Cincinnati Reds
68-94
5th Place NL Central
Manager:
Key additions:
RP, David Hernandez, (Free Agent/Diamondbacks)
Key losses:
SP, Bronson Arroyo, (Retired), 3B Zack Cozart (Free Agent/Angels), SP, Tony Cingrani (Free Agent/Dodogers)
Summary of 2017
The Cincinnati Reds did not have as bad of a start to their season as many would have thought. By April 30th they sat in fourth place of the NL Central Division, with an 11.13 record. They manged to stay above the Pirates in the standings and kept a fairly consistent record until the end of May. It was not until June came around were things finally fell apart and with them so did that fourth position in the Central as they were last with a 34-45 record. When the season reached its end, their record was almost uncomfortable to look at, they finished the season with a 68-94 record at fifth place on the division.
Offense was definitely a surprise relatively speaking. Not only were able to generate runs, but they also scored plenty of them. To the surprise of no one, first baseman Joey Votto led the team in RBI with an even hundred for the year. Not only was Votto very productive, Scooter Gennett and Adam Duvall were also close to triple digits, as they drove in 99 and 97 runs, respectively. As for home runs, Votto lead the Reds with 36 long balls. However, on the pitching side of things, the Reds were bad, and that description almost looks like a compliment.
Cincinnati had a serious pitching problem during 2017. For starters, starting was not dominant per se. They made it easy for opposing batters to take advantage of the Reds night in and night out, while at the same time, they made for numbers that are almost laughable. Homer Bailey had a 6.43 ERA for the season allowing 11 hits every 9 innings. Veteran Bronson Arroyo did not have a very nice to end his career, as he finished the year with a 7.35 ERA and allowed around 12 hits per ballgame, Not only was the rotation a mess, but it was also inconsistent, as pitchers from the bullpen became a regular sight as starters, which made matters worse.
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