Cincinnati Reds 2018 season awards: Most Valuable Player

As we pass out the Cincinnati Reds 2018 season awards, today we focus on the Most Valuable Player. This could have gone to a few different players, but in the end, we chose Scooter Gennett.

Blog Red Machine is handing out awards for the 2018 season. We’ll start out today by passing out the Most Valuable Player. The Reds had a couple players on this year’s roster who are deserving of this honor, but we chose Scooter Gennett as this year’s MVP for the Reds.

Gennett experienced a career-year in 2018. After asserting himself as the unquestioned starter at second base, Scooter found himself in the cleanup spot of the Reds’ batting order to start the season. He did not disappoint.

Scooter Gennett has career highs in hits, doubles, walks, and on-base percentage. Gennett was in a race for the batting title with Christian Yelich until the last couple weeks of the season. Yelich went on a tear as the Milwaukee Brewers were in a pennant race, and Gennett struggled as the season came to a close.

Scooter Gennett earned his first All-Star appearance during the 2018 season. Heading into the All-Star break Gennett was slashing .326/.373/.521 with 16 home runs and 63 RBIs. Scooter was joined in the All-Star Game by fellow teammates Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez.

The All-Star Game provided one of the most memorable moments of the season for Gennett when he tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. Gennett took a 96-MPH fastball from Seattle Mariners closer Edwin Diaz and sent it over the right-field wall at Nationals Park to knot the game at 5 runs apiece.

The deep fly in the All-Star Game was just another demonstration of Scooter’s clutch bat, which seemed to show itself at countless times throughout the season. No one on this year’s Cincinnati Reds squad had more two-out RBIs.

Gennett finished the season in the Top 10 in the National League in both hits and singles. It was evident that Gennett was gutting out performances as the season came to an end. Gennett was battling some injuries throughout the season but still managed to play 150-plus games.

Scooter Gennett goes into the offseason with a little uncertainty as he is in the final year of arbitration eligibility. Both Gennett and the Cincinnati Reds are hoping to get a long-term contract completed before Spring Training begins next year.

Scooter has been vocal about his desire to return to his hometown team, and it sounds as though the Reds are willing to oblige if the two sides can get the number to work out.