Cincinnati Reds: Five bold predictions for the second half of 2020 season

4. Lucas Sims supplants Raisel Iglesias as the Reds closer.

Raisel Iglesias’ last two seasons have been marred by inconsistency. When your job is to lock down the ninth inning and preserve your team’s lead, consistency is paramount. Lucas Sims has defined consistency this season and should supplant Iggy as the team’s closer before the end of the 2020 season.

It’s hard to give a ton of props to the Reds relief corps, after all, it’s not like the Milwaukee Brewers are world-beaters. But, given where the bullpen was, fans will take any light at the end of the tunnel. Outside of right-hander Nate Jones, the bullpen hasn’t allowed a single earned run in the last seven games.

Lucas Sims is tied with Amir Garrett for the team lead with 11 appearances out of the bullpen. Sims 0.69 ERA leads all Reds relievers, as does his .071 batting average against. Sims has been one of the biggest surprises in the Cincinnati bullpen this season. If Iglesias struggles, as he’s prone to do, look for David Bell to turn to Sims when the game is on the line.

Iglesias is the only player on the Reds to have earned a save this season. In fact, he’s got three. Look for that statistic to change in the coming weeks. Sims has been dealing and leads all Reds relievers with 18 strikeouts. I’d say it’s a good bet that Dick Williams and Nick Krall put Iggy on the trade block this offseason.