Cincinnati Reds: Will catcher Devin Mesoraco be alright?

The Cincinnati Reds are a tryout for the future

The Cincinnati Reds are in a rebuilding stage. They are giving playing time to younger players in order to develop for the future. Also, this club is selling veterans in order to beef up their farm system and inject youth into the organization.

The Reds have made notable trades such as Aroldis Chapman, Todd Frazier, Jay Bruce, and Brandon Phillips to acquire youth. They have been proactive in dealing off fan favorites in order to develop rookies. The historic franchise has taken a direction that will lead to the club’s next great team. Fans will be awarded real soon, as there are good prospects on the way to the Major leagues soon.

They will be relevant in the near future, but for now, the team will go through stretches like this past week. The rotation battles are ongoing as well, and the youth will gel together. The Reds are committed to churning out talent through the draft, and have been doing so the past couple of years. Getting back to this week, one of their former farmhands is in the news. Let’s look into his season and his diagnosis right now.

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The Cincinnati Reds’ oft-injured backstop

Devin Mesoraco has been with the Reds organization since 2007. The catcher was the 15th selection overall in the Amateur Draft. He just signed a four year extension in 2015, in which he is owed a total of $28 million dollars. Furthermore, he has gone through plenty of hardships.

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In his latest, the right handed hitter is out for 3-6 weeks with a broken foot. This season, he is hitting a robust .213 with six home runs and seventeen RBIs. Mesoraco’s production has accumulated to a 0.5 overall WAR. That is not a good number, as he is Cincy’s starting catcher. The injuries have killed his career, and this is just another roadblock for him to overcome.

One of his problems this season is his strikeout rate at 23%, this has been due to him swinging for the fences. Joey Votto could possibly rub off on him, as the backstop’s walk rate is at 10.9%. But, the struggles at the plate have been ongoing. Defensively, he has been much better with a Def stat of 2.4. He will look to improve when he is healthy again.

Will Mesoraco be alright for the rest of the season/next year?

The catcher has dealt with several injuries before, so he has experience on the disabled list. With that said, he knows his body and how to recover to come back 100%. The Reds will look to get him to full health rather than rush him back, due to the fact that they aren’t in a pennant race.

Ultimately, Mesoraco should be ready behind the dish at the end of September. These are all assumptions, but he knows his body and when he is healthy. The Reds can have him off his feet until spring training next year. They are playing for the future, and he looks to be a key part in the next nucleus.

Next: Who's next? (to come up from the minors)