Projecting Cincinnati Reds' Final 25-Man Roster at the Start of Spring Games
As spring training games are about to begin, Cincinnati Reds fans are curious as to what the team's Opening Day roster will look like.
Fans can probably guess the majority of the roster. This team is loaded with veteran players, so most of the roster positions are filled. However, there are a few position battles that will be played out this spring.
There is still a little over a month until Opening Day, which means a lot can happen before the Reds leave Arizona and head on back to Cincinnati. As long as the team is able to get and stay healthy, it has a chance to prove the doubters wrong.
Keep reading to see what the Reds' 25-man roster could look like on Opening Day.
Infield
1 of 5
| Position | Player | 2014 Stats |
| C | Devin Mesoraco | 114 G, .273/.359/.534, 25 HR, 25 2B, 80 RBI |
| 1B | Joey Votto | 62 G, .255/.390/.409, 6 HR, 16 2B, 23 RBI |
| 2B | Brandon Phillips | 121 G, .266/.306/.372, 8 HR, 25 2B, 51 RBI |
| SS | Zack Cozart | 147 G, .221/.268/.300, 4 HR, 18 2B, 5 3B, 38 RBI, 7 SB |
| 3B | Todd Frazier | 157 G, .273/.336/.459, 29 HR, 22 2B, 1 3B, 80 RBI, 20 SB |
Analysis
There will be absolutely no surprises when it comes to who will be in the infield this season.
Two members of the infield—Todd Frazier and Devin Mesoraco—are coming off of All-Star seasons, and two more members of the infield—Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips—have made multiple All-Star teams in their careers. As for Zack Cozart, he is a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop.
For those who might be hoping for a competition at shortstop, forget about it. Reds manager Bryan Price, via MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, recently made it very clear that Cozart was the team's shortstop.
Defensively, it would be tough to find a better group of infielders in all of baseball. It's the offensive part that will be a bit of a mystery entering the season.
Votto is coming off of an injury-plagued season, and Phillips has had to deal with injuries the past few years. Keeping those two healthy will be key if this team wants to get back to the postseason.
There may not be any question about who will be starting in the infield, but there will be some questions as it pertains to the batting order. Will Phillips continue to hit second, or did Frazier's production last season earn him that spot? The batting order will be the most intriguing thing for fans to follow on the offensive side of the game this spring.
Outfield
2 of 5
| Position | Player | 2014 Stats |
| RF | Jay Bruce | 137 G, .217/.281/.373, 18 HR, 21 2B, 1 3B, 66 RBI, 12 SB |
| CF | Billy Hamilton | 152 G, .250/.292/.355, 6 HR, 25 2B, 8 3B, 48 RBI, 56 SB, 23 CS |
| LF | Marlon Byrd | 154 G, .264/.312/.445, 25 HR, 28 HR, 2 3B, 85 RBI |
Analysis
Like the infield, there is no question as to who will be patrolling the outfield for Cincinnati.
Jay Bruce and Billy Hamilton will be familiar faces to Reds fans. As for left field, new Red Marlon Byrd will be expected to provide some offense.
Byrd was acquired to try to fill a gaping hole that has hurt the team in recent seasons. Ever since Adam Dunn was traded in the middle of the 2008 season, the Reds have gone through their fair share of left fielders. They have had a productive season or two out of their left fielders here and there, but nobody has consistently produced for the team in consecutive seasons since Dunn left.
The 37-year-old Byrd has hit at least 24 home runs and driven in at least 85 runs in each of the past two seasons. Along with his power surge, his strikeout totals have skyrocketed the past two seasons. As long as Byrd provides some pop, Cincinnati can live with his strikeouts.
The Reds are hoping that Bruce is fully healthy entering this season. A knee injury cost him time last season and affected him all year. Bruce is good for 30 home runs and 90 RBI when he's healthy, so having his knee be 100 percent come Opening Day is crucial.
