10 Reds
IN LIMBO
SCOUT'S TAKE
KEY QUESTION
This isn't a bad club, but it's a weird one. Can Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and Sonny Gray get a jolt from a change of scenery? Gray just didn't like the big market. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a career year now that he's away from New York City.
OVERRATED
He'll hammer mistakes but good pitching will get Puig out. The Dodgers did a good job utilizing the data and he benefited from that. He sells out for power and takes games off. That's not a good influence on a young team.
ON THE CUSP
He's the closer but the Josh Hader--style role fits Raisel Iglesias really well; a guy who can put the fire out when needed. He's versatile, changes arm slots and has a power fastball-slider mix. He has great instincts and feel out there.
LAST LICKS
This is a really tough division and they're going to take their lumps. But they've got a nice group of prospects. You can start with Hunter Greene—he is an impact starter.... They continue player development at the big league level. I'm convinced David Bell is a perfect fit for that. People speak unbelievably highly of him.
THE PAYOFF PITCH
CINCINNATI made some splashy additions to its roster this offseason. As important as Yasiel Puig, Alex Wood, Sonny Gray and the rest of the new players will be to that effort, the most important addition may never swing a bat or throw a pitch. The Reds lured Derek Johnson from Milwaukee, where as pitching coach the last three years he helped drop the team's ERA from 4.28 to 3.73. Johnson brought along Chase Anderson, Jimmy Nelson and Brent Suter as starters for the Brewers; Cincinnati is particularly hopeful that Johnson, who was Gray's pitching coach at Vanderbilt, can save the struggling righthander's career. The 47-year-old Johnson's success running a Milwaukee bullpen that ranked second in the NL last year could carry over as well: The Reds have the raw material (Raisel Iglesias, Amir Garrett, Jared Hughes) to achieve comparable success.
OVER UNDER
79.5
After four-straight 90-loss seasons, the Reds finally got ambitious this offseason. They can hit with the best of them. Keeping runs off the board will be a bigger challenge.
LINEUP
LF Jesse Winker
.299/7 HR/43 RBI
1B Joey Votto
.284/12 HR/.417 OBP
3B Eugenio Suárez
.283/34 HR/104 RBI
2B Scooter Gennett
.310/23 HR/92 RBI
RF Yasiel Puig
.267/23 HR/ 63 RBI
CF Scott Schebler
.255/17 HR/.337 OBP
SS José Peraza
.288/14 HR/23 SB
C Tucker Barnhart
.248/10 HR/.372 SLG
BENCH
OF Matt Kemp
.290/21 HR/.481 SLG
IF/OF Derek Dietrich
.265/16 HR/.421 SLG
FANTASY BREAKOUT
If LUIS CASTILLO, 26, continues his post-- All-Star Game roll (2.44 ERA, 0.97 WHIP), he has the potential to be a top 10 starter.
ROTATION
RH Luis Castillo
10 W/4.30 ERA/8.8 K9
LH Alex Wood
9 W/3.68 ERA/8.0 K9
RH Tanner Roark
9 W/4.34 ERA/1.28 WHP
RH Sonny Gray
11 W/4.90 ERA/1.50 WHP
BULLPEN
CL Raisel Iglesias
30 SV/2.38 ERA/10.0 K9
RH Jared Hughes
1.94 ERA/1.02 WHP/6.8 K9
RH Amir Garrett
4.29 ERA/1.29 WHP/10.1 K9
MANAGER
David Bell