Cincinnati Reds need to figure out what to do with Amir Garrett

After a season split into three sections of two months each, the Cincinnati Reds need to decide which Amir Garrett they will see in 2018.

Amir Garrett was the ace for the Cincinnati Reds the first two months of the season.  In April Garrett went 2-2 over four starts.  He had an ERA of 5.09, but also a WHIP of 1.26.

Garrett allowed four home runs, but also struck out 22.  He walked just seven over 23 innings, while allowing 22 hits.  Those are numbers that the Reds can work with from a young starter.

In May Garrett took a step back.  He went 1-1 over four starts, but had a blow-up during those four starts.  That caused his ERA to balloon up to 6.95 in May.

Garrett’s home runs went up to eight, while his walks went up to twelve.  His strikeouts also dipped down to 13 over a similar 22 innings.  Garrett kept it together, but barely,

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Garrett made four starts for starts for the Reds in June and it went poorly.  He went 0-3 lasting only a total of 13 ⅓ innings.  Garrett allowed seven home runs, while walking ten.

Garrett struck out fourteen, meaning his stuff was there.  He couldn’t get out of innings, though.  Batters batted .356 against Garrett in June.

As the season wore on, Amir Garrett’s play forced the Cincinnati Reds to option him down to Triple-A.

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While at Triple-A this summer, Garrett went 2-4 over 14 starts.  He pitched 67 ⅔ innings, averaging less than five per start.  Garrett walked 24, while striking out 61.

He only allowed seven home runs, but he allowed 79 hits.  Interestingly, while all of this was going on this season, Garrett pitched a complete game shutout in Louisville.  Unfortunatlely, including this game, Garrett still had an ERA of 5.72  and a WHIP of 1.52 at Triple-A this season.

The Reds had nineteen different players pitch in August, including second baseman Scooter Gennett, but none of them was Garrett.  When Garrett rejoined the Reds in September, he went 0-2 in his two starts.  He had an ERA of 8.00 and a WHIP of 1.67.

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This points to a question of whether Garrett can start anymore.  It also leads one to ask whether he should start the 2018 season in the major league camp or the minor league camp.  The Reds have to decide what to do with Garrett in 2018 and beyond.  Of course, he could always earn a spot in the MLB rotation once more by dominating spring training.  Or he could end up starting in Double-A if he keeps pitching like this.