Cincinnati Reds: Mystery starter revealed with Ohio Cup on the line

Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos has lived up to the billing

Reds Country, are you not entertained? When the Cincinnati Reds signed Nick Castellanos as a free agent this past winter it sent shock waves through the fanbase. Through his first 11 games as a member of the Reds, it appears the front office is going to have a nice return on their investment.

All Castellanos has done is win Player of the Week and collect at least one hit in every game this season. For good measure, he’s currently leading the National League in homers with six, slugging at .912, OPS at 1.373 and an absolutely ridiculous 270 OPS+.

It looks as if manager David Bell has taken notice as well.  In the past two games, Castellanos has been moved to the No. 3 spot in the order behind Joey Votto. This could be a dream scenario for Castellanos. Even though he may not be peak Votto any longer, the Reds first baseman is still getting on-base at .389 rate which will give Castellanos ample opportunities to rack up ribbies.

Castellanos has also found Great American Ball Park to his liking. Through his first eight home games, Castellanos has walloped four home runs and two doubles. By playing half his games in the Queen City, an MVP caliber season is not out of the question for Castellanos.

Prediction

Honestly, the Reds should be walking into Cleveland with an opportunity to sweep the season series, but once again another late-inning meltdown led to their last demise last night. The bullpen surrendered a 2-0 lead in the seventh inning and a two-run homer to Franmil Reyes in the eighth sealed their fate.

Nonetheless, I expect the Redlegs to bounce back and take both games at Progressive Field. Luis Castillo gives the Reds a chance to win every night he takes the hill and there seems to be no stopping Nick Castellanos. Look for the Cincinnati Reds to hoist the Ohio Cup for the first time since the 2014 season.