Cincinnati Reds: Predicting the 30-man roster to begin 2020 season

The Cincinnati Reds need to whittle their roster down to 30 players by Opening Day.

The 2020 baseball season will look vastly different from what we’re used to. The designated hitter will find a home in both the American and National Leagues for the first time ever. If a game goes to extra innings, each team will start with a runner already on second base. However, the most interesting aspect from the fans’ perspective is who will make the Cincinnati Reds 30-man roster.

Heading into the 2020 season, teams were looking to expand rosters from 25 to 26 players, but the coronavirus pandemic has caused Major League Baseball to add a few more spots; at least for the first few weeks. With an abbreviated summer camp, the added roster space will help teams avoid injury by having a few more players at the managers’ disposal.

The expanded rosters will definitely help unclog the Reds backlog of talented outfielders. After signing Shogo Akiyama and Nick Castellanos during the offseason, playing time in Cincinnati’s outfield was going to be at a premium. The universal DH will help alleviate that problem as well.

So, who’s in and who’s out? What’s going to be the tightest position battle? Who’s a lock to make the team? Which top prospects may find their way onto the roster? Let’s see if we can answer these questions and more as we check out our 30-man roster prediction for the Cincinnati Reds 2020 season.

Reds starting lineup (9)

Joey Votto (1B), Mike Moustakas (2B), Freddy Galvis (SS), Eugenio Suárez (3B), Tucker Barnhart (C), Nick Castellanos (RF), Nick Senzel (CF), Shogo Akiyama (LF), Jesse Winker (DH)

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell will likely employ the same strategy he used in 2019, so expect a few players to move in and out of the starting lineup, but a core group of at least six players should be expected to take the field every day; Votto, Moustakas, Galvis, Suárez, Castellanos and Akiyama.

The added roster spots and implantation of a universal designated hitter will greatly help the Reds field situation, which was contentious among fans back in March. Castellanos and Akiyama will be regulars in the Reds lineup, and Senzel will find plenty of at-bats as well. Bell is likely to rotate between Ervin and Winker based on pitching matchups.

Somedays it’s easy to Winker in the DH role, while other days we see Castellanos or even Votto. There’s a scenario where Moustakas may see some time at DH as well, giving way to the likes of Alex Blandino or Kyle Farmer, who arguably have a better glove at second base.

The biggest plus for this group is health. The coronavirus pandemic shut down spring training just days before Eugenio Suárez was set to debut. Though we never Geno take an at-bat or Senzel play the field, both are said to be ready to go once summer camp gets underway. Senzel may see some time in the infield as well, or just be given the day off in favor of Akiyama playing center field.

Reds role players (6)

Phillip Ervin (OF), Kyle Farmer (IF), Josh VanMeter (IF), Mark Payton (OF), Curt Casali (C), Alex Blandino (IF)

For now, the decision not to include Derek Dietrich among the 60-man player pool brings clarity to the Cincinnati Reds bench. I thought for sure that Dietz would be among the 60 players brought to summer camp, and he still may. However, the decision not to put him immediately among the group at Great American Ball Park signals that he may not be part of the team’s plans.

You can put Curt Casali and Phillip Ervin among the locks to land a spot on the Reds bench. Even with the addition of thee universal DH, Ervin will struggle to get some regular at-bats. However, after hitting .349/.411/.628 off left-handers in 2019, it’s a safe bet to assume that Ervin will get his ABs when a southpaw is on the bump.

Kyle Farmer was slated to be the backup to Freddy Galvis at shortstop, and still may be. But, with the additional roster slots, it’s quite possible for Alex Blandino to snag on the final spots on the team. Blandino offers a better glove and owned a 1.327 in Cactus League play before the coronavirus halted spring training.

Josh VanMeter is a versatile, left-handed power bat the Reds can add to the lineup and the 25-year-old can play all over the infield and even in the outfield. As a Rule 5 draftee, Mark Payton must be on the Reds roster all season in order to stay within the organization.

Reds relief corps (10)

Pedro Strop (RHP), Lucas Sims (RHP), Michael Lorenzen (RHP), Cody Reed (LHP), Raisel Iglesias (RHP), Nate Jones (RHP), Tyler Mahle (RHP), Robert Stephenson (RHP), Tyler Thornburg (RHP) and Amir Garrett (LHP)

This group is likely to shift a lot in the coming weeks. Some players are virtual locks (Garrett, Stephenson and Lorenzen) to make the Reds roster, while others (Thornburg, Jones and Reed) will need to prove that they belong.

Pedro Strop, Raisel Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen will likely share closer duties during 2020. That three-headed monster should be a very imposing trio for opposing batters in the ninth inning. Amir Garrett may get the call late as well depending on the matchup.

Robert Stephenson finally broke through last season and asserted himself as a formidable pitcher out of the Reds bullpen. The former first-round pick had a career-high 30.9% strikeout-rate in 2019 and career-best walk rate of 9.2% according to FanGraphs.

The bullpen battle might be the fiercest of camp, with non-roster invitees R.J. Alaniz, Jesse Biddle, David Carpenter, Brooks Raley and Alex Powers looking to make the cut. Last year’s first-round pick, Nick Lodolo, is in the group set to get started at Prasco Park in Mason and could make some noise as well.

So, there you have it. With the 30-man rosters to begin the season, several players have the opportunity to make the team, an option that wasn’t afforded to them earlier this spring. The rosters will then shrink to 28 players after two weeks, and two weeks after that, teams can carry 26 players on the active roster for the remainder of the season.