3 difficult decisions David Bell must make to bolster the Reds' playoff chances

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The Cincinnati Reds are surprisingly still alive in the hunt for the final NL Wild Card spot. With just 10 games to play, Cincinnati is in the mix along with the Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs, and Arizona Diamondbacks.

According to Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Bell said he’s managing these like playoff games. If that's true, the Cincinnati skipper may have some difficult decisions to make over the final two weeks of the 2023 season.

Some of these choices may not be popular with fans, and others might not be too popular with the Reds players themselves. Let's look at three difficult decisions Bell will need to make over the final 10 games.

1. Reds manager David Bell needs to keep Jonathan India as the leadoff hitter no matter what.

Jonathan India belongs in the leadoff spot for the Cincinnati Reds. I don't care if there's a left-hander, a right-hander, or an ambidextrous pitcher on the mound for the opposition, India needs to be hitting atop the Reds lineup every game for the rest of the season.

In the leadoff spot, India has hit .274/.366/.411 with a wRC+ of 109 according to FanGraphs. India has also batted third, fifth, sixth, and seventh this season, and in none of those spots in the order has India's OPS been above .700 outside of his one start batting seventh.

Bell has tinkered with the lineup incessantly throughout the year, and we've seen the likes of TJ Friedl, Jake Fraley and Elly De La Cruz get their time in the leadoff spot. Friedl's OPS in the leadoff spot was just .693 and De La Cruz struggled mightily batting first in the Reds lineup.

Fraley actually has an OPS of .860 hitting leadoff, but has a much higher OPS batting second and also fifth in the lineup. Fraley is also a bit hobbled at this point in the season due to a stress fracture, so sending him out atop the lineup could be a bit of a hindrance to the Reds base running.

There are 10 games left in the 2023 season and the Cincinnati Reds are on the verge of going to the postseason for the first time since 2020. Keeping Jonathan India as the table setter is essential for these final two weeks.

2. Reds manager David Bell needs to give Noelvi Marte more starts at shortstop.

Sorry, but there's no way that you can convince me that Elly De La Cruz at shortstop gives the Cincinnati Reds the best chance to win right now. That's not to say that the rookie phenom can't recapture that same level of play we saw earlier this summer, but right now, he's playing poorly.

Not only has De La Cruz been struggling at the plate, but his defense has been atrocious. Fans have seen routine ground balls bounce off De La Cruz's glove and trickle into the outfield of late. The infielder has 11 errors since the beginning of August.

Thankfully, the Reds have an alternative, even with Matt McLain currently on the injured list. Noelvi Marte has been on fire of late, and with 10 games left in the season, Reds manager David Bell needs to ride the hot hand.

Marte has also played fine defense at shortstop. According to FanGraphs, Marte has yet to commit an error and has 1 defensive run saved while playing shortstop. Moving Marte to shortstop would also allow Bell to keep Joey Votto in the lineup at first base and play Christian Encarnacion-Strad every day at the hot corner.

The future is bright for Elly De La Cruz, and the rookie has game-changing speed. But lately, he's been a liability both on the diamond and in the batters' box. If Matt McLain is able to return from the IL before the end of the season, De La Cruz will assuredly be coming off the bench.

3. Reds manager David Bell needs to limit his platoon lineups.

This might be the hardest thing in the world for David Bell to do. It's become a running joke for many of the Cincinnati faithful to openly laugh when Bell's lineup card is revealed.

This past week, there were occurences when Bell had Nick Martini inexpicably batting second in the lineup against right-handed pitching. Thankfully, Bell went back to India atop the batting order on Monday versus the Minnesota Twins with TJ Friedl batting in the No. 2 spot.

I'm not completely against the platoon. In fact, there's plenty of times when it has merit. If the Reds are facing a lefty, Nick Senzel should unquestionably be in the lineup and batting second with Jake Fraley and Will Benson riding the bench.

This isn't to suggest that David Bell should abandon the idea of the platoon altogether, but with Harrison Bader on the IL and Hunter Renfroe having been handed his walking papers, the Reds skipper is running out of platoon options anyway.

There are 10 games left in the season, and the Cincinnati Reds need to win as many as they can. Nick Martini and Stuart Fairchild need to remain on the bench as pinch hitters/ runners only. David Bell, I know you want to write their name on that lineup card somewhere, but please resist the urge.

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