Cincinnati Reds: Nick Senzel could fill multiple defensive positions

The Cincinnati Reds are sure to be contenders in 2020. One lingering question is exactly which position Nick Senzel will be playing on Opening Day?

Nick Senzel’s future with the Cincinnati Reds has been a topic of discussion lately among thee fanbase. Is he an infielder or an outfielder? Is he a leadoff hitter or should he bat further down in the order? Should the Reds trade Senzel or keep him? Maybe it’s time we let Senzel’s play speak for itself.

Nick Senzel had a solid rookie campaign in 2019 after putting the work in during spring training to learn how to play at a new position in center field. Having his season ended prematurely because of a shoulder injury, Senzel still managed to finish slashing a respectable .256/.315/.427 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs.

I think there is a lot that Senzel can do to help the Reds efforts in 2020 because of his flexibility defensively. One option to get Senzel some playing time this year is, quite simply, to play him in center field. Despite signing Shogo Akiyama in the offseason, Senzel still has value on the outfield grass.

Senzel proved to be a reliable and capable defender at center field last year. He isn’t necessarily the ideal centerfielder, but made a strong showing there with a .978 fielding percentage in 96 games at center field last year. He’s totally capable of playing there effectively.

I could also see Senzel playing in left field, but that is a bit less likely since the Reds already have a solid platoon of Jesse Winker and Phillip Ervin there. With Winker likely to play against a right-handed starting pitchers and Ervin against a lefty starter, the Reds pretty much have left field covered.

After the Cincinnati Reds front office signed two free agent outfielders in Shogo Akiyama and Nick Castellanos this offseason and now the announcement that Eugenio Suárez underwent shoulder surgery and will be out for some time in spring training; I think there is also a case to be made for giving Senzel some playing time in the infield.

In all likelihood, Suárez will recover quickly and probably not miss much playing time. However, having a flexible defensive player like Senzel is great. Senzel has played all over the infield throughout his college and professional career.

If for some reason Suárez is not ready to play at the start of the season, Nick Senzel can easily be used to fill the gaps in the infield. Senzel could play at second base if Moustakas is moved over to third in Geno’s absence. Senzel could also play third base himself.

There is also a possibility that Senzel sees a lot of playing time at shortstop this season anyway. As it stands, Freddy Galvis is likely to be the everyday starting shortstop. While Galvis is not a bad player by any means, most would not regard him as an everyday player.

I think it would be a wise choice for manager David Bell to give Senzel a chance to see some playing time at shortstop. Senzel is a natural middle-infielder, so playing shortstop is not at all out of reach for him.

With the possible exceptions of Kyle Farmer and Michael Lorenzen, Nick Senzel is probably the most versatile player on the Cincinnati Reds roster right now. He is one of the few players who can play effectively just about anywhere on the field.

Wherever Senzel ends up playing this season, I know one thing for sure; having good depth is not going to be a problem for the Reds. The front office has provided Bell and the coaching staff with some great flexibility and a deep bench.