Cincinnati Reds: 3 players who won’t be back in 2021

1. Robert Stephenson, Reds relief pitcher

It’s very hard to Robert Stephenson’s name atop the list of players who ought not return in 2021, but I think that’s where you have to start. Stephenson has been given more than his fair share of opportunities to  carve out a spot on this team, and his underwhelming performance in 2020 cannot be ignored.

Stephenson was the Reds most improved player in 2019. The right-hander went from first-round bust to a reliable arm at the back-end of bullpen. Stephenson held onto a spot in 2019 by the skin of his teeth. Having no minor league options remaining, the Reds held onto Stephenson, ended his time as a starting pitcher and inserted him into the bullpen.

The results speak for themselves. In 2019, Robert Stephenson put up a career-best 3.76 ERA, 125 ERA+ and a 1.036 WHIP. Next to Michael Lorenzen and Amir Garrett, Stephenson was the most reliable arm in the Cincinnati pen. Oh, what a difference a year makes.

This season, Bob Steve only competed in 10 games. He posted a 9.90 ERA, 43 ERA+ and a WHIP of 1.400. Now it’s a bit difficult to make a judgment based on just 10 appearances, but that’s the hand we’ve been dealt in a 60-game season. Plus, Stephenson spent a considerable amount of time on the injured list as well.

Stephenson’s strikeout-rate, according to FanGraphs, remained about the same. It was 30.9%, a career-high, in 2019 and 30.2% this season. Even his walk-rate, which Stephenson was able to lower dramatically from 2018 (19.0%) to 2019 (9.2%), was solid at 7.0%. But Stephenson’s eight home runs surrendered in 10 innings pitched cannot be ignored. Adios, Bob Steve.