Projecting The Cincinnati Reds 30 Man Roster
Now with the known amount of players apart of expanded rosters, there will be four more players who will make the Cincinnati Reds. While it’s unknown the direction the club will go in selecting which players will make the team or not, there is a 60 player pool to choose from. The roster size changes as the season goes along, but it will be interesting to see who makes it. That being said, let’s predict the 30 man roster come July 24.
Locks
Pitchers: Trevor Bauer, Luis Castillo, Anthony DeSclafani, Amir Garrett, Sonny Gray, Raisel Iglesias, Michael Lorenzen, Wade Miley, Robert Stephenson, Pedro Strop.
Catchers: Tucker Barnhart, Curt Casali, Kyle Farmer
Infielders: Freddy Galvis, Mike Moustakas, Eugenio Suarez, Joey Votto
Outfielders: Shogo Akiyama, Nicholas Castellanos, Phil Ervin, Nick Senzel, Jesse Winker.
That is 22 players who have a lock on a roster spot. Now there are others here who have a strong chance at making it, but nonetheless they aren’t locks. So with eight spots available, it will be interesting who manager David Bell will choose. It would seem unlikely the players who were selected to the Prasco Park camp to make the team, but there are a few who do have a good chance like Aristides Aquino, Christian Colon, Travis Jankowski, Tyler Stephenson, and Scott Schebler. Whether they make the club for Opening Day remains to be seen, however, it would seem more likely that the players in the Great American Ballpark camp have the better odds of making the club. So, who will take the other eight spots? Let’s take a look.
Matt Bowman
Matt Bowman would seem like a logical choice here as he was a consistent bullpen arm for the St. Louis Cardinals during his time there. He was with the Cincinnati Reds last season appearing in 27 games and pitched 32 innings while winning two games. It would seem more likely that Cincinnati will take a lot of pitchers with them and Bowman seemed to be reasonably reliable in limited action for the team in 2019.
Tyler Mahle
Tyler Mahle gets nudged out of the rotation, but Mahle still provides something interesting. If the Cincinnati Reds go with a six-man rotation for the season, then he will consistently get some innings to pitch. He also could be used as an “opener” and as a long reliever. Also, depending on the situation, Mahle could spot start. So there’s a lot of ways he can be used and might be more valuable than a lot think.
Cody Reed
Cody Reed has seemingly found his niche in the bullpen and has been a very effective reliever. He has some really good stuff, but if he goes the same route as Amir Garrett, Reed will make this an excellent bullpen. It might be useful to use him as an “opener” or long reliever as well, but having a left arm will be nice to have regardless.
Sal Romano
Sal Romano was once a heralded prospect but wasn’t able to pitch consistently in the majors. He possesses electric stuff and that’s why his change to being a bullpen arm works so well. He is more likely to be a long reliever, but he could be used as an “opener” or be a spot starter. It’s also possible to see him as middle relief especially if the team makes the postseason.
Lucas Sims
Lucas Sims is like a lot of others on this list. He used to be a top prospect that never really panned out. However, he has seemingly found a niche in the bullpen and has been effective. He’s more of a long reliever and a spot starter. Sims could be an “opener” and middle relief if needed. Like Mahle, his presence in the bullpen will prove to be valuable.
Tyler Thornburg
Tyler Thornburg used to be an elite reliever for the Milwaukee Brewers, but after his trade to the Boston Red Sox, he was never the same and dealt with injury woes. After signing him this offseason the hope was that Thornburg would be able to overcome those injury problems and get back to the type of reliever he once was. If he does, this bullpen will get deeper and more effective.
Alex Blandino
Alex Blandino is very likely to make it because of his defensive prowess and his versatility. Blandino is in no way going to be a great offensive player. His speed will certainly help the club in certain situations. Some might have Blandino as a lock, but with competition from other infielders, it only seemed fair to see whether the Reds value him for what he is.
Josh VanMeter
Josh VanMeter is also very likely to make it and even some might peg him as a lock. That being said, VanMeter’s versatility is what makes him valuable as he can play all over the field. That gives him the edge over many other candidates.
Now, aside from Aquino, there are a couple other players who didn’t make the team and may stake their claim for earning a spot. The biggest one is Mark Payton, a Rule 5 pick, who might get selected because of being a Rule 5 acquisition. But it wouldn’t make sense to have him there as there’s already a logjam of outfielders and finding any playing time would be hard. Joel Kuhnel was also a hard decision to leave off because of his meteoric rise in the organization. Kuhnel could become a very valuable reliever in the near future.
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