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

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.