Cincinnati Reds: Josh VanMeter’s injury is an opportunity for these players

1. Alex Blandino

While Alex Blandino certainly doesn’t possess the pop in his bat of Josh VanMeter, he’s definitely shown his approach at the plate to be an improvement this spring. Blandino is hitting .429/.520/.810 through 21 at-bats in Cactus League play. The former Stanford standout has seven RBIs and five extra-base hits this spring.

I’ve always viewed Blandino as a player who does a lot of things well, but nothing great. However, a reliable glove is certainly part of Blandino’s repertoire and if he continues to show progress at the plate, it may be hard to keep the former first-round pick off the Opening Day roster.

Blandino has seen time at the big league level the past two seasons, but he’s been little more than a utility player who’s filled in during times of injury to full-time starters. That’s unlikely to change if Blandino breaks camp with the Reds, but the lack of reliable depth at the shortstop position only increases his chances of making the team.

Kyle Farmer has seen an abundance of time at shortstop this spring with the absence of Freddy Galvis, but the former Georgia Bulldog hasn’t played the position since he left his alma mater. Blandino’s experience at the big league level includes 11 games at shortstop and the 27-year-old has played nearly 200 games at shortstop during his minor league career.

Blandino wasn’t really on my radar coming into camp, but the results speak for themselves and it’s hard to ignore what he’s done this spring. While not a power-bat, Blandino works the count and had a 20.0% walk-rate last season according to FanGraphs. Don’t sleep on Alex Blandino’s chances of making the Opening Day roster.