Hamilton will be expected to put the ball on the ground more often this season to help set the stage for the offense. If he does that, this offense could rebound nicely from a down year.
Cincinnati's outfield should be significantly better than last year's. Hamilton has a year of experience under his belt, Bruce has had time to get healthy, and Byrd's bat is a huge boost. If each of the outfielders live up to expectations, look out.
Bench
3 of 5
| Position | Player | 2014 Stats |
| C | Brayan Pena | 115 G, .253/.291/.353, 5 HR, 18 2B, 1 3B, 26 RBI |
| OF/2B | Skip Schumaker | 83 G, .235/.287/.308, 2 HR, 12 2B, 22 RBI |
| INF | Kristopher Negron | 49 G, .271/.331/.479, 6 HR, 10 2B, 1 3B, 17 RBI, 5 SB |
| INF | Eugenio Suarez | 85 G, .242/.316/.336, 4 HR, 9 2B, 1 3B, 23 RBI |
| OF | Brennan Boesch | 27 G, .187/.203/.293, 2 HR, 2 2B, 7 RBI |
Analysis
The Reds won't have the power off the bench that they have had in the past, but they will have a group of players who can step in and give the team quality at-bats when called upon.
Brayan Pena and Skip Schumaker are veterans who are going to do whatever the team needs. Just look at what Pena did last year. Before the 2014 season, he had played a total of four games at first base. When Joey Votto went down, Pena grabbed a glove and went to first—and did a pretty good job.
Pena and Schumaker are going to put the bat on the ball, which is something the team needs. When the Reds needs a key hit late in games, they will be the go-to guys.
Kristopher Negron played himself onto the 2015 roster with a strong 2014. Last year's club was riddled with injuries, and Negron stepped up and played where the team needed him. The utility man showed that he can handle big league pitching and even provided some unexpected pop with the bat. He leaves it all on the field when he gets a chance to play, which is something that can't be understated.
Cincinnati acquired Eugenio Suarez this past offseason because it thought he could be a productive infield bat off the bench. Whether it's giving Zack Cozart a day off or coming into the game late, the club likes what Suarez has to offer with the bat.
As for the final bench spot, Brennan Boesch makes the most sense—although he is not on the 40-man roster. The Reds need power off the bench after outfielder Chris Heisey was traded this winter. Boesch clubbed 25 home runs and 25 doubles in Triple-A last season.
Boesch has had plenty of experience in the bigs, which includes more than 1,600 at-bats. Before last season, he had been serviceable with the bat in the majors. His performance in Triple-A last season was impressive, so if he puts on a power display this spring, he's going to be tough to leave off the roster.
The four "locks" to make the bench are very versatile in the field and are capable of getting hits. If Boesch wins the final spot, the Reds will at least have some power on the bench.
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Rotation
4 of 5
| Player | 2014 Stats |
| RHP Johnny Cueto | 34 G, 20-9, 2.25 ERA, 0.960 WHIP, 242 K/65 BB, 243.2 IP, 4 CG (2 SO) |
| RHP Mike Leake | 33 G, 11-13, 3.70 ERA, 1.246 WHIP, 164 K/50 BB, 214.1 IP |
| LHP Tony Cingrani | 13 G (11 GS), 2-8, 4.55 ERA, 1.532 WHIP, 61 K/35 BB, 63.1 IP |
| RHP Anthony DeSclafani | 13 G (5 GS), 2-2, 6.27 ERA, 1.364 WHIP, 26 K/5 BB, 33 IP |
| RHP Homer Bailey | 23 G, 9-5, 3.71 ERA, 1.229 WHIP, 124 K/45 BB, 145.2 IP |
Analysis
Manager Bryan Price can go into spring knowing that Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake are ready to go. If Homer Bailey continues to make progress in his rehab, he should be in the rotation at the start of the season. (A note on Bailey: MLB.com's Mark Sheldon wrote that the right-hander is working on making sure he does not miss a turn in the rotation.)
