Reds lineup disrespected again after shocking ESPN ranking

Even after the addition of Eugenio Suárez, the Cincinnati Reds lineup has some question marks heading into the 2026 season. But is their offense worse than the Los Angeles Angels? How about the Minnesota Twins? There's no way the Tampa Bay Rays lineup is better than the Reds, right?

Well, if you ask ESPN writer and analyst Bradford Doolittle, he would tell you that Cincinnati's lineup ranks 24th out of all 30 Major League Baseball teams ahead of the upcoming season. Doolittle applied his own subjective grading system using terms like patience, baserunning, durability, and depth to evaluate every team's projected lineup and decided Cincinnati wasn't even worthy of the top-20.

Almost every Reds fan would agree that Cincinnati's lineup is nowhere near the level of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, or Toronto Blue Jays. Nevertheless, placing a team like the San Diego Padres — who will run out a group that includes Xander Bogaerts, Ramon Laureano, Gavin Sheets, Miguel Andujar — among the top-10 already raises serious questions about Doolittle's evaluation.

ESPN besmirches the Reds lineup yet again

Despite ranking 19th in hits last season, the Reds were handed a D in that category. Cincinnati ranked 13th among all MLB teams against right-handed pitching in 2025, and yet Doolittle gave them an F. But against lefties — an area of concern for the Reds last season — he passed out a C-. In short, Doolittle doesn't know what he's talking about when it comes to the Reds lineup.

Are there question marks? Sure. Who's going to hit ahead of Elly De La Cruz in the No. 2 hole? How will Sal Stewart handle the pressure? Will the combination of De La Cruz, Suárez, and Will Benson strike out too much? Was Matt McLain's 2025 campaign a mirage or a sign of things to come?

All of those are valid concerns. But it's madness to pretend as if Cincinnati's lineup isn't any better than the Angels' strikeout factory or the Twins' list of soon-to-be-hobbled stars. Then there's the even more perplexing placement of the Pittsburgh Pirates one slot higher at No. 23. The Buccos improved their offense with the additions of Ryan O'Hearn, Marcell Ozuna, and Brandon Lowe, but they ranked dead-last in OPS in 2025.

At the end of the day, these types of rankings and opinions mean little to nothing. But the persistent disrespect that the national media continue to display toward Terry Francona's club could help the Reds' push to prove the doubters wrong in 2026.