Reds are getting a glimpse of what Héctor Rodríguez could mean for 2027

It's been another disappointing year for the Cincinnati Reds offensively. For fans, frustration is reaching a boiling point, and it's beginning to feel as if it's impossible for the team to field the type of lineup that can be competitive day in and day out.

On the season, the Reds rank 29th in batting average (.229), 28th in on-base percentage (.308), 20th in slugging percentage (.398), 23rd in OPS (.706), and 24th in runs scored (593). The lone silver lining is that the club has hit 191 homers, which is good for fourth in MLB, after ranking 21st with 167 a year ago.

We've covered how they've struggled against fastballs. We've seen Sal Stewart come through with historic run production, yet the team has failed tremendously in key run-scoring situations.

But recently, fans have seen Cincinnati's lineup rolling. Since August 22, the club ranks fifth in batting average (.271), seventh in on-base percentage (.339), second in slugging percentage (.487), second in homers (26), third in OPS (.826), and eighth in runs scored (70).

What happened on that date that could have been the catalyst? Héctor Rodriguez hit his first career MLB home run.

Hector Rodriguez may be the Reds' lineup's missing element, but there's more work to be done

Rodriguez didn't hit the ground running right away. Called up on August 4, the 22-year-old hit just .118/.189/.147 over his first 12 games. It seemed as if he was following in Edwin Arroyo's footsteps, tearing it up at Louisville, but then turning into a pumpkin under the bright big league lights.

But that August 22 homer opened up the floodgates, and it seems as if there's no turning back now. From that point onward, Rodriguez has slashed a .333/.396/.688. He'll obviously slow down a bit, and he'll need to make adjustments as opposing pitchers learn how to better attack him, but there are reasons why he seems destined for success.

The first is his swing. It's fast, coming in at 74.4 mph on average, but also compact. He's drawn praise from Terry Francona for his ability to get his hands out to the ball quickly.

“When he swings at strikes you see what he can do. His hands are extraordinary,” the veteran manager said.

It's easy to see how, despite a more-aggressive-than-average approach, he's able to hit for both average and power thanks to those lightning-quick hands and steady bat path, bringing force to hit the ball on the screws consistently.

Then there's his preparation. He told Charlie Goldsmith that he has started visualizing his at-bats ahead of time, saying, “It’s concentration and choosing the pitches I want to hit, and making sure I make good contact.” It's things like this that make the kid appear like a seasoned vet.

Put him next to Elly De La Cruz and Stewart, and it's looking like Cincinnati has the key cogs to a successful offensive engine. That's a great start, but three players alone do not make a successful lineup.

The good news is that there are things that the Reds can do over the offseason to further bolster this nucleus. One is re-signing Tyler Stephenson, whose bat is extremely valuable at a position where offense is scarce, and whose defense is underrated. He'll likely be available for reasonable money and Cincinnati must keep him in the fold.

Another key is capitalizing on Eugenio Suárez's down year to bring him back on the cheap. Geno's season hasn't gone the way anyone hoped, but since August 1, he's hitting a very Suárez-like .242/.373/.526.

That can't be all, either. The Reds will need to figure out second base because they cannot afford to have another black hole in the lineup with Ke'Bryan Hayes manning the hot corner. They'll need Carlos Jorge to join Dane Myers and JJ Bleday as a productive member of the outfield. But if all those things come together, we could finally see Cincinnati with a potent offense, and Heéctor Rodriguez's arrival is a big reason why.

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