2 Reds players who will breakout in 2023 and 1 who will continue to struggle

Reds pitcher Nick Lodolo will breakout in 2023.

Nick Lodolo had a successful rookie campaign for the Cincinnati Reds in 2022. The left-hander was part of the Reds starting rotation from the beginning of the season, spent about two months on the injured list, and returned to finish out his first year in the big leagues on a high note.

In 19 starts, Lodolo fanned 131 batters over 103.1 innings of work. The southpaw owned a 3.66 ERA and 1.248 WHIP while also posting the third-highest bWAR (2.8) among all Reds players in 2022.

Lodolo is matchup nightmare for nearly every left-handed batter in the league. The 6-foot-6 lefty has a long, smooth stride and is not afraid to pitch inside. Lodolo actually led the league in 2022 with 19 hit-by-pitch.

Left-handed batters had virtually no shot against Lodolo during his rookie season. Opposing left-handed hitters posted a batting average of just .109 and of the 13 round trippers that Lodolo surrendered in 2022, not a single one came off a left-handed batter.

Hunter Greene, Graham Ashcraft, and Nick Lodolo will all be looking to build off their success rookie seasons. Look for Lodolo to breakout and emerge as one of the Cincinnati Reds best starting pitchers in 2023.