Cincinnati Reds: 3 players who should be non-tendered this offseason

2. Robert Stephenson, Reds pitcher

What happened to Robert Stephenson in 2020? I’m serious! Did Stephenson forget everything he learned in 2019 or is there more to it? Stephenson seemed to finally “get it” during his 2019 campaign, one that appeared to be his last shot with the Reds. However, after putting up career-bests that season, Stephenson turned around and laid an egg in 2020.

I’m a big fan of Robert Stephenson and was ecstatic to see him finally break through in 2019. The right-hander went 3-2 with 3.76 ERA in 57 appearances out of the Cincinnati bullpen. As the 2019 season went along, Reds manager David Bell gained more and more confidence in Stephenson, allowing him to pitch more often in high-leverage situations.

But, his performance in 2020 was enough to make Reds Country sick. In 10 games, Robert Stephenson allowed 11 hits, 11 earned runs and struck out just 13 batters while also allowing eight balls to leave the yard. His 9.90 ERA was the worst of his career. In his defense, Stephenson was placed on the injured list early in 2020 and it’s questionable if he was 100% healthy this season.

A close look at some of the advanced metrics will show you that Bob Steve put up similar numbers to his breakout performance in 2019. Stephenson’s strikeout-rate, according to FanGraphs, dropped just slightly from 30.9% to 30.2%. His walk-rate dropped from 9.2% to 7.0% and his K/9 hit an all-time high of 11.70. So, what happened to Robert Stephenson?

In short, it was the long ball. Stephenson’s HR/9 hit a ridiculously high 7.20 after setting a career-best 1.25 last season. A closer look at the metrics might give fans hope that Stephenson can return to his 2019 form. According to MLB Trade Rumors, he’s only slated to make $600K via arbitration. However, the Reds have already sent Cody Reed packing. Will Stephenson be next?