Cincinnati Reds: 3 players most likely to bounce back in 2021

ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 30: Eugenio Suarez #7 of the Cincinnati Reds reacts after hitting a single in the thirteenth inning of Game One of the National League Wild Card Series. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 30: Eugenio Suarez #7 of the Cincinnati Reds reacts after hitting a single in the thirteenth inning of Game One of the National League Wild Card Series. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
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Eugenio Suarez #7 of the Cincinnati Reds looks on and blows a bubble of gum.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – SEPTEMBER 25: Eugenio Suarez #7 of the Cincinnati Reds looks on and blows a bubble of gum. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)

1. Eugenio Suárez, Reds third baseman

If Eugenio Suárez isn’t atop your list of players in need of bounce-back season in 2021, you and I weren’t watching the same games last year. That’s not to say that Geno had a terrible season, but if the Reds are going be competitive in 2021, Suárez has to be the team’s best player on offense. That was not the case in 2020.

Suárez is Cincinnati’s best player, and though his name has crept into trade rumors this offseason, I fully expect the former All-Star to remain in a Reds uniform heading into next season. If the Reds front office were going to entertain the idea of dealing Geno, doing so after the 2020 season is not the time.

Last season, Suárez slashed .202/.312/.470 with 15 home runs and 38 RBIs. That’s a far cry from the numbers he put up in 2019 when Suárez became the all-time Venezuelan-born single season home run leader. Geno hit .271/.358/.572 and finished 15th in MVP voting in 2019. That’s the version of Eugenio Suárez that Cincinnati Reds Fans are hopeful to see in 2021.

The additions of Mike Moustakas and Nick Castellanos last offseason were assumed to bring a measure of protection for Suárez in the Cincinnati lineup. But, with both free agent signings failing to meet expectations, Suárez did not receive as many opportunities as most folks expected. Look for the Great Bam-Geno to return to form in 2021.

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