The Cincinnati Reds faced the St. Louis Cardinals once again in game 3 of the 4 game set today. The Cardinals had their ACE going on the mound, former beloved Cincinnati Red Sonny Gray, who has been absolutely incredible this year on the mound. The Reds were able to get him to throw quite a bit of pitches early on and got to him real good after a platinum glover Nolan Arenado made several mistakes at 3B, a genuine rarity.
Carson Spiers Proving He Belongs
Probably one of the more cool stories surrounding the Reds thus far in 2024 has been Carson Spiers – The lot of us knew he was a highly talented arm that the Reds found diamond in the rough; folks, the kid wasn’t even drafted. He was signed as a UDFA out of Clemson in the covid year. Brilliant find by then Kyle Boddy and the Reds amateur staff. He’s been one hell of a story. Today, facing the Cards, he went 6.0 IP for 1 ER, only surrending 3 hits on the day. He struckout 4. He lowered his ERA to 3.13 on the year so far.
Jonathan India Continues His Incredible Run
Jonathan India joined Stuart Fairchild & Will Benson with 2 RBIs today as well as the Reds ended up routing the Cards. He had 2 XBH again. He’s now raised his average to .279 and has an OPS of .791. Did you see my tweet earlier today? He’s got a 183 wRC+ since May 22, absolutely ABSURD.
Cincinnati Reds vs St. Louis Cardinals 6/29/2024 Highlights
Catch the Cincinnati Reds Highlights on the night here!
Full Box Score
Rubber Match Sunday 6/30
The Cincinnati Reds will go for the series tomorrow in St. Louis and be facing the Cardinals’ #2, Lance Lynn. He currently has a 3.86 ERA. The Reds have our beloved Hunter Greene going, and Hunter is looking to bounce back after a few rough outings.
Where to watch: Bally Sports Ohio – 2:15 pm EST first pitch
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 17: Christian Encarnacion-Strand #33 of the Cincinnati Reds bats in the second inning against the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on July 17, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The game was Encarnacion-Strand's MLB debut. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
On May 8th, it was announced the Reds had resigned Mike Ford to an MLB contract, we knew something was going to happen with Reds’ Christian Encarnacion-Strand…well fast forward not even a week later, and we found out. He had a fracture in his right Ulnar Styloid, an injury that sometimes time can heal, but most of the time…surgery will heal. Fast forward to June 25th, 2024, and…
Cincinnati Reds David Bell just came out today (6/25) and said that Christian Encarnacion-Strand will undergo the needle and have surgery to repair his Ulnar Styloid. Anytime you see a player go BACK for a second opinion, that means surgery 99.9% of the time. We could foresee this happening. The Cincinnati Reds just lost their best power bat for the season. The timetable for this surgery is 3 months, he is scheduled for surgery this coming week. He’ll be out for the remainder of the season. Here’s to a hopeful speedy recovery, CES.
Christian’s 2024 ends worth -0.8 bWAR (yikes) with 22 hits, 2 HR, .190/.220/.293/.513 and a 43 OPS+. It’s a year he’ll hope to forget. By far his worst as a professional, and you could even take it back to his collegiate years. Brutal.
Update: Mark Sheldon (Cincinnati Reds beat) is reporting surgery schedule for July 11th. As mentioned above, it’s a 3 month recovery period. Christian’s season is over.
The Cincinnati Reds are getting another new bullpenner, according to Francys Romero, a BBWAA writer. This time, it’s Yosver Zulueta. Yosver was acquired via waiver wire from the Toronto Blue Jays just before Opening Day when a lot of teams put players they won’t have on their 40 man on the waiver wire.
Cincinnati Reds (Then Toronto Blue Jays) RHP Yosver Zulueta at the MLB Futures Game.
Yosver’s Stuff
Yosver, like many fireballers, has difficulty throwing a lot of consistent strikes. His TJStuff+ doesn’t lie, though. Primarily throwing a sinker, his out pitch is his sweeper which has generated 68.6% swing and miss. Stats Guru TJStats aka Thomas Nestico on X posted his pitch profile:
As you can see, there’s a lot to like here. It helps that Yosver was also a 2 time Futures Game selection, which means he was among the games best arms. I’d anticipate the Cincinnati Reds attempting to develop him into more of a setup man role. In AAA so far, he currently owns a 2.93 ERA in 30.2 IP, 20:39 BB:K (the BBs are an issue) but has held opps to a .231 batting average.
What will the corresponding move be?
