Cincinnati Reds: Three forgotten players fighting for a roster spot

3. Alex Blandino, Infielder

Some fans may not see Alex Blandino as a long shot to make the Cincinnati Reds 26-man roster, but I certainly do. If Eugenio Suárez is healthy, all four starting infield spots are spoken for. Suárez and Joey Votto will man the corners, while Freddy Galvis and Mike Moustakas will take care of things up the middle. The battle for the two bench spots is one to watch over the next two weeks.

Blandino has an advantage over the others due to his experience at shortstop, combined with the fact that Cincinnati’s depth behind Galvis is not great. In saying that. Kyle Farmer has received a lot of playing time at shortstop and is likely to be the first reserve infielder off the bench for David Bell and his coaching staff.

Farmer, who can also play catcher, has unreal versatility when it comes to playing defense. A former college shortstop, Farmer hasn’t played the position professionally, but it appears as though Bell will be leaning on him to do so this season.

So, if we concede one of the two bench spots to Farmer, who’s competing for the last one? That list would include Blandino, Josh VanMeter and Derek Dietrich. Christian Colón has an outside shot, but for all intents and purposes, we’re looking at a three-horse race.

VanMeter and Dietrich offer something that Blandino doesn’t; a left-handed bat with power. However, Blandino’s .810 slugging percentage this spring would seem to suggest otherwise. The 27-year-old is probably the better defender between the three, and shows good pitch recognition at the plate.