After those three pitchers, it's an open competition for the final two spots in the rotation.
It's tough to envision the Reds leaving camp without Tony Cingrani in the rotation if he's healthy. The southpaw has posted a 3.50 ERA and a 1.223 WHIP in 29 career starts. In 157 innings as a starter, he has 167 strikeouts. Health has been an issue with him, but when he's been on the mound every fifth day, he has held his own—even when mainly relying on just his fastball.
The Cincinnati Enquirer's John Fay reported that Cingrani and Anthony DeSclafani enter the spring as the favorites to make the starting rotation. The Reds coaching staff is just getting its first true look at DeSclafani this spring, so he does have to pitch well in order to earn the final spot.
Raisel Iglesias is a bit of a wild card and could make the rotation with a strong spring. However, given DeSclafani's status as a "favorite," Iglesias would have to clearly win the battle to earn the spot.
The Reds rotation has been the strength of the team the past few years. Without Mat Latos and Alfredo Simon, the rotation will likely take a step back this year. It will be up to the youngsters to prove it is just as formidable as it was when it filled with veteran arms.
Bullpen
5 of 5
| Player | 2014 Stats |
| LHP Aroldis Chapman | 54 G, 0-3, 36 SV, 2.00 ERA, 0.833 WHIP, 106 K/24 BB, 54 IP |
| RHP Sam LeCure | 62 G, 1-4, 3.81 ERA, 1.518 WHIP, 48 K/24 BB, 56.2 IP |
| RHP Jumbo Diaz | 36 G, 0-1, 3.38 ERA, 1.240 WHIP, 37 K/14, 34.2 IP |
| RHP J.J. Hoover | 54 G, 1-10, 4.88 ERA, 1.388 WHIP, 75 K/31 BB, 62.2 IP |
| LHP Manny Parra | 53 G, 0-3, 1 SV, 4.66 ERA, 1.555 WHIP, 34 K/18 BB, 36.2 IP |
| RHP Burke Badenhop | 70 G, 0-3, 2.29 ERA, 1.259 WHIP, 40 K/19 BB, 70.2 IP |
| RHP Raisel Iglesias | N/A |
Analysis
After Cincinnati's bullpen was among the worst in the league a year ago, it will be welcoming a few fresh faces to the group this season.
Aroldis Chapman will of course be the closer, with Sam LeCure serving as a setup man. Jumbo Diaz and J.J. Hoover will each be used in meaningful situations until they lose the manager's trust. Without Sean Marshall, Manny Parra is going to be the team's lone left-handed specialist out of the bullpen.
As MLB.com's Mark Sheldon noted, Marshall has had a setback already as he tries to recover from shoulder surgery. Injuries have limited the southpaw to just 31 appearances over the past two seasons. With the latest issue, it doesn't appear as though he's going to be ready at the start of the season. At this point, if the team gets anything from him, it'll be a pleasant surprise.
Marshall's latest setback has opened up another spot in the bullpen. That means there will be two spots open in the bullpen.
One of the spots will be filled by Burke Badenhop. The veteran right-hander posted a career-low 2.29 ERA last season and appeared in a career-high 70 games. He's not going to notch a lot of strikeouts, as he had just 40 in 70.2 innings in 2014. However, he does a great job of getting ground balls. That should help him adjust easily to Great American Ball Park.
For the final bullpen spot, it's going to be a real battle. In the end, Raisel Iglesias makes the most sense for the spot. The Reds view Iglesias as a starter, but he hasn't pitched much since signing with the club last year. Putting him in the bullpen would give him some experience in the big leagues and would give the team a chance to see what he can do.
If Iglesias does well as a reliever, he could even work his way into the rotation at some point in the season.
Cincinnati's bullpen should be much improved this season, especially if Hoover returns to form. The additions of Badenhop and Iglesias should make this bullpen extremely deep.
*All stats are via MLB.com
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