We have several different scenarios that could end up happening for our Cincinnati Reds when it comes to roster moves to get Yosver Zulueta on the active roster to make his Major League Baseball Debut:
Justin Wilson DFA’d
Nick Lodolo on the IL (Blister)
Carson Spiers Optioned (Possibly could bring Graham Ashcraft back up to allow Nick Lodolo an additional day) – this wouldn’t be my favorite move just bc Spiers has looked good
It’s not a secret the Cincinnati Reds offense has been underperforming since the day after Opening Day. We’ve all been beyond frustrated with them, especially since the Reds have a pound for pound top 10 pitching staff in all of the Major Leagues and they are 6-14 in 1 run games thus far through the season. We’re sitting here waiting on Matt McLain, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Noelvi Marte to get back. Let’s look at what Noelvi Marte has done so far through 50 ABs at AAA on his rehab stint. He’s eligible to return this coming week in St. Louis on 6/27.
Noelvi Marte’s Rehab Stint in AAA – Things to Know
First things first, the acknowledgment of this being Noelvi Marte’s “Spring Training” must be noted and known by all readers. During his 80 game suspension, he was not able to be at the upper-professional facilitilies at all. He was only permitted few At-Bats in Arizona with at the Reds Rookie Complex, and other than that, had to workout away from the teams as well. With this said, his numbers haven’t been great.
Noelvi Marte’s Stats through 45 ABs in AAA
10 Games
45 AtBats
7 Hits
1 XBH
2 RBI
13 Ks
0 BBs
1 SB
.156/.156/.178/.334 slashline
Is he ready?
As you can tell, you could make the argument that he’s not ready to be activated on June 27th, 2024 where the Cincinnati Reds take on the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis. He has a -25 wRC+ in AAA, which is about as bad as you could have. He has a .219 BABiP which says he’s not making good contact with the ball. He’s bounced into 4 doubleplays already, which suggests his swing plane is still not hitting enough linedrives. He’s striking out in 30% of his PAs, and has not walked a single time. I think the answer is this… He’s not ready.
Nati, we suck anyways. Make a case to bring him up:
Ok, fine. Now here’s the argument for why he COULD still be called back up and activated on 6/27: The Cincinnati Reds have Jeimer Candelario primarily playing 3B, which was NOT the plan at all when they signed him. He was to be a 1B/DH and injuries put him there. Jeimer has made 3B look impossible with -5 OAA and one of the weakest arms in baseball. If Noelvi is activated the day of 6/27, it’s not because of his bat, it’s because of his glove. Bet you wouldn’t of said that last year. One thing I think folks neglect is that Noelvi Marte was worth -2 OAA at 3B last year, and looked better at SS when he got the start there. Granted he had way more attemps at 3B, but Noelvi isn’t some gold glove caliber player. He’s a big leaguer for his bat. We’ve been so bad offensively and some of the guys that have been in the lineup look so helpless that I think they will just activate Noelvi Marte on 6/27 and ask questions later. If it means we don’t have to watch Nick Martini attempt to DH anymore, so be it. What do you all think they should do? Write in the comments below!
Los Angeles Angels' Taylor Ward drops his bat as he hits a two-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians Monday, April 25, 2022, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Part 3 in our series for players the Cincinnati Reds should do their due diligence and take a look at trading for. For our article on Luis Robert Jr., click here. Typically, the Cincinnati Reds don’t really go out and make moves for big leaguers. Prospect hoarding and developing is the name of the game. The Reds are starting to turn the ship around after a horrid May. Just one game back from a Wild Card spot, the Reds are within reach, but need to make a move to shore up the outfield.
That’s where Taylor Ward comes in. If they continue this run they’re on, they’ll be in a great position at the deadline and the Angels figure to be sellers at the deadline.
Analyzing Taylor Ward’s Value
Los Angeles Angels OF Taylor Ward.
Taylor Ward’s value is very affected by his age and contract. There is team control through 2026 at which point he will be 32. Ward has one all-star level season – 2022. He slugged 23 home runs with a .281 average and 16 runs above average. As of writing, he is slashing .235/.318/.419. He’s also whacked 12 HRs, which would lead the Reds alongside Elly De La Cruz and Jeimer Candelario.
Ward is in the 90th percentile or higher in xSLG (92nd Percentile: .517), Barrel % (93rd Percentile: 15.3%), and Chase % (95th Percentile: 18.6%). He’s also well above average in xBA, Average Exit Velo, Hard Hit %, and BB % (11.4%). He has a great eye and he hits the ball HARD. This year, he’s hitting LHP significantly better than RHP, but over his career its been even and in fact, in 2022, he hit RHP better. He’s an everyday LF.
