Cincinnati Reds: 3 players on the hot seat heading into the 2021 season

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Cincinnati Reds center fielder Nick Senzel (15) runs in for batting practice before the first inning of the MLB Cactus League Spring Training game. /

Which three Reds players are on the hot seat this season?

Competition breeds success. You’ve heard that before, right? There’s been plenty of competition this spring in Goodyear, Arizona. The Cincinnati Reds are looking to return to the postseason after failing to score run in last year’s Wild Card Series versus the Atlanta Braves. There are a few players who are feeling the Arizona heat this spring and need to perform well in 2021.

Last season was an oddity. Seven-inning double headers (which will return this season), a 60-game regular season, an expanded playoff, alternate sites, and an abbreviated spring training. While the 2020 season still counted, I’m willing to give the players the benefit of the doubt. With so much uncertainty and irregularity, it’s hard to hold any player to their normally lofty standards.

However, as the 2021 season is set to get underway, the players will not be given the same leeway. Though the Reds returned to the postseason for the first time since 2013, it was as the No. 7 seed in the National League and were promptly swept in two games without scratching across a run.

Expectations may not be elevated, but fans still expect Cincinnati to compete for the division crown. Neither the Chicago Cubs or St. Louis Cardinals made great additions to their teams this offseason, and while the Brewers are hoping a bounce-back performance from Christian Yelich will put them in the NL Central driver’s seat, Milwaukee finished 2020 with a below-.500 record.

Last season, many fans placed Joey Votto on the hot seat, hoping the former MVP would return to form, but instead the six-time All-Star struggled early and was benched midway through the season. Votto bounced back in the second half of the season, and looks ready to lead the team this season. Who are the three Reds players squarely on the hot seat as the 2021 campaign is set to commence?

Cincinnati Reds right fielder Aristides Aquino (44) flashes his signature arm flex for fans. /

1. Aristides Aquino, Reds outfielder

It may be a bit unfair to say that Aristides Aquino is on the hot seat heading into the 2021 season given that he only lost his job in right field last season due to the opportunistic signing of Nick Castellanos. However, thee bottomline is, Aquino needs to prove this season that he belongs in the big leagues and isn’t just a one-trick pony.

Aquino burst onto the scene in August of 2019 following the trade of Yasiel Puig to the Cleveland Indians. Aquino, who’d been punishing baseballs at Triple-A Louisville throughout the 2019 season, brought that same level of performance to the Cincinnati Reds during his first full month in the major leagues.

Aquino hit his first big league homer on August 3, 2019 and didn’t look back. The Punisher hit .320/.391/.767 with 14 homers and 33 RBIs in August of 2019 and took home the Player of the Month honors. Unfortunately, for Aristides Aquino, the league figured him out and he’s failed to adjust.

During the month of September, Aquino hit just .196/.236/.382 with five home runs and 14 RBIs. Combined with his statistics from 2020, Aquino is 28-for-149 (.187) with just seven round trippers. Given the crowded Reds outfield, Aquino is going to have to make the most of his opportunities in 2021.

The Reds are likely to trot out Nick Castellanos, Nick Senzel, and Jesse Winker on a regular basis with Shogo Akiyama seeing time all over the outfield. When Aquino gets his opportunities, whether starting or coming off the bench, he must excel or he’ll find himself back at Triple-A Louisville.

Cincinnati Reds center fielder Nick Senzel (15) rounds the bases on a solo home run in the first inning of the MLB Cactus League Spring Training game. /

2. Nick Senzel, Reds centerfielder

Nick Senzel‘s placement on this list has nothing to do with his talent. His abilities on the field are not in question. The question is, can he remain on the field? After a slew of injuries and manipulation of service time delayed his big league debut, Senzel made the impact we all thought he would when the former first-round pick debuted on May 3, 2019.

During the first three months of his major league career, Senzel went 75-for-263 (.285) with 18 doubles, four triples, eight home runs and 30 RBIs to go along with nine stolen bases. Senzel looked the part of the top prospect Cincinnati had hoped would be a key cog in their lineup for years to come.

Unfortunately, Senzel suffered a season-ending injury in September of 2019 and an illness kept him out of a good portion of the 2020 season. Senzel has shown flashes, but his inability to stay on the field has been his undoing during the early part of his career.

If there is such thing as a make-or-break season, this may be it for Nick Senzel. Given Jesse Winker’s offensive production last season, it’s more likely that David Bell platoons Senzel and Shogo Akiyama in center field rather than Winker and Akiyama in left field. Senzel will get plenty of at-bats this coming season, but he has to make the most the opportunities when they come his way.

I truly believe that Nick Senzel has the opportunity to be the best hitter in the Cincinnati Reds lineup, but he has to stay healthy. If he can avoid finding his way onto the injured list this season, Senzel has the potential to be the team’s MVP in 2021.

Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Michael Lorenzen (21) throws a pitch. /

3. Michael Lorenzen, Reds pitcher

Is Michael Lorenzen a starting pitcher or a reliever? Well, we’re going to find out this season. Lorenzen, especially following the hamstring injury to Wade Miley, will likely begin the 2021 season in the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation. Whether he remains a starter will depend on how he adjusts to the new role and how some of the other pitching staff performs.

Remember when I said earlier that competition breeds success? I think that’s no more evident than in the race for the final spot in the Reds rotation. Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, and Tyler Mahle are locks to pitch every fifth day, but the final two spots are not guaranteed. Heading into spring training, it looked as though Lorenzen and Miley had the inside track. And they still may.

The Reds are paying Miley $8M this season. Unless he’s closing out games, that kind of dough is reserved for starting pitchers. So long as he’s healthy, I don’t see any way Miley is moved out of the rotation. Lorenzen, on the other hand, is in his walk-year and taking home $4.43M this coming season.

While that’s not chump-change, the possibility exists that Lorenzen could return to the Cincinnati bullpen if he fails to impress and the likes of Tejay Antone and José De León continue to push for a role in the starting rotation. Lorenzen’s future is very cloudy right now, but a solid season as a starter could earn him a nice contract with the Reds or elsewhere.

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Mikey Biceps had success in this two starts last season, and pitching every fifth day allows David Bell to utilize Lorenzen as a pinch runner, pinch hitter, or an additional outfielder. The fifth spot in the rotation is Lorenzen’s to lose, but several others hurlers are gunning for that job as well. Michael Lorenzen will have to put in the work all season in order to keep that spot on lockdown.

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