Grading Kyle Farmer's gritty 2022 season with the Reds

Like Scooter Gennett before him, Kyle Farmer has become that gritty, hard-nosed ballplayer that fans throughout Reds Country love to root for. Farmer is a good ole boy from Georgia who had a very good season for the Cincinnati Reds in 2022.

Perhaps the most consistent and dependable player on this year's team, Farmer put up solid numbers at the dish, especially against left-handed pitching.

But the Reds also decided midway through the season that it was time to give Jose Barrero a real chance to prove himself at the major league level. In doing so, the decision was made to move Farmer from shortstop to third base. Let's put a grade on Farmer's 2022 performance.

Reds 3B Kyle Farmer crushed left-handed pitching in 2022.

Kyle Farmer absolutely raked against southpaws in 2022. The veteran infielder slashed .309/.380/.568 against left-handers this past season and eight of 14 round trippers came off lefties. Overall, Farmer hit .255/.315/.386 and posted a team-high 78 RBIs.

After Brandon Drury was traded to the San Diego Padres, Farmer was moved from shortstop to third base and consistently found himself batting third in the Cincinnati Reds lineup. While some fans were upset by the fact that Jose Barrero supplanted Farmer at shortstop, the Georgia native actually posted better defensive numbers at the hot corner.

According to Baseball Savant, Farmer was worth -3 outs above average (OAA) at shortstop this season, but posted 2 OAA while playing third base. This is pretty stark contrast to Farmer's 6 OAA while playing shortstop in 2021.

Farmer is leader on this Reds ball club and will be up for arbitration during the offseason. While the Cincinnati front office sold off players like Drury, Tommy Pham, and Tyler Naquin, fans should expect to see Farmer wearing the wishbone-C on his cap next season.

In terms of a grade for his performance in 2022, by the numbers, Kyle Farmer actually posted better stats in 2021. That said, Farmer's intangibles far outweigh what any box score is going to show.

Reds 3B Kyle Farmer's final grade for the 2022 season: B+