The Cincinnati Reds’ season started a little over a month ago, and is now in full swing. The Reds, hovering right around a .500 win percentage, are probably about where most fans expected them to be. They’re hitting exactly as most suspected they would; however, their pitching staff has not lived up to the hype that was made in the offseason. Their defense, on the other hand, has been outstanding.Joey Votto has been by far the best hitter on the Reds this year. Hitting .315, with seven home runs and 20 RBI, he leads the team in all three of these categories. (Note: All statistics in this article are through May 9, 2010.)
Scott Rolen has also hit well and provides veteran leadership in the middle of the lineup. Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips both came into the season in a huge slump. While Bruce is still struggling to find his swing, Phillips has started to improve: in the last seven days, he has hit .320 with eight hits.
The backup catcher, Ryan Hanigan, has hit very well to begin the season. He does not get many chances to play, but when he does, he takes advantage of the opportunity.
The Reds pitching was supposed to be very good this year, but fans have yet to see the potential with a 5.36 team ERA. Aaron Harang came into the season hailed as the number one starting pitcher. He did not pitch like it through the first month of the season, continuing his woes from the end of last year. However, his last couple starts have been quality ones, and he leads the team in strikeouts with 36.
The three other pitchers from last year: Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, and Homer Bailey have been average at best.
The surprise player of the year, and best pitcher, so far has been Mike Leake. The 22-year-old pitcher from Arizona State was a first round draft pick last June and won the fifth starting spot out of spring training. He became the 13th pitcher and 21st player overall to skip the minor leagues and go straight to the majors. As of May 9, he had a 3.10 ERA, giving up 17 walks, while striking out 28. He also has done well with the bat, hitting .308 with four hits.
The Reds have played good defense this season. Their fielding percentage of .987 ranks 4th in the National League and 7th in MLB. They have only committed 15 errors, 4th least in the National League. Scott Rolen has committed four errors, the most on the team. This is surprising because the Reds traded for him partly because of his defense at third base.
Overall, the Reds pitching woes combined with their schizophrenic hitting has made for some exciting baseball through the first month of the season. In fact, nine of their wins have come in their last at-bat. Add in some awesome defensive plays, and people may have some exciting baseball to watch this summer. Just make sure you don’t leave the ballpark until the game is over or you may miss something!