a healthy lineup.
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No .7 Jay Bruce (Last Week: No. 10)
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Jay Bruce turned in a decent week and provided three very timely home runs. In 29 at-bats last week, Bruce hit .241 with an OBP of .290. While those are mediocre numbers, Bruce did chip in seven RBI for the week on seven hits, including a double.
Bruce homered in three straight games, beginning with the final game against the Milwaukee Brewers and then two straight games against the Cubs. He also provided RBI in five consecutive games.
No. 6 Ryan Ludwick (Last Week Unranked)
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Ryan Ludwick quietly turned in a pretty outstanding week to complement a quietly good season.
In six games played, Ludwick hit .364 with an OBP of .291 and a whopping slugging percentage of .591. He turned in eight hits, which included two doubles and two RBI with one walk.
Ludwick's spot on the team is consistently up for debate with many people hoping Walt Jocketty replaces him at the deadline. A popular name for the Reds of late has been Ben Zobrist. Even Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Paul Daugherty listed Zobrist as one of many possible suitors for LF. But a comparison shows why it might be hard to improve this position:
Ludwick: .270/.329/.407, six HR, 26 RBI.
Zobrist: .266/.362/.401, six HR, 24 RBI.
No. 5 Johnny Cueto (Last Week: No. 7)
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While Reds' ace Johnny Cueto hasn't quite struggled, he's had three un-Cueto-like starts. Of course, when we're talking about the No. 3 ERA in baseball, the bar for what constitutes as a good performance has been risen.
Last week, Cueto saw both the Cubs and the Pirates. He surrendered two earned runs to the Cubs in 6.1 innings of work before surrendering three earned runs to the Pirates after six innings. In 12.1 innings, Cueto struck out 11 batters and walked three.
Despite two sub-standard performances, Cueto picked up two wins.
No. 4 Chris Heisey (Last Week: Unranked)
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Chris Heisey may have turned in his best week of the year. He played in seven of the team's eight games last week and made the most of his time. Heisey hit .421, including eight hits (two of them doubles in one game against the Pirates), a home run and two RBI.
Chris Heisey has made stellar plays in the outfield as well.
No. 3 Todd Frazier (Last Week No.1)
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Todd Frazier was one week away from claiming the most total and most consecutive No. 1 spots on this list. The guys in front of him made it seemingly impossible. Still, Frazier turned in another great week at the plate.
Last week, Frazier hit .281, which included nine hits, a double, two home runs and six RBI.
No. 2 Ramon Santiago (Last Week: Unranked)
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It's not a typo. Ramon Santiago was on fire last week. In the last seven days, Ramon Santiago leads the Reds in both batting average (.476) and OBP (.577). He has made the very most out of his opportunity in the absence of Brandon Phillips.
Santiago's week at the plate included 10 hits, three doubles, five RBI and five walks. Santiago was instrumental in both series, delivering in enormous moments.
What a difference a week makes. Santiago came into July batting .212. He's now batting .263 with a robust OBP of .352.
No. 1 Billy Hamilton (Last Week: No. 9)
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Billy Hamilton has come very close before. He's climbed as high as No. 2 on this, but today, Billy Hamilton has taken the throne that belonged to Todd Frazier for seven straight weeks. The rookie has established himself as one of the most important players in a Reds uniform.
Hamilton picked up a team-high 13 hits last week, including two doubles, three triples, eight RBI and four walks. He also stole three bases and his batting average for the week was .419.
He's hitting .285 on the year, the third-highest batting average on the team this season. His .423 slugging percentage is fourth on the team and is higher than Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips.
Who could have predicted this?
Dropped from Rankings: Skip Schumaker (Last Week No. 8), Alfredo Simon (Last Week No. 6), Brandon Phillips (Last Week No. 5), Homer Bailey (Last Week No. 4), Mat Latos (Last Week No. 5).
Biggest Jump: Ramon Santiago (Last Week Unranked)
Biggest Drop: Mat Latos (Last Week No. 2)
On the Cusp: Alfredo Simon, Manny Parra, Brandon Phillips
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