Cincinnati Reds have healthy position players, but unhealthy batteries

The Cincinnati Reds need to address why there is a discrepancy between positions.

The Cincinnati Reds had sixteen starting pitchers in 2017.  Not a single pitcher made it through the season healthy.  Four of the season starters in the field made it through the season.

Catcher Devin Mesoraco’s season was interrupted by injuries.  Center fielder Billy Hamilton missed most of September with an injury.  Other than that there were only small injuries for position players.

Scott Schebler and Zack Cozart both missed some time.  Schebler’s wasn’t anything big.  Cozart’s injury cost the Reds a chance to flip him at the trade deadline.

Meanwhile, the list of starting pitchers that missed time in 2017 was, well, everyone.  Not a single starting pitcher that started the season on the active roster made it through the season in one piece.  The relief corps, meanwhile, made it through most of the season in relatively good shape.

Drew Storen tore his UCL and underwent Tommy John surgery.  Tony Cingrani also missed some time due to injury.  Those are all of the significant injuries to the relievers.

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The litany of injuries for the starting pitchers is quite impressive.  From elbows to shoulders to knees, there is a catalog of injuries to choose from.  It also impacted the young and the old.

While the rest of the Cincinnati Reds had some injuries, the starting pitching rotation fell apart each of the past two years.

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The Reds’ big three starting pitchers, Brandon Finnegan, Anthony DeSclafani, and Homer Bailey, have, combined, been active about two seasons worth of time out six over the past two seasons.  In other words Finnegan’s 2016 season was one season.  DeSclafani and Bailey have only combined for about one more season’s worth of starts.

In 2017 Bronson Arroyo’s arm gave out.  It was coming, but he couldn’t last the season.  He still went out a winner with Reds’ fans.

Rookie starters Amir Garrett and Rookie Davis both missed time on the DL in 2017.  

Scott Feldman’s knee ended his season.  The now departed, reliable Tim Adleman even had some issues over the past two seasons.

The issue appears to be conditioning and training for the starting rotation.  The Reds are known for telling their starting pitchers not to throw from October through December.  It is likely more than that though.

Next: Tim Adleman leaves the Reds

Whatever it is, the Reds need to figure it out quickly.  With the young prospects hitting the majors now, they need to protect their arms.  However, this is the only way to take advantage of those high draft picks.