Baffling statistic to start the 2025 season has Reds fans scratching their heads

The Cincinnati Reds opening weekend series against the San Francisco Giants did not go as planned. Overall, the team played well, but two disastrous innings ultimately spelled doom for the ole Redlegs, and the Terry Francona era in Cincinnati is off to a 1-2 start.

Some of the Reds' miscues were preventable and raised the ire of the Cincinnati faithful. Base running mistakes and fielding errors — two things that were cited often by Reds fans as major problems in 2024 — were at the center of Cincinnati's struggles during the series loss to San Fran.

But one thing that was absent from the Reds' opening series against the Giants has been one of Cincy's calling cards the past two years. The Reds failed to register a stolen base in their first three games. Moreover, Cincinnati didn't even attempt to steal a bag over the weekend.

Reds fans scratching their heads after watching Cincy fail to even attempt to steal a base vs. the Giants

Francona made it a point during spring training to talk about base running, and picking the right times to steal a bag. But after finishing third in Major League Baseball with 207 stolen bases last season, it was rather odd to see the Reds stay put rather than put runners in motion. The Reds converted over 82% of their 252 stolen base attempts in 2024, and trailed only the Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers in successful tries.

The only other major league team who did not attempt to swipe a bag this weekend were the Athletics. On the flip side, the Pittsburgh Pirates stole 15 bases and were only gunned down once. The Boston Red Sox were a perfect 8-for-8 in stolen base attempts in their opening series.

Much of the Reds' lack of running can be attributed to the scarcity of opportunities. The Reds managed just 21 hits against Giants' pitching over the weekend. Elly De La Cruz was on base four times, but on two of the four occasions, had runners on ahead of him.

Reds fans shouldn't expect this trend to continue. Cincinnati stole 37 bags this spring; good for fifth most among all big league clubs during the Cactus League and Grapefruit League season. Look for De La Cruz and others to start making some noise on the base paths in the upcoming series against the Texas Rangers.

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