Cincinnati Reds’ rebuild is working out offensively, if not on the mound for the 2017 season

The Cincinnati Reds have a vastly improved offense in 2017, but may actually have worse starting pitching than in 2016.

The Cincinnati Reds had one of the worst offensive seasons in the history of the franchise in 2014. That was the first year of the rebuild. Four seasons later and the light is coming at the end of the tunnel.

Looking at the starting eight for the Reds, only three players were starters prior to the 2014 season. First baseman Joey Votto and shortstop Zack Cozart have held their positions for years, while catcher Devin Mesoraco took over the starting role during the 2013 season. Of the remaining five, only one came up through the Reds’ farm system.

Second baseman Jose Peraza, third baseman Eugenio Suarez, left fielder Adam Duvall and right fielder Scott Schebler all came over in rebuilding deals. Suarez came over for pitcher Alfredo Simon following the 2014 and Duvall came over from the San Francisco Giants during the 2015 season. Peraza and Schebler came over in the same deal when Todd Frazier went to the Chicago White Sox.

The bench is a similar situation. Of the bench players that have spent any time in Cincinnati this year, only part-time catching starter Tucker Barnhart came up through the Reds’ system. The rest of the bench all came from the waiver wire or Rule 5 Draft.

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That’s the good news on the batting front. The bad news is that outfielder Jesse Winker is the only homegrown offensive player close to being ready to start at the MLB level. After Winker,last year’s first round pick Nick Senzel may be the closest to being ready for the majors.

The Cincinnati Reds have rebuilt their pitching staff at the same time as the offense, but it has not progressed as far.

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The Reds also made some deals to rebuild their pitching staff. The most important one was the trade of Johnny Cueto at the 2015 trade deadline. It netted Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb and Cody Reed. Last year Finnegan was the only starting pitcher in the rotation to make every start last year, while Reed has shown flashes of brilliance.

The deal that netted Duvall also netted another future starter. Keury Mella came over in the Mike Leake from the Giants. He is still in the minors and is having trouble advancing through the system.

Another rebuilding deal that hasn’t been discussed is the trade of Aroldis Chapman to the New York Yankees.

While the highlight of the deal last season was supposed to be reliever Caleb Cotham, the real key piece was Rookie Davis. He made the starting rotation out of camp as the number three starter to begin the season. Unfortunately, he couldn’t hold onto his spot in the rotation.

The good news is that, unlike the batters, the Reds have young pitchers. The Reds are percolating with pitchers that are nearly ready for the big leagues. Some of them like Amir Garrett are already here. Others like Tyler Mahle are biting at the bit to get here. It is just a matter of time.

Next: Minor league pitchers continue to find success

Right now the offense is carrying the team. The rotation is just hanging on. As soon as next year, though, the rebuilt rotation could be a strength filled with talented youngsters.

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