Something was surprisingly absent from Rece Hinds' Reds debut and it's not a bad thing

The Cincinnati Reds made a bit of a surprising move when they called up one of their top prospects to the big leagues. Rece Hinds, a former second-round pick of Cincinnati, replaced the injured Stuart Fairchild on the Reds active roster and was in the starting lineup against the Colorado Rockies on Monday night.

Hinds' major league debut was one to remember as the 23-year-old went 2-for-3 with a hustle double and a 449-foot blast into the upper deck in left field. Hinds' homer triggered a four-run eighth inning for the Reds and Cincinnati won going away by the final score of 6-0.

Hinds was all smiles following the game and received the traditional Gatorade bath after the victory. But one thing was surprisingly missing from Hinds' debut — he didn't record a strikeout. Why is that significant? Because Hinds led the International League in whiffs (126) this season.

Reds' rookie Rece Hinds did not strike out during his MLB debut

Strikeouts have been the biggest knock against Hinds throughout his entire professional career. Reds fans saw firsthand why so many within the organization are high on outfield prospect. There's only one man who might possess as much pop as Hinds, and that's Elly De La Cruz. Hinds has next-level power.

But during his minor league career, Hinds consistently went down on strikes. This past season at Triple-A Louisville, Hinds was striking out over 38% of the time. However, that number is down slightly from his 2022 campaign in which Hinds struck out in almost 39% of his at-bats.

As Reds fans have seen with previous power-hitters, this is part of game. The question is whether or not Hinds will be able to make adjustments like De La Cruz or if he'll flounder like former outfielder Aristides Aquino.

Hinds can hit a fastball, and on Monday night, he cranked a hanging slider into the seats. If Hinds is able to lay off pitches that are outside the strike zone and jump on the offerings that are in his wheelhouse, the Reds may have something special in their young rookie.

Monday night belonged to Rece Hinds, and the Cincinnati faithful are hopeful to see more of the same over the second-half of the 2024 season.

More Cincinnati Reds News and Rumors