3 Reds players who exceeded expectations through the first 81 games of 2023 and 2 who fell short

The Cincinnati Reds, who've now won six of their past seven series, are atop the National League Central Division with half the season now in the rearview mirror.

That's right, Reds fans, we've reached the halfway-point of the 2023 season and Cincinnati is 43-38. The Reds did not win their 43rd game last season until August 6th. After a 100-loss campaign a year ago, this has to feel good.

With 81 games down and 81 games to go, let's take a look back at the first-half of the 2023 season. Which three Reds players exceeded expectations through the first-half of the season, and who fell short?

Reds reliever Alex Young has exceeded expectations through the 1st 81 games of the 2023 season.

I'm not sure what you were expecting from Alex Young after the Cincinnati Reds inked him to a minor league deal prior to spring training, but it certainly wasn't a 2.81 ERA and 33 punch outs in 32 innings of work.

This isn't to say that Young has been the best reliever in the Reds bullpen this season; that title belongs to Alexis Diaz, with Lucas Sims a close second. But what Young has done throughout the first-half of the 2023 season, as essentially the lone lefty, is quite remarkable.

Young has taken on all comers, and believe it or not, has had better success against right-handed hitters than his has against left-handed hitters. Right-handed batters are hitting just .219 against Young compared to lefties who are touching him up to the tune of a .274 batting average against.

Alex Young has also done a very nice job of keeping the Reds in games when they're trailing. The southpaw has allowed a slash line of just .207/.281/.379 when Cincinnati is trailing, which has inevitably helped keep the club within striking range for their 29 come from behind victories in 2023.

Reds outfielder TJ Friedl has exceeded expectations through the 1st 81 games of the 2023 season.

Had TJ Friedl not had two separate stints on the IL this season, we'd be talking about the outfielder as a potential All-Star. But, despite his limited action, Friedl currently leads the Cincinnati Reds in bWAR (2.4).

Friedl has become an indispensable piece of this Reds team. Cincinnati's leadoff hitter leads the team in on-base percentage and is second in batting average and OPS with Matt McLain at the head of the class.

Friedl prides himself on creating chaos, and can reach base via walk, bunt hit, or may just go yard. The 27-year-old has a slugging percentage near .500 and is hitting .360/.411/.660 with runners in scoring position.

TJ Friedl has found a home atop David Bell's lineup card against right-handed pitchers, but has also become a regular when facing southpaws. In fact, Friedl has posted numbers against lefties (.379/.419/.552) than he has against righties (.310/.383/.489).

Non-drafted in 2016, Friedl has turned himself into quite the major league player in only his second year in the bigs. In addition to his tremendous production at the plate, Friedl has played great defense. According to FanGraphs, Friedl is worth 3 defensive runs saved and 2 outs above average. He's the definition of a complete player.

Reds starter Graham Ashcraft has fallen short of expectations through the 1st 81 games of the 2023 season.

Nobody expected this type of regression from Graham Ashcraft in 2023. While a sophomore slump is always part of the equation as a player enters Year 2, Ashcraft is experiencing a sophomore nosedive.

This is not the same player that was pitching to contact and getting routine ground balls during his rookie campaign. Ashcraft has lost all feel for his sinker, and it shows. After posting a ground ball-rate of a 54.5-percent in 2022, that number has dipped to 47-percent in 2023 according to FanGraphs.

Ashcraft's ERA has skyrocketed from 4.89 a year ago to 7.17. Even the right-hander's FIP, which is more accurate way to evaluate a pitcher's performance nowadays, has risen from 4.21 in 2022 to 5.55 through the firs-half of this season.

The biggest bugaboo, however, has been the long ball. After allowing 0.94 home runs per nine innings in 2022, that number sits at 1.57. Ashcraft also has a HR/FB of 18.2-percent, which is up from 12.5-percent from last season.

With the injuries to both Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene, the Cincinnati Reds need Graham Ashcraft to return to form over the second-half of the season. He doesn't need to be the team's ace, but a solid middle-of-the-rotation pitcher would be a good place to start.

Reds infielder Matt McLain has exceeded expectations through the 1st 81 games of the 2023 season.

Okay, this last one could have come down to any number of Reds players who've impressed through the first 81 games of the 2023 season. Will Benson, Andrew Abbott, and Spencer Steer could all occupy this spot. But what Matt McLain has done during his first 40 games in the bigs is nothing short of impressive.

Though Elly De La Cruz gets the headlines, it's been McLain who's getting it done on the field. That's not a shot at De La Cruz himself, but rather the lack of attention that McLain has received from the many pundits and so-called experts outside of Cincinnati.

Aside from likely National League Rookie of the Year and potential NL MVP Corbin Carroll, Matt McLain has been the best rookie performer in baseball this season. McLain is hitting .316/.371/.538 and has only been up in the bigs since mid-May.

McLain has also flashed the leather on multiple occasions with 3 defensive runs saved and 2 outs above average according to FanGraphs. McLain leads the Cincinnati Reds in wRC+ (139) and is second to only TJ Friedl (2.5) in fWAR (1.7).

Matt McLain is locked into the No. 2 hole in the Reds batting order, and that seems like a position that he may well hold for quite some time. With six home runs through just six weeks worth of games, it's not out of the realm of possibilities for McLain to eclipse 20 round trippers by the end of the season.