Acquiring Taylor Ward gives the Reds Options.
Writers Mike & Nati traded ideas of potential packages. Be sure to look at Mike’s below Nati’s.
Taylor Ward’s production isn’t elite by any means, he’s just genuinely a “good” bat, which is what the Cincinnati Reds could really use. He also has pop, to both sides of the field, which is what attracts me to him. His xHR in Great American Ballpark is 18 currently, he only has 12 on the season. Where I don’t see a ton of value in Ward, he DOES come with years of control, and a professional resume. Each season he’s been in the bigs post covid, he has a 107 or higher wRC+, which would…lead the Reds in the OF right now. Pathetic, I know. He’s also an above average fielder. He feels like the perfect guy to go after using Julian Aguiar, who would be an absolute gem pitching at Angel Stadium. I feel as if the Angels will want a tick more than this, and rightfully so. A year ago, this probably goes through, but Acosta has struggled real bad this year. May they prefer Carlos Jorge here? I’d be inclined to add him.
Ward has cooled down recently, and he only has 2022 to really hang his hat on. The Angels say they want a haul for him, but there are more names than his available for teams that need a right-handed outfielder. Even his teammate Jo Adell whom I would not mind adding. A trade for Taylor Ward will not define this market.
The Reds have a unique opportunity here to grab a guy with major upside that they can control for the rest of this year and the next two years. They really should not have to give up much to get a 30 year old whose best year was two years ago and is currently in a slump – .186 over his last 30 games.
Cincinnati Reds RHP Prospect Lyon Richardson.
The Angels will want a controllable player in return – likely a pitcher over a position player. Their top 30 prospects don’t really include anybody who will be ready in the next year or so. Sending back Lyon Richardson gives them a young rotation option that has honestly underperformed his potential. Richardson is worth a look in the big leagues on a bad club that can really give him a chance. He won’t be enough alone though.
Cincinnati Reds OF Prospect Rece Hinds.
The Reds will likely also have to include a near-MLB ready bat too. Rece Hinds fits the bill perfectly as far as value goes. Hinds is another guy that has good potential, but needs to work through some things. He has 11 HRs on the season (he’s got some pop), but his average is just .214. On his MiLB career, he’s batting .245. Hinds would figure to be a bench bat today in the Angels organization that may get a shot at the lineup.
If these two aren’t enough, I’m not sure I am willing to give up more. Graham Ashcraft straight up would probably get this done, but I’m not willing to give him up for Taylor Ward betting that he plays like he did in 2022.
Comment your trade ideas below.
Elly de La Cruz Electricidad Vintage Style T-shirt
Folks, we are less than a month away from the 2024 MLB Draft. Time is slowing down for absolutely nobody, isn’t it? My goodness. I’m going to highlight, in this article, the latest industry buzz surrounding the Cincinnati Reds & the 2024 MLB Draft, because likely that’s the team you care for. You should bookmark/favorite + subscribe to our blog site here, we have plenty more coming! Also, if you’re feeling ever so kind, support our outlet by securing your own Nati Sports T-shirt by clicking this link, for a limited time only, they will come with a KOOZIE for your beers. It’s hot, keep ’em cold.
Round 1, 2nd Overall Pick
There’s several outlets now, both ESPN & Baseball America, claiming that the Cincinnati Reds will go underslot with this pick. If you read my article here about the overview for this 2024 Draft, you’d know I detailed that it’d be very smart. Our beloved Cincinnati Reds only have 3 picks, which is a little fewer than we typically get. We only have 1 competitive balance pick this year, and it comes relatively late this year, just before round 3 at 71st overall. With this information received, it’s important the Reds keep their pool of $$ competitive and are signing guys underslot. So what does that mean for who they’ll take with the 2nd overall pick…?
Who has been rumored most at 2nd overall for us?
So far, the name that keeps popping up the most is Charlie Condon. The industry is under the impression that the Cleveland Guardians are going to go several million under the slot value at 1:1 to grab JJ Wetherholt, which would give the Cincinnati Reds their pick of Condon & Bazzana. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN wrote in his article today that he felt the Reds would take Charlie Condon over Travis Bazzana, but Baseball America wrote that they felt the Reds preferred Travis Bazzana over Condon. So what this really boils down to is… which of these two will take less $ to sign? That answer seems to be Condon, which would likely make him the Cincinnati Reds pick at 2nd overall. There’s some real interest in RHP Chase Burns at 2 as well, but I don’t think the Reds will end up going for him with two premiere bats there.
