Confident Reds infielder Jonathan India has a message for the 'best fans in baseball'

Jonathan India is not short on confidence. India was one of the few Cincinnati Reds players who openly spoke last season about blowing past the low expectations set by media and pundits throughout baseball.

As it turns out, India was correct. Having won just 62 games in 2022, the Reds added 20 more victories to the win column in 2023 and barely missed out on the playoffs. Cincinnati was in the playoff hunt until the final week of the season.

But an extremely confident India is ready to proclaim this year's squad playoff ready. In speaking with USA Today, the Reds second baseman said, “We’ve got the best fans in baseball, and we’re going to get the division championship for the city."

Confident Reds infielder Jonathan India has a message for the 'best fans in baseball'

Jonathan India has been part of the entire rebuilding process. The 27-year-old was called up in 2021 and was part of a team that made a playoff run during his rookie season, but fell apart down the stretch.

In 2022, the entire roster was gutted. Longtime catcher Tucker Barnhart was traded shortly after the season, and left-handed pitcher Wade Miley was waived. Jesse Winker, Eugenio Suarez, Sonny Gray, and Amir Garrett were all traded. And Nick Castellanos, one of India's best friends, was allowed to sign a five-year, $100 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Last season, with a slew of rookies playing alongside him, India took on a leadership role and helped to guide the young team within an eyelash of making the MLB Postseason. This season, India is focused on his team returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Not only that, but he's predicting an NL Central Division title, which would be the Reds' first since 2012.

The bandwagon is starting to fill up ahead of the 2024 season. FOX MLB analyst Ben Verlander recently predicted that the Reds would win the NL Central, and several others throughout the sport are taking notice.

The Cincinnati Reds look eerily similar to the Baltimore Orioles from a year ago. That team won 101 games. While that may be a bit out of reach, if this year's Reds roster can stay healthy, the sky's the limit. This is a confident group of young, talented players.