Cincinnati Reds paved the way for Jose Siri’s departure last offseason

Jose Siri was claimed by the Seattle Mariners yesterday after being designated for assignment by the Cincinnati Reds, but his fate was sealed last winter.

For those fans curious as to why the Cincinnati Reds designated highly-ranked prospect Jose Siri for assignment, you needn’t look very far. After being designated for assignment by the Reds last week, Siri was picked up by the Seattle Mariners yesterday. However, last offseason’s decision to move on from Billy Hamilton paved the way for Siri’s departure.

To be clear, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this move. I’ve been a baseball fan for as long as I can remember, and some of my favorite memories are those of spectacular defensive plays. I used to stay up late at night, watching ESPN and waiting to see all the Web Gems from the day. But, teams seem to be looking past defense and are more focused on hitting.

Jose Siri is a phenomenal defensive outfielder. Siri has speed to track down almost any ball and a fantastic arm as well. Siri’s speed also gave him an edge on the base paths. The 24-year-old swiped 20 or more bags each of his last four minor league seasons.

The 2017 season was what really put Jose Siri on the map. Playing 126 games for Single-A Dayton, Siri slashed .293/.341/.530 with 24 home runs and 76 RBIs. Siri also racked up 24 doubles and 11 triples, as well as 46 stolen bases. That breakout season put Siri among the best prospects in the Cincinnati Reds organization.

Unfortunately, the success didn’t carry over. In 2018, Siri suffered an injury during spring training and his performance suffered. Playing in 96 games that season, Siri hit just .239 with a .294 on-base percentage. The following season offered more of the same, as Siri slashed .237/.300/.357 while splitting time between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville.

Last offseason, after years of waiting for him to put it all together, the Reds made the difficult decision to move on from fan-favorite Billy Hamilton. Hamilton, just like Siri, was lightning quick on the base paths with elite-level defensive ability in the outfield. However, much like Siri, Hamilton’s hitting was not his strong suit, with a career .298 OBP in six years with the Reds.

Siri’s fate, while unfortunate, was laid out last winter. Had he figured things out at the dish and put up respectable numbers, we might have seen the Reds go in a different direction after signing Nick Castellanos. Siri’s hitting never materialized, and the Reds, like a lot of other organizations, are dismissing defensive stalwarts that are a liability at the plate.