The Cincinnati Reds have $15,842,100 in TOTAL to allocate to draft picks this year. Over 75% of that will go to their first 3 picks. 2, 51, & 71. You can see right there why it’s important for the Reds to land big talent under slot value at 2nd overall.
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Targeting Prep Arm Talent at 51 & Projectable Collegiate Bat at 71
Part of the reason you go under slot at 2 is so you can load up at the back of your draft. A lot of times, teams will make deals pre-draft with player’s camps to ensure they let other teams know they aren’t going to sign with them. The Cincinnati Reds have made a masterclass out of this of late. Joe Katuska’s team has been balling out. Last year, we got Sammy Stafura away from Clemson, large in part because most teams didn’t think he’d sign with them. This will absolutely happen again this year, and the Reds are rumored on several prep arms out of Highschool. Namely Bryce Meccage from Pennington, NJ whom ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel projects the Reds take at 51 overall. They’ve also scouted Chris Levonas, who most believe will be a tough sign away from Wake Forest, & Levi Sterling, whom attends Notre Dame (CA), the same HS that RHP Hunter Greene came from.
The old fashion 71.
The Reds have nonchalantly made it clear they love their 6’2″+ big time RHP with flamethrower stuff and a good slider, and all 3 of those kids fit the profile. It’s almost a sure thing that they go RHP prep arm at 51 if they take Condon/Bazzana at 2nd overall. Those 3 names are likely who they’d take, all fitting that mould. At 71, presides a different outcome, at least according to Kylie McDaniel. It also makes perfect sense, considering this is what the Reds have done and what most teams do just before their 3rd round choices, they take a project college bat. Kiley has the Reds taking CF Mike Sirota at 71, which would be a SLAM DUNK pick. Sirota was a pound for pound first round pick up until late. The point here: pick 71 will likely be another college bat that will sign for well under slot.
Round 1, pick 2: IF Travis Bazzana – He’s just the best hitter in this draft. It’s a no brainer. I’ll find somewhere for him to play.
Round 2, pick 51: RHP Owen Hall – I think this is the most polished prep arm this draft. The Reds aren’t linked to him anywhere, but this is my favorite young RHP this draft. Getting him away from Vandy shouldn’t be an issue, either.
Round 2, comp B, pick 71: CF Mike Sirota – If Mike gets here, it’s about as slam dunk as one could have.
That’s right, what I’d deem the most underrated Cincinnati Reds Prospect that most don’t even know exists it being promoted to AAA, finally. Julian is one step closer to the big leagues, now, with this promotion. He has arguably been the most consistent prospect we’ve got on the farm currently. According to the transaction log, of course.
Julian Aguiar, also known as the Cincinnati Reds 12th round draft pick in 2021 out of Cypress JC, has been absolutely stellar throughout his professional career thus far. He holds a 3.22 ERA in 68 games, 55 games started and sitting at 299.1 IP. He has a 1.16 WHIP throughout 3 levels of the minors, A, A+, and AA, and in those 299.1 IP, he has 319 K’s. In his toughest stop, AA Chattanooga, he held his own. On the year, he has only issued 13 walks compard to 54 K’s, good for a 1.18 WHIP.
Dylan Cease to the Reds has been picking up steam, and a name I’d like to see the White Sox target is RHP Julian Aguiar.
The 22 year old is currently the 21st ranked prospect in the CIN system, according to MLB Pipeline. His 2023 stats:
This is a video of Julian pitching last year against CHC’s Cubs A+ team.
Julian Aguiar is being promoted to AAA Louisville
You can expect Julian to continue throwing a lot of strikes. I would like to see Julian miss more bats, but his bread and butter is soft contact and it should continue in AAA. It’s not a secret guys hit him, but he gets them off base with a great, retuned changeup. His fastball is his best pitch, which can reach up to mid 90s, touching 97 at times. His slider is also above average. To put it best, and to cite something I read on X, “Julian is the pitching Sal Stewart, so underrated.” This kid is good. Real good. One step closer to the big leagues.
Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburg Pirates Series Preview – The Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates come into this series with an identical record (34-37). Both teams are only a game back from a wild card spot and the bottom two spots are held by teams at .500 or below. It’s wide open. Let’s take a look at how the Reds match up against the Pirates this week.
Cincinnati Reds RHP Carson Spiers.
