3 players Reds' fans should lower the bar for in 2024

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The Cincinnati Reds will enter the 2024 season with high expectations. And why shouldn't they? The team is comprised of multiple budding stars, and invested over $100 million in free agency this offseason. The Reds also play in competitive, yet winnable, division. The expectations in the Queen City haven't been this high in over a decade.

But increased expectations can also bring disappointment when players don't live up to the hype. After a successful campaign in 2021, Jonathan India failed to match his NL Rookie of the Award-winning season in 2022.

Sometimes, while fans hate the idea of it, the bar needs to be lowered just a bit in order for players to meet expectations. The Reds fanbase is excited for the forthcoming season, but their assumptions for 2024 may need some adjustments. Which three players should Reds' fans lower the bar for with the 2024 campaign just a couple months away?

1. Nick Lodolo

Oddly enough, the expectations for Nick Lodolo were rather high last season. After a successful rookie campaign in 2022, injuries robbed Lodolo of an opportunity to live up to the hype following his first season in the big leagues.

Lodolo enters spring training with several unknowns. First, is he healthy? If the answer is, yes, Reds fans shouldn't have anything to worry about. But there was a lot of mystery surrounding Lodolo's injury last season, and while the southpaw says that he's ready to go, the Cincinnati faithful are skeptical.

Last season, fans were told it was only a matter of time before Lodolo would return to the starting rotation. In fact, his return was oftentimes cited as the biggest reason why the Reds didn't add another pitcher at the trade deadline. However, Lodolo suffered a setback and remained on the 60-day IL for the rest of the season.

If Lodolo is healthy, the next question has to do with last season's numbers. Even before he landed on the IL, Lodolo's stats were not good. While the strikeouts were there, Lodolo was getting tattooed by the opposition, and a lot of balls were leaving the yard.

If he's healthy and his mechanics are sound, then Nick Lodolo will be one of the Reds' five starters leaving Goodyear with a ticket for Cincinnati. But after missing almost all of last season due to injury, fans may have to set the bar a bit lower for Lodolo in 2024.

2. Tejay Antone

Reds fans had such high hopes for Tejay Antone. During the abbreviated 2020 season, Antone proved to be one of the most versatile pitchers on the staff. Then in 2021, Antone became the Reds' most reliable reliever.

Unfortunately, Antone blew out his elbow midway through the 2021 season and had to undergo Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career. Antone's rehab took him out for the entire 2022 season, but he was expected to be full-go last year.

But Antone suffered another setback prior to spring training that delayed his return until almost the end of the 2023 season. While Antone was finally able to return to the mound, which was a feat in and of itself, the right-hander suffered another injury in September and was placed on the 60-day IL.

Anything the Reds receive from Antone in 2024 should be considered a bonus. Reds fans should enter the upcoming season with absolutely zero expectations for Antone. That doesn't mean that the Reds' reliever can't set a high bar for himself, but Antone's track record just doesn't allow for any sort of projection.

When he's 100-percent, you could make the argument that Tejay Antone is the best reliever in the Cincinnati bullpen. But the Reds have added enough relievers this winter that they won't be reliant on Antone to be "the guy". Instead, he can just one of the guys.

3. TJ Friedl

Some Reds fans won't like this, but if you think TJ Friedl is going to duplicate his performance from 2023, you might be sorely disappointed. That's not to say that he can't, but 18 home runs and a 4.4 fWAR will be hard to match.

Friedl is the type of player that the fans in Cincinnati absolutely love, and they should. The outfielder wears his heart on his sleeve and plays every game as if it's his last. Reds fans love that type of hard-nosed ballplayer. It's the same reason players like Kyle Farmer, Ryan Freel, and Corky Miller were so popular during their time with the Reds organization.

But can Friedl have sustained success in the big leagues? That's the question as the 27-year-old enters his second full season in the majors. Friedl did enough in 2022 to warrant consideration for a roster spot last spring. His performance in 2023 was arguably the best of any player on the team. But can he keep that same level of intensity and be the Reds leadoff hitter in 2024?

Friedl isn't going to forget how to play the game and turn into a platoon outfielder. But the Pennsylvania native plays with such reckless abandon, that injuries will always be a concern. However, no one is going to ask Friedl to take his foot off the gas, because that gritty, determined, aggressive style of play is what got him to The Show in the first place.

So while Reds fans shouldn't expect TJ Friedl to take a major step backward in 2024, it's also unfair to expect him to play much better than he did in 2023. But Friedl offers more than just what can be found in a box score. So while Friedl's on-field performance may diminish during the upcoming season, he'll still going to be at the top step encouraging his teammates throughout the game whether he's 0-for-4 or riding a seven-game hitting streak.

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