Which Cincinnati Reds are off to a hot start?

Neftali Soto has gotten off to a very quick start in spring training this year. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Spring training games are two weeks old at this point in the spring. While we are talking about very, very, very small sample sizes here there are some guys who have gotten off to strong starts this spring for the Cincinnati Reds.

Newcomer Roger Bernadina is hitting .500/.684/.833 with five walks and three extra-base hits. He struggled in 2013, hitting just .181 in the big leagues for the Nationals and the Phillies. In 2012 he hit .291 for the Nationals.

Neftali Soto has come out swinging so far in his 20 at bats where he has nine hits, six of which have been for extra-base hits and he has yet to strike out. In 2013 with the Reds in three different call ups, Soto went 0-12 with 6 strikeouts and was hit by a pitch.

Jay Burce is hitting .357 with five walks and three extra-base hits in 14 at bats. With the departure of Shin-Soo Choo, Bruce is going to be heavily relied on for offense after hitting .262 with a team best 74 extra-base hits in 2013.

Chris Heisey has already smacked three home runs. After hitting 18 home runs in 2011, Heisey has hit just 16 over the past two seasons combined in nearly twice as many at bats. He has found his power swing early this year.

Skip Schumaker is hitting .533 in his 15 at bats. The former Cardinal and Dodger is in his first year with the Reds after hitting .263 with the Dodgers in the 2013 season. He is making a quick impression early on with his new club by swinging a hot bat.

Brett Marshall hasn’t allowed a run in five innings while striking out five batters. In the offseason Marshall was waived by both the Yankees and the Cubs before winding up with the Reds. Increased velocity this spring has helped him put up a few good appearances so far and have him on the right track for rebounding from a disappointing 2013 campaign.

Tony Cingrani also has tossed five shutout innings and has six strikeouts. Cingrani is taking over the spot left by Bronson Arroyo in the rotation and is picking up right where he left off in 2013. He is keeping runs off of the board and he is missing the other teams bats with high frequency.

Trevor Bell has 4 shutout appearances totally 3.2 innings where he has six strikeouts. Bell hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2011 with the Angels, but after a dominating 2013 minor league season he is off to a good start in the spring to try and work his way back to the big leagues.

Lee Hyde has thrown 4.1 shutout innings with 3 strikeouts. Hyde has never pitched in the Majors and the 29-year-old lefty is looking to make his mark in the spring after posted a 1.98 ERA in the minors last year. With a possible left handed spot open in the bullpen, his strong start isn’t going unnoticed.