3 Reds players who've disappointed through the first 20 games, and 2 who've exceeded expectations

We're now 20 games into the 2023 season and the Cincinnati Reds have at least surpassed three victories. That's something that Reds Country could not have said at this time last year.

While there have been some disappointing moments so far in 2023, such as getting curb-stomped by the Tampa Bay Rays in two out of three games earlier this week, there've been some bright spots as well. The Reds absolutely battered the defending NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies 13-0 earlier this season.

So, it's been a mixture of disappointment and success through the first 20 games of the season. Let's look at three Reds players who've been a disappointment thus far and two players who've exceeded expectations through the first three-plus weeks of the 2023 season.

Reds pitcher Luis Cessa has disappointed through the first 20 games.

There are some fans that will say, "I told you so," but it really felt as though Luis Cessa would at least be a competent starting pitcher to begin the season. At the very least, David Bell was hoping that Cessa would be stopgap option until some of the younger pitchers were ready for The Show.

That couldn't be further from the truth, and despite his horrific outing last week, Bell will still hand the ball off to Cessa today against the Pittsburgh Pirates. If Cessa gets rocked once again, it'll likely be the end of the experiment.

Cessa was a career-reliever with a handful of starts while in the New York Yankees organization. When he was traded to the Reds in 2021, it was to bolster the team's beleaguered bullpen, not take a spot in the starting rotation.

With Levi Stoudt having already made a start earlier this season, and Brandon Williamson on the cusp of his big league debut, it's only a matter of time before Luis Cessa is sent back to the Cincinnati bullpen. Another poor outing could see that happen as early as tomorrow.