All signs point to the Nick Senzel experiment in center field coming to an end

Well, the Cincinnati Reds really screwed this one up. But, based on some of the information coming out following the MLB Winter Meetings, it would appear that the Reds have learned from their mistakes.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required), is reporting that the Reds are actively pursuing outfielders by putting some of the team's highly-regarded shortstop prospects on the chopping block.

This would seem to suggest that the Nick Senzel experiment in center field could be coming to a close. An infielder by trade, Senzel was moved to center field prior to his major league debut in 2019.

All signs point to an end to the Nick Senzel experiment in center field.

After non-tendering Billy Hamilton after the 2018 season, the Cincinnati Reds had a void in center field. Rather than pursuing a free agent or just rolling with Scott Schebler, the club decided to move their No. 1-ranked prospect and move to him to a position he'd never played throughout his entire college or professional career.

Nick Senzel, the Reds first-round pick in 2016, was moved from the infield to the outfield and the results have been disastrous. For his career, Senzel has hit just .240/.303/.360 with 20 home runs and 83 RBIs.

Senzel has not done himself any favors by ending three of his first four seasons on the IL and playing in just 273 (50.0%) of a possible 546 games. Senzel has also looked lost at times defensively, especially by missing the cutoff man and taking poor angles to catch fly balls.

But Cincinnati chose not to non-tender Senzel after the 2022 season, suggesting that the team still has faith in his abilities. But perhaps his skills will be better used as a super utility player; something the Reds had hinted at as the 2022 season waned. Senzel saw a little time at second and third base last season and was routinely seen fielding ground balls prior to games.

With Kyle Farmer's departure, Mike Moustakas' presence on the roster hanging by a thread, and the potential of adding an outfielder via trade, the stars may be aligning for Nick Senzel to move back to the infield in some sort of role. Whether that's as a utility player or something more is yet to be determined.