Surging Cincinnati Reds Play Exciting, Winning Baseball

The Cincinnati Reds are for real.

There is magic in this edition of the Reds.

The Reds are in a heated battle with the Milwaukee Brewers for the lead in the National League Central Division.

At the start of play July 1, with a record of 44-38, the Reds sit alone in first place in the division. They lead the Brewers by one game in the standings.

The Reds have 30 come-from-behind victories.

The Reds position in the standings is noteworthy, because Cincinnati has appeared in the postseason only four times since the turn of the century.

While those four postseason appearances may depress Reds fans, there is plenty to be excited about with this new edition of young, exciting players in Cincinnati.

Fangraphs lists the Reds current player payroll to be $84 million.

The team is better than the 2022 edition, which had an estimated payroll of $107 million.

The results achieved by players under the current team payroll are even more impressive when one considers veteran Joey Votto, soon to turn 40, earns $25 million of the team total. He is in the final year of his 10 year, $225 million contract. The club holds a $20 million 2024 option for Votto’s services.

The Reds are loaded with “under the radar players.” They are now getting some overdue recognition.

Players like Spencer Steer, Jake Fraley, TJ Friedl, Jonathan India, and Tyler Stephenson are leading an outstanding offensive charge.

But two rookies are really helping to set the pace.

Rookies Set The Tone:

An infusion of exciting rookie players has provided a jolt to the Reds, and places them in contention to win the NL Central.

Rookie shortstop Matt McLain, 23, has stabilized a position that has needed consistency and steady play.

Third baseman Elly De La Cruz, 21, has set the baseball world on fire with his power/speed combination. He provides a dynamic presence that has given an additional bump to a Reds lineup that is very tough to navigate for opposing pitchers.

The Reds have hit 85 home runs. They have scored 409 runs in 82 games. They are 7th in MLB in runs scored. The team batting average is .257, or 10th best in baseball.

About Matt McLain:

Right-handed hitting Matt McLain was drafted by the Reds in the 1st round of the 2021 draft, out of UCLA.

McLain was also drafted in the 1st round in 2018 by the Arizona Diamondbacks, out of Arnold O. Beckman High School in Irvine, California. McLain chose to enroll at UCLA.

As the No. 21 player drafted in 2021, McLain was given a $4,625,000 signing bonus by Cincinnati.

Now, after only parts of three minor league seasons, McLain is the primary starting shortstop for the Reds. And he is doing just fine.

This scout was able to observe McLain in the 2022 Arizona Fall League.

Playing for Glendale last fall, McLain hit only .190 in 97 plate appearances. He hit two homers and drove in 11 runs. In short, he looked overmatched and fooled by young, prospect pitchers.

McLain played mostly shortstop in his minor league development. However, when prospect Elly De La Cruz arrived to join McLain at Double-A Chattanooga, McLain played some second base.

With both of them now in the big leagues, they are both being moved between positions. McLain is playing both shortstop and second base. De La Cruz is playing third base and shortstop. And it is clearly working.

A real competitor, McLain is only 5-8. 180 pounds. That slight frame is likely at his maximum growth.

McLain was projected to be a fairly average hitter, without much pop. His Fall League stats didn’t help.

Using an uppercut swing, McLain has tried to improve his power, and with a home park as friendly as Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, he may find that swing advantageous. However, there are plenty of strikeouts in his game.

So far, in his 41 games, McLain is surprising with a batting average of .313 in 191 plate appearances. He has hit seven homers, and driven in 27 runs.

McLain provided a “Mac Attack” with a home run to dead center in an extra inning game at home against the Padres June 30. Down to their last out, McLain powered the ball for a tying two-run home run in the 10th inning.

Elly De La Cruz:

A switch-hitter, Elly De La Cruz has provided amazing electricity to the Reds.

At 6-5, 200 pounds, De La Cruz is a long, lean speedster with power-which is a lethal combination.

De La Cruz was signed by the Reds as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2018, for $65,000.

Scouts have characterized De La Cruz as a “plus-plus runner, with a plus-plus arm, and plus-plus raw power.”

De La Cruz has a batting average of .307 so far in his 21 games. He has hit six doubles, two triples, three home runs, and has driven in 12 runs in 95 plate appearances.

In the same game June 30 when McLain homered to tie the score, De La Cruz doubled to the gap in right/center to drive in a run in the 11th inning of the victory.

De La Cruz uses an upright, but slightly open stance from both sides of the plate. To this scout, he looks more comfortable hitting left-handed.

De La Cruz is hitting right-handers much better than lefties, but he sees right-handed pitching more often. His home runs have come against right-handed pitching.

De La Cruz has lightning quick hands and wrists. His incredible bat speed helps him pound the ball with back spin and torque. His sky high exit velocity has been another remarkable factor so far in his young career.

Conclusions:

The Cincinnati Reds have produced a complete team that is scoring runs and winning games. Their hitting has been consistent.

The Reds pitching is another great story, but one for another day.

While the lineup is solid, to this old scout, rookies Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz are setting the pace for the team effort that should lead the Reds to the National League playoffs.