The Cincinnati Reds showed signs of life in what was
supposed to be a dreary and hard to watch 2016 season.
Players like Adam Duvall and Jose Peraza helped give Reds
fans a glimmer of hope for the future and future Hall of Fame 1st
baseman Joey Votto showed that he is not ready to call it quits just yet.
A lot of every day fans of the team may have been scratching
their heads after the trade of Dan Straily, who lead the team last season in
wins; strikeouts as well as innings pitched.
Admittedly I was a little taken a-back when I first heard the news as
well. That being said, once I heard the
haul they got in return, I was absolutely thrilled.
In return for the veteran Straily the Reds picked up right-handed
pitching prospects Luis Castillo and Austin Brice from the Miami Marlins along
with outfielder Isaiah White.
Castillo, the highlight of the package Cincinnati received,
was rated as Miami’s number 5 prospect according MLB.com and has been known to
hit triple digits with his blazing fastball.
To fill the spot in the rotation that once belonged to the
aforementioned Straily the Reds promptly went out and signed veteran free agent
pitcher Scott Feldman.
Feldman, who split time between the Houston Astros and
Toronto Blue Jays, is nearly a .500 pitcher for his career and should be able
to slide into the back end of the Cincinnati rotation and give the
Reds a
veteran presence to help bring along some of his younger teammates.
The rotation still has some question marks for the 2017
season but holds an abundance of potential if the returning members can stay healthy
and improve on last year’s efforts.
Anthony DeSclafani had a breakout season in 2016 and should,
in my opinion, get the ball for Opening Day.
DeSclafani is followed by a returning Homer Bailey who is hoping to be
ready for Spring Training this year.
After Bailey things start to get a little questionable.
Brandon Finnegan showed some flashes of brilliance last
season but when he was bad, he was very bad.
I still believe he is better suited for the back-end of the bullpen, but
that is an argument for another day.
Cody Reed could use a little more seasoning but each time
they have sent him to AAA Louisville he has absolutely dominated the
competition. He has to find a way to
transition that ability to the majors and find a way to get big league hitters
out consistently.
Cincinnati also has two bright prospects in the minors that
could make their mark on the big league squad sooner rather than later.
Both Robert Stephenson and Amir Garrett have the kind of
ability that could eventually see them as the #1 and #2 starters on this team
for many years to come. Combining those
two with the newly acquired Luis Castillo and Cincinnati fans have a lot to be
excited about in terms of the future rotation possibilities.
