Cincinnati Reds’ forgotten man – starter Tim Adleman

The Cincinnati Reds had a reliable starter in the rotation much of the year in Tim Adleman, but most people forget that he’s there.

When the Cincinnati Reds talk about their rotation pieces for 2017 and beyond, Tim Adleman is noticeably missing.  Adleman was fifth on the team in starts in 2016.  He got a taste in May, but beginning in the middle of August he made every start.

Adleman had an even better season than just being a place filler.  Among starters with more than five starts, Adleman ranked fourth on the team in ERA with an even 4.00.  Using the same constraint, Adleman had the second best WHIP just barely behind Dan Straily.

Dan Straily is due for a contract extension, but Adleman is mostly out of the conversation for a place in the rotation next season.  Even with the injury to John Lamb and the youth of Amir Garrett, Adleman is on the outside looking in at the rotation.  People are talking about Brandon Finnegan and Robert Stephenson, not Adleman.

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Adleman isn’t a sexy prospect.  He’s about to turn 29 years old this off-season.  He was drafted all the way down in the 24th round and is one of the few low round players on the forty man roster.

The Reds could use another arm in the bullpen and Adleman has the right stuff to get the job done.

The Reds have a bullpen that improved greatly the second half of the season when Raisel Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen joined the mix.  However, thanks to the high value of relievers, Iglesias and fellow reliever Blake Wood may be on the move this off-season.  That would leave the set-up role wide open.

With Lorenzen as the closer and Cingrani as the high leverage swing man, the traditional set-up role opens up.

Adleman could step in and be what Mariano Rivera was early in his career, a two inning set-up man.  That is a role that former Reds’ closers Danny Graves and David Weathers completed with success before closing games.

Next: The Reds have a mess behind the plate

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In 2014 when Adleman first joined the Reds organization, he started as a reliever.  He didn’t get saves or holds as he was used in primarily low leverage, multi-inning appearance situations.  He has advanced over the past two seasons and is ready for a step up next year.  Adleman won’t forget, if he’s the man that stabilizes this bullpen.