Cincinnati Reds: Alex Blandino offers yet another option at second base

Alex Blandino got a rare start in yesterday’s loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Blandino adds depth to an already loaded position in the Cincinnati Reds organization.

As the 2019 season winds down and most of the attention in Reds Country turns to next year, the Cincinnati Reds have a plethora of middle infielders to evaluate this offseason. After getting a start in yesterday’s loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, Alex Blandino has now thrown his hat into the ring as an option for the Reds at second base.

Now, don’t read too much into this, as I surely do not expect the Reds to hand the every day second base job to Alex Blandino. However, seeing how David Bell likes to play the matchups, Blandino offers the Reds skipper another option in certain situations.

Blandino is a former first-round pick of the Reds back in 2014 and was a top prospect in the organization just a few years ago. Blandino played third base for three years at Stanford, but his lack of power dictated that the Reds move him away from the hot corner during his early years in the minor leagues.

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Blandino has always had an advanced approach at the plate ever since he arrived, but hitting for average has never been his calling card. However, Blandino does have patience at the dish and a good eye; something that allows him to maintain a relatively high on-base percentage despite a low batting average.

Second base has been a revolving door for the Reds this season. The job surely belonged to Scooter Gennett when Spring Training kicked off in Goodyear, Arizona, but an injury changed that quite quickly. A strained groin put Gennett on the shelf to begin the season and the slugger never recovered. Scooter was shipped out to San Francisco at the trade deadline.

José Peraza took over for Gennett early in the season, but poor production at the plate caused David Bell to go in a different direction. The fireworks that Derek Dietrich provided solidified his place in the lineup. But, after a three home run performance in late-May, Dietrich’s bat went silent, giving way to the rookie Josh VanMeter.

The Reds acquired Freddy Galvis off waivers and VanMeter has since been shuffled all over the field while the former Toronto Blue Jays shortstop has become a fixture at second base since his arrival. Now, with rosters expanded, Blandino is part of the conversation as well.

Peraza’s struggles may find him non-tendered this offseason and Galvis may become the team’s shortstop next season depending on how the Cincinnati front office handles José Iglesias this offseason. The 29-year-old is a free agent at the end of the season and many fans are curious what his future with the Reds will be.

Should the Reds move on from both Peraza and Iglesias, VanMeter makes the most sense to get the majority of starts at second base heading into next season. If that’s the case, Blandino could share some time with VanMeter, especially when there’s a southpaw on the mound.

Alex Blandino hit .279 against lefties this season at Triple-A Louisville with an .881 OPS. His slugging percentage was 181 points higher against left-handed pitchers as opposed to right-handed hurlers. Those numbers would seem to correlate to what we saw from Blandino last season with the Reds, when his batting average was 41 points higher against lefties.

We’ve seen Bell hesitant to put VanMeter in the lineup against left-handers, and the small sample size shows why. Against lefties, VanMeter is 2-for-15 (.133) with just one extra base hit. Against right-handers, the Reds rookie is hitting .272 with 10 doubles, 6 home runs and an OPS of .810.

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I find it hard to believe that the Cincinnati Reds will look outside the organization this winter to upgrade the second base position. While it may be the one position on the roster with the most uncertainty, it’s also not void of options. Blandino is just one more name to consider when the 2020 season rolls around.

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