Brady Singer's starts are exposing a painful truth Terry Francona can't ignore

The Cincinnati Reds’ catching situation is complicated to say the least, but manager Terry Francona should have at least one pairing written in ink. Jose Trevino needs to be Brady Singer’s catcher. Whether it’s due to Trevino’s framing or his veteran leadership, it’s clear that the Reds should consider him Singer’s personal catcher.

With Trevino behind the plate, Singer has been elite. In their five games together, the Reds starter has a 2.70 ERA and opponents’ OPS of .554. Singer’s best pitch, a slider that dives away from right-handed batters, falls exactly into Trevino’s strong suit: framing pitches across his body.

Brady Singer’s success with Jose Trevino should make at least one lineup choice easy for Reds manager Terry Francona

With Tyler Stephenson behind the plate, Singer’s performances suffer significantly. The pair has averaged just under 4 ⅔ innings per start with a 7.85 ERA. As troubling is the even 10:10 strikeout to walk ratio. Stephenson has never been a defense-first catcher; in fact, he had a -11 fielding run value in 2023. His poor framing skills may be costing Singer, a pitcher whose greatest success in terms of run value has come on pitches in the shadow zone.

Trevino’s acquisition and subsequent extension have already come in handy for the Reds. Stephenson missed the beginning of the season due to injury, and extension talks with him seem to have derailed. Stephenson’s bat has started to wake up of late, but his offensive stats still pale in comparison with Trevino’s.

Trevino’s connection with Singer is not unique. Nick Lodolo has been substantially better with the vet behind the plate, and Andrew Abbott has been nearly unhittable with an opponents’ batting average of .157. Hunter Greene has given up more loud contact with Trevino, but the batting average on balls in plate is .222. The only pitcher without a significant variance between backstops is Nick Martinez, which indicates that perhaps Trevino’s impact on young pitchers is important here.

Trevino may have found his calling with this young Reds staff. With a gaggle of prospects due in the bigs this year, the veteran catcher could become essential. Cincinnati already has him tied up through 2027, at which point Alfredo Duno, the Reds’ supposed catcher of the future could be ready. Trevino’s success with Singer may be the first step in him relegating fan-favorite Stephenson to a DH role and cementing himself as the No. 1 catcher.

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