Carson Spiers will get the ball on the mound against Paul Skenes tonight. This will be Spiers first start this season for the big league club. On 5 appearances with 19.1 innings pitched, Spiers has a 2.33 ERA with 15 strikeouts. Not a ton of advanced data to dig into here, but the Reds have chosen to start Spiers over Graham Ashcraft who remains with AAA Louisville. Watch carefully because Spiers has a chance to make some noise and shake up the rotation conversation even more.
You’ll have heard of Paul Skenes right now even though this is the first time the Reds will see him. The most highly touted pitching prospect in recent memory, Skenes is on a tear in his young big league career. In six starts, he’s 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA and 46 strikeouts over 33.1 innings pitched. He’s a fireballer with a 99.3 average fastball velo. Really the only knock I have on him so far is the exit velocities he’s giving up (he’s in the 20th percentile). Skenes vs Elly will be a staple for the next few years, so I know I’ll enjoy their first matchup.
Cincinnati Reds LHP Nick Lodolo.
Lodolo is putting up ace numbers at 7-2 with a 2.93 ERA and 62 strikeouts over ten starts. The fact that he has decisions in 9/10 starts shows how consistent he is – he’s pitching 6 innings per start. Last time out against Cleveland, he spun 6 innings of 2-run baseball. So far this season, as long as he can escape the first inning, he’s been one of the best starters in baseball.
Falter is a middle of the road guy for Pittsburgh owning a 3.86 ERA and a 3-4 record over 13 starts. Being a lefty, he’ll have a bit of an easier time with this lineup. In his last two appearances, however, he’s surrendered 8 runs on 16 hits. Hopefully, the Reds can keep that streak going.
Cincinnati Reds RHP Hunter Greene.
On Wednesday, Hunter Greene will pitch for the Reds against Mitch Keller. Greene is 5-2 on the year with a 3.61 ERA and 89 strikeouts over 14 starts. Last time out against the Brewers, Greene gave up two over 5 innings pitched. Greene is above average in Fastball Run Value (88th percentile), xBA (92nd percentile), Whiff % (81st percentile), and K % (70th percentile).
Keller is in his sixth year with Pittsburg. He owns a 3.36 ERA and a 8-4 record over 14 starts. Nothing really stands out about his game except that he doesn’t walk guys much (6% of the time). He’s your slightly above average, usually gets the job done starter. Although, last time out he did give up 4 runs to the Cardinals.
Cincinnati Reds Notebook
The Reds dropped the series against the Brewers, but the NL Wild Card is still wide open. They need to take care of business against one of their primary competitors for that spot. The offense has been putting more runs on the board recently and the pitching has been continuously solid. There really is some optimism in Reds Country. Just time to follow through.
As the draft approaches in July, look out for our prospect profiles here on the site!
Elly De La Cruz is already one of the few Jordan Brand athletes, now the electric phenom is picking up ANOTHER big time endorsement. If you’re one of the Sports Card collecting gurus that we have out there, you’ll enjoy this one big time.
Elly Lands ANOTHER big sponsor
Topps, the renowned trading card (and, of course, much more) company has announced that Elly De La Cruz is their cover athlete for the chrome series. BIG TIME. Plenty of companies are out there chomping at the big to be one of Elly De La Cruz’s Sponsors, and Topps is the latest. Congratulations, Elly!
𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗡: Elly De La Cruz is officially the cover athlete for 2024 Topps Chrome Baseball. pic.twitter.com/plDQZkDlNL
According to Adam Schefter just a bit ago, Cincinnati Bengals WR standout Tee Higgins is in Cincinnati today to sign his franchise tag with the intentions of showing up and playing.
Tee Higgins has been the center of the newest Cincinnati Bengals fanbase drama due to the contract situation. He’s stated at least 150 times now he wants to stay a Bengal. Tee is easily one of the most lovable Cincinnati Bengals we’ve had come through the city. Every part of me wishes the two sides could make it work, but….
We all know that him signing a longterm deal is not going to happen unless he defies his berated agents’ wishes, and Mr. Mulugheta has a whole lot of pride when it comes to getting his clients what they want, as he should. As a fan, you can’t hate him. We can only hate the business side.
The only way to make everybody happy is if Tee Higgins goes out a Super Bowl winner. If he stays & plays on the franchise tag, we could see that. Another possibility is that the Bengals could sign (franchise tag) & trade him – that is nothing Duke Tobin has ever done, so that’s also highly unlikely.
Hoping for the best, for the Cincinnati Bengals & for Tee Higgins. He’s been nothing but good to us. Treat him with respect.
