Cincinnati Reds: Plethora of outfield talent necessitates platoon

I know it’s a four-letter word among a lot of baseball fans, but the Cincinnati Reds outfield depth will necessitate a platoon this season.

During Tuesday’s spring game against the Los Angeles Angels, we saw David Bell deploy Aristides Aquino in center field and Shogo Akiyama in left. Neither player has occupied those respective positions regularly throughout their career, but the depth within the outfield ranks is going to necessitate that the Cincinnati Reds utilize a platoon system.

We saw this often last season, especially with Jesse Winker and Phillip Ervin in left field. Winker struggled against left-handed pitchers, and Ervin owned southpaws. Bell would typically play the matchup and dispatch the player whom the numbers suggested would have the most success against the opposing starter.

Nick Castellanos is likely to get the bulk of starts in right field this coming season. You’re not going to pay a top-level free agent $64M to ride the bench every other day. Shogo Akiyama, another free agent signing, will get a lot of time in the outfield as well. Unlike Castellanos, Akiyama can play all three outfield positions.

Though some fans throughout Reds Country want to see Nick Senzel try his hand at shortstop, I don’t see that happening. Look for last year’s rookie to maintain a fairly regular spot in the lineup as the team’s centerfielder.

So, that leaves Aquino, Ervin and Winker competing for playing time. Throw in Derek Dietrich, Josh VanMeter, Scott Schebler, Mark Payton and Travis Jankowski, the the Reds have essentially 11 players vying for three spots.

The Reds outfield had some talented players last season, but this squad has upped the ante and fans are expecting a lot from those who’ll be occupying the grass at Great American Ball Park. Castellanos brings a big bat to the middle of the Cincinnati lineup and Akiyama had a very high on-base percentage while playing overseas in Japan.

David Bell has a problem on his hands, but it’s a good one to have. The number of talented outfielders will help Cincinnati endures thee inevitable injuries that may pop up. It will also help Bell favor matchups rather than run out the same three outfielders every day. I know it’s not the most popular idea among fans, but there will be a lot of platooning in the Queen City.