Cincinnati Reds positional preview vs. NL Central: shortstop

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CINCINNATI, OH – AUGUST 18: Tommy Edman #19 of the St. Louis Cardinals steals second base ahead of the throw to Freddy Galvis #3 of the Cincinnati Reds (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

The Cincinnati Reds had one of the best defensive shortstops in the division last season. How does Freddy Galvis stack up against other shortstops in the NL Central?

While fans eagerly await an announcement from commissioner Rob Manfred as to when the start to the 2020 season will be, Blog Red Machine has been taking a look at how each Cincinnati Reds starter projects against the other starters in the National League Central Division. Today we look at how Freddy Galvis stacks up against the other shortstops in the NL Central.

The Cincinnati Reds haven’t seen an All-Star shortstop since Zack Cozart‘s 2017 season. Before that, you’d have to go all the way back to Felipe Lopez in 2005. Barry Larkin was 12-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner. However, Larkin’s 1996 Gold Glove was the last time a player wearing a Reds uniform took home that piece of hardware while manning shortstop.

To say that shortstop has been a revolving door since Larkin left in 2004 would be an understatement. We’ve seen Cozart, José Iglesias, Orlando Cabrera and others try to snag a regular role as the Reds starting shortstop, but none of them has had much staying power. Cozart spent seven years in Cincinnati, but spent more time on the injured list than the field.

The Chicago Cubs employ one of the best shortstops in the game. The Pittsburgh Pirates lay claim to one of the best up-and-coming shortstops in the National League, while St. Louis’ shortstop has seen a drop in production the past two seasons. Which shortstop ranks No. 1 among his peers in the NL Central?

MILWAUKEE, WI – AUGUST 13: Jesse Winker #33 of the Cincinnati Reds is forced out at second base as Orlando Arcia #3 (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

5. Orlando Arcia, Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers had the worst shortstop in the NL Central last season and did nothing to upgrade the position over the winter. Orlando Arcia enters the 2020 season as the likely starting shortstop for the Brewers, and that’s not a good thing.

Last season, Arica hit just .223/.283/.350 with 15 homers and 59 RBIs. For all the Cincinnati Reds fans clamoring that Freddy Galvis is not good enough, I give you Orlando Arcia. Now, I don’t want to totally crush the 25-year-old Venezuelan, as Arcia is a fine defensive player with a total of 16 defensive runs saved for his career.

The reason that Arcia comes in at No. 5 is the same reason that Cincinnati did not re-sign José Iglesias. Arcia lacks power and has very little plate discipline. According to FanGraphs, Arcia’s walk-rate for his career is 6.5%. Couple that with a career-OPS of .652 and it’s just not going to cut the mustard. Shortstop prospect Brice Turang is still two years away from the bigs.

4. Freddy Galvis, Cincinnati Reds

Reds fans have voiced their displeasure throughout the offseason in regards to Freddy Galvis being the team’s starting shortstop. Personally, I think fans are overreacting and will be pleasantly surprised with the production Cincinnati will receive from Galvis in 2020.

Freddy Galvis is no slouch. The 30-year-old is one of the best defensive shortstops in the league and Reds fans will not see much of a drop-off in terms of the defensive wizardry they witnessed from Iglesias last season. In fact, Galvis’ .985 career fielding percentage is one point higher than Iglesias’. Galvis is the active leader in that category among shortstops.

Galvis is fairly good with the stick too. While he’s unlikely to have a fantastic on-base percentage, the Venezuelan-native hit a career-high 23 homers in 2019 and put up 2.6 WAR. Freddy Galvis is a solid, yet unspectacular starting shortstop and will serve the Cincinnati Reds just fine once the 202 season gets underway.

PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 03: Kevin Newman #27 of the Pittsburgh Pirates turns a double play against Billy Hamilton #6 of the Cincinnati Reds (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

3. Kevin Newman, Pittsburgh Pirates

Coming in at No. 3 on our list of shortstops in the NL Central is Kevin Newman of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Newman may be the most underrated player in the entire division, and another season like he had during his rookie year of 2019 will certainly start to shine more of the limelight in his direction.

After playing just 31 games in 2018, Newman was regular in the Pirates lineup last season, starting 93 of his 130 games played at shortstop. The 26-year-old did not impress with the glove, putting up 10 errors, a .973 fielding percentage, and -7 defensive runs saved according to FanGraphs.

However, Newman made up for his defensive shortcomings with some nice stats at the plate. A first-round pick of the Pirates in 2015, Newman hit .308/.353/.446 with 12 home runs and 64 RBIs. That is fantastic production from the shortstop position and one that has to have Pittsburgh’s front office beaming.

2. Paul DeJong, St. Louis Cardinals

Paul DeJong‘s 2019 season was not as good as one would think. While DeJong put up 5.3 WAR in 2019, the 26-year-old only hit .233 in 583 at-bats. That’s not very productive for a player that is considered one of the best in the St. Louis Cardinals lineup. However, his power with a .444 slugging percentage and 30 home runs places him at No. 2 on our list of shortstops in the NL Central.

DeJong started out strong, hitting .280/.383/.488 through the first two months of the season, but a slump after the All-Star break that saw DeJong hit only .202 really watered down his 2019 performance. DeJong will be looking for more consistency in 2020 or he’ll be passed very quickly by Kevin Newman.

CINCINNATI, OH – MAY 14: Javier Baez #9 of the Chicago Cubs shows his tattoo of the MLB logo on his neck in the dugout during a game against the Cincinnati Reds (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

1. Javier Báez, Chicago Cubs

Like it or not Reds fans, and I don’t like it, but Javier Báez is the best shortstop in the National League Central. In fact, one could argue that he’s the best in the entire league. For my money, I’m going with Trevor Story of the Colorado Rockies, but Báez is certainly in the conversation. A Reds killer since he made his big league debut in 2014, Javier Báez comes in at No. 1 among shortstops.

There may not be a more hated player among Reds fans than Javier Báez. El Mago has a persona that gets under the skin of everyone throughout Reds Country. He’s also very good against Cincinnati. For his career, Báez has hit .284/.314/.486 with 13 home runs and 58 RBIs. There’s no player whom the fans at Great American Ball Park boo more than Báez.

That said, the Cubs shortstop should take that as a compliment, as that means that he’s really good. I mean, c’mon, Reds fans aren’t going to boo you if you’re bad. Last season, Báez led all NL shortstops in slugging (.531), RBIs (85) and OPS (.847). Báez is a difference maker, plain and simple.

Not only is Báez a threat to knock the cover off the ball during every at-bat, but he’s also a phenomenal defensive player. Last season, according to FanGraphs, Javier Báez recorded a ridiculous 26 defensive runs saved. Only Paul DeJong equalled that number and Nick Ahmed, the NL Gold Glove Award winner at shortstop, racked up only 17.

Next. Where does Moustakas rank among 2B in the division?

Until Paul DeJong strings together some consistent seasons, Kevin Newman’s defense improves or Jose Garcia asserts himself as the Reds shortstop of the future, I’d say that Javier Báez’s place as the No. 1 shortstop in the division is pretty secure.

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