Cincinnati Reds: Nick Senzel should remain in center field next season

Nick Senzel worked hard to learn a new position for the Cincinnati Reds. Despite openings in the infield, Senzel should remain in center field next season.

Nick Senzel‘s Cincinnati Reds debut was probably the most anticipated since Jay Bruce. Many fans were even calling for Senzel to replace Scooter Gennett after an All-Star season in 2018. With Gennett now gone and José Iglesias slated for free agency, there’s a clear path to move Senzel back to the infield, but the rookie should stay put in center field next year.

Then the Reds front office made headlines when they announced that they had non-tendered their then center fielder Billy Hamilton and made him a free agent a year earlier than expected. Fans immediately started talking about transitioning Senzel to the outfield; it was almost and instantaneous response.

That ended up being exactly what happened. Senzel spent all of his 2019 Spring Training learning how to play at center field and, after a minor injury and a brief stint in Triple-A Louisville, Senzel finally made it to the show on May 3rd. He has been the everyday center fielder for the Reds ever since.

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While Senzel’s natural position is third base, Eugenio Suárez has that spot on lock down. But, the same cannot be said for second base and shortstop. However, it’s worth pointing out that the Cincinnati Reds have no shortage of talented middle infielders in their organization and a lot of good potential targets in free agency.

There is also an abundance of talented outfielders in Reds organization. The thing is, their other in-house options to play center field are not as strong as defensive center fielders. Phillip Ervin is an obvious choice, he has a .963 fielding percentage in the time he’s spent in center field this season. Which is close, but not as high as Senzel’s .978 fielding percentage.

Jesse Winker could play in center, and he has done well there every time he’s played the position in 2019, but he’s more likely to remain as a corner outfielder. The Reds could turn to Michael Lorenzen, but since he is also a relief pitcher, he isn’t really a candidate to play center field every day. Lorenzen carries much more value out of the bullpen.

The Reds have a lot of big decisions to make for next season, but this should not be one of them. With a platoon of Winker and Ervin in left field, Senzel in center and, of course, Aristides Aquino in right field, the Reds have one of the most competitive outfields in the league.

So that brings us to these questions. If Senzel likes playing in center field, and he does it well, why move him? I would argue that it shouldn’t be done. Even if the Reds plan on making a huge trade or free agent signing to acquire another center fielder, I think there are bigger needs. I’d much rather see them spend money to add more stability to the bullpen.

It’s no secret that the season has not gone the way that the Cincinnati Reds or their fans expected, and there is still work to be done to get into playoff contention next year. But there are much more pressing issues than who is manning center field. With the front office though, anything could happen.