Cincinnati Reds: Three up and three down from the final week of camp

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CINCINNATI, OH – JULY 21: Eugenio Suarez #7 of the Cincinnati Reds (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

The Cincinnati Reds begin play on Friday evening against the Detroit Tigers.

Summer camp is over. The Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers closed out their final exhibition game on Wednesday and are all set for Opening Day on Friday. Though the coronavirus pandemic has severely shortened the 2020 Major League Baseball season, Reds Country should still be excited about the trajectory of this year’s team.

Reds fans, this has the potential to be a very odd, yet special season. We’re only going to see a 60-game season, as the pandemic shut down spring training and a long, drawn out negotiation between the player’s union and the owners made us wait longer than we wanted for players to get back on the field. However, here we are, just a couple days away from the start of the season.

Make no mistake, the Cincinnati Reds are one of the few teams that are tailor-made for this abbreviated 2020 season. With the additions of Nick Castellanos and Mike Moustakas, the Reds have two power-bats that were not here in 2019. Shogo Akiyama gives Cincinnati its best leadoff hitter since, perhaps, Shin-Soo Choo in 2013.

The Cincinnati rotation is top-notch. The only National League team that can even rival the Reds frontline starters are the Washington Nationals. However, I might take Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo and Trevor Bauer over Patrick Corbin, Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer. It’s going to be a sprint to the finish, but what did we learn from the final week of summer camp?

CINCINNATI, OH – JULY 21: Shogo Akiyama #4 of the Cincinnati Reds (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Three up from the final week of Reds summer camp

1) Shogo Akiyama could be a star.

When the Cincinnati Reds signed Shogo Akiyama to a three-year/$21M contract last December, one of the biggest aspects of the story was the 31-year-old becoming the team’s first Japanese-born player in its 150-year history. However, since his arrival, Akiyama has adapted incredibly well and looks to be fixture at the top of the Reds lineup.

Akiyama hit a three-run bomb to straight-away center field on Tuesday night, knotting the game at six runs a piece. The left-handed hitter has shown incredible patience at the plate and will likely be Cincinnati’s primary left field and leadoff hitter. Akiyama will set the table for the big hitters in the Reds lineup. He may receive several votes for NL Rookie of the Year.

2) Nick Castellanos will be ready for the opener.

After a score during a scrimmage last Friday, it appears that free agent signee Nick Castellanos is ready to go for Friday’s opener against the Detroit Tigers. Castellanos took a fastball to the middle of his back courtesy of teammate Tyler Mahle.

Castellanos was back in the lineup for the final exhibition last night against the Tigers and playing right field. If need be, David Bell could offer his slugger a bit more time to rest and recuperate by using him as the team’s designated hitter during the week series with Detroit.

3) Travis Jankowski makes the team.

To the surprise of some fans, Mark Payton was returned to the Oakland Athletics and the Cincinnati Reds have decided to keep Travis Jankowski as the team’s sixth outfielder. Payton was a Rule 5 Draft pick back in December of 2019.

Jankowski offers something that no one else on the Reds has; elite-speed. Given the “runner on second base” rule that will accompany the 2020 season should a game go into extra innings, having a speedster that can immediately occupy second base, Jankowski’s wheels may provide an extra win or two.

CINCINNATI, OH – JULY 21: Nick Lodolo #86 of the Cincinnati Reds (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Three down from the final week of Reds summer camp

1) Nick Lodolo was roughed up on Tuesday night.

Last year’s first-round pick needs a bit more seasoning. Nick Lodolo, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, gave up back-to-back-to-back home runs during Cincinnati’s 9-7 victory over Detroit on Tuesday night. The start was Lodolo’s first start against major league-level competition.

With the minor league season cancelled, Lodolo, along with fellow minor leaguers Tyler Stephenson, José García and Tony Santillan, were added to Cincinnati’s 60-man player pool. Lodolo finished the game going just 1.1 innings, allowed eight hits and five earned runs.

2) Mark Payton returned to the Oakland Athletics.

As we mentioned earlier, Mark Payton was returned to the Oakland A’s after David Bell and his staff decided they’d prefer to keep Travis Jankowski as the team’s sixth outfielder. Jankowski joins Nick Castellanos, Nick Senzel, Shogo Akiyama, Jesse Winker and Phillip Ervin.

Payton was a Rule 5 Draft pick up back in December who looked the part of a potential major leaguer. in fact, he the Reds front office not added Castellanos and Akiyama this winter, the former New York Yankees prospect may have made the squad. The A’s added Payton to their 60-man player pool on Tuesday.

3) Derek Dietrich released.

The Cincinnati Reds and utility player Derek Dietrich mutually agreed to part ways earlier this week. Dietrich, who took Reds Country by storm last spring, asked for and was granted his release. By exercising his opt-out clause, Dietrich is not able to re-sign with the Reds this season.

Predicting the Reds Opening Day lineup. Next

Dietrich will long be remembered for hitting a three-run pinch hit home run during last year’s Opening Day against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dietrich was a constant thorn in the side of Pirates pitching, hitting .316/.366/.921 with seven homers and 15 RBIs against the Buccos last season.

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