Cincinnati Reds: 3 reasons why Nick Castellanos should return in 2021

2. Nick Castellanos has unfinished business and the Reds are set up for success.

Let’s not pretend that the Cincinnati Reds achieved their goal in 2020. Sure, they returned to the postseason for the first time since 2013, but a first-round exit while not scoring a single run over 22 innings is not the way you want to end your season. The Reds, and Nick Castellanos, have some unfinished business heading into 2021.

Congratulations to the Reds for making the postseason amid a global pandemic. Nobody expected the 2020 season to be shortened to just 60 games. But that’s no excuse. The Reds fell short of expectations, but this team is returning nearly all of their starters and some young talent players are ascending through Cincinnati’s minor leagues as well.

The only free agents heading into the offseason are Trevor Bauer and Freddy Galvis. It’s highly unlikely we’ll see Galvis return to Cincinnati next season and Bauer is likely to be the most sought-after hurler on the market. However, don’t think the Reds won’t make an effort to re-sign the likely Cy Young Award winner.

The Reds bats did not perform in 2020. Cincinnati’s .212 batting average was the absolute worst in the majors. The team’s .312 on-base percentage was good enough for 24th in all of Major League Baseball and the Reds 390 hits ranked dead-last.

The term unlucky has been used a lot to describe this year’s Reds team, and their .245 BAbip would seem to indicate there’s some truth to that. Castellanos, who’s BAbip was .257, still led the Reds in extra-base hits (27) and was second on the team in home runs (14) and RBIs (34). The Reds have the horses to get it done, and Castellanos can be a big part of the team’s success in 2021.