2021 Cincinnati Reds Spring Training

[Ron Madden]

Charlie Goldsmith @CharlieG__
The Reds fall to Cleveland in their spring opener, 5-1.
-Kyle Farmer was the standout for Cincinnati, hitting a double that nearly cleared the fence and making two solid defensive plays.
-Joey Votto was 2-2 with two well hit balls.
-José De Léon’s slider was sharp.

David Bell on Kyle Farmer: “His body looks different. He’s in great shape… He just looks strong and lean.”

“He looked like a different player."

Bell was particularly impressed by Josh Osich out of the bullpen and said Jose De Leon showed flashes in a game that wasn’t his best.

[Ron Madden]

observations
1. De León struck out two, walked two and yielded one hit (an RBI triple) across two innings. He sat 92-94 mph with his fastball and threw exclusively fastballs and sliders, the latter is a pitch that’s worked on a lot in the past year.

De León showed his upside after giving up a triple to Cleveland shortstop Andrés Giménez by striking out Austin Hedges and Ernie Clement. He threw a first-pitch slider to Hedges that induced a silly-looking swing-and-miss, then froze Hedges with a 94-mph fastball on the corner of the plate.

2. It was a nice day for the shortstops. Farmer hit a double off the wall in right-center that may have been a homer if it wasn’t so windy. He made all the routine plays, including a nice throw on the run when he charged a slow ground ball from Billy Hamilton.

Kyle Holder, the Rule 5 pick, lived up to his defensive reputation by showing off his quick hands on an inning-ending double play. He fielded a hard-hit ball from Oscar Mercado to his left and the transfer to second baseman Jonathan India was strong and smooth.

3. Lefty Josh Osich, a non-roster invitee, reached 95 mph with his fastball in a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts. It's a good sign after his velocity dipped during the 2020 season (average fastball was 92.3 mph, according to Statcast). His slider was sharp and induced a swing-and-miss, too.

Full Article Cincinnati.com
Joey Votto bats 1.000 and Cincinnati Reds baseball returns in spring loss to Cleveland
Bobby Nightengale, Cincinnati Enquirer

[Ron Madden]

Charlie Goldsmithn@CharlieG__

Here’s the Reds lineup today.
https://mobile.twitter.com/CharlieG_...240512/photo/1
Most notably, Dee Strange-Gordon is starting... but playing second base.

[Ron Madden]

Bobby Nightengale
@nightengalejr
David Bell on Alex Blandino: "He's been really impressive with how he's handled everything he's been asked to do. ... When our spring training ended last year, Blandy was playing as well as anyone in camp."

Charlie Goldsmith
@CharlieG__
Alex Blandino is playing third today, but Bell made a point to tell him he’s going to get an opportunity at shortstop.

“He’s been left out of the conversation at times… It wasn’t intentional."

[HammerTime]

Bobby Nightengale
@nightengalejr

#Reds probable starters this week, per the game notes:
Tuesday - RHP Hunter Greene vs. LAA
Wednesday - RHP Jeff Hoffman at LAD
Thursday - RHP Sonny Gray vs. KC
Friday - RHP José De León vs. ARI

[Joeyjection19]

Tuesday - RHP Hunter Greene vs. LAA

Trout didn't play yesterday but is starting in CF today. Greene v Trout would be amazing. This game is also scheduled to be on MLB Network.

[Bourgeois Zee]

Excited to see Greene pitch again.

[Ron Madden]

Bobby Nightengale
@nightengalejr
Along with Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo scheduled to pitch tomorrow vs. Angels. It'll be a good look at their top prospects for those watching on MLB Network. #Reds

[JFLegal]

there is just something about spring when it comes to getting you excited about your team, even when deep down you know you probably shouldn't (hope springs eternal is always an apt phrase when beginning the MLB season). i've spent the better part of this offseason disgusted by the reds' front office and the direction of the franchise in general. but here i am once again excited about the upcoming season. there is no question we've had a lot worse rosters heading into a season the last 20 years. this roster isn't bad at all and the reds could compete if things break right.

like a crackhead that can't put down the pipe, these are the days of our reds.

[Ron Madden]

Charlie Goldsmith @CharlieG__
Earlier this year, Nick Krall said, "you're always trying to improve your club no matter where you are during the course of the year.”

However, there usually aren’t many starters traded during Spring Training.

Last year, there were only two trades during March according to the MLB transactions page, and neither was an MLB player.

In 2019, there were 22 trades, but none of them included a shortstop.

No MLB shortstop has been traded in March since the Reds traded Devin Lohman in 2015.

[Danny Serafini]

Devin Lohman also not an MLB player, not sure where he was going with that one.

[Ron Madden]

When thinking about candidates to be the Reds’ shortstop this season, don’t forget about Alex Blandino. Manager David Bell sure hasn’t, even though Blandino’s name is rarely the first one mentioned.

“Blandy has been really impressive with how he’s handled everything he’s been asked to do. A lot of times, in fairness, he’s been left out of the conversation at times for whatever reason -- it wasn’t intentional -- and I’m excited to see him play.”

“Just like his personality, he’s just solid,” Bell said of Blandino. “He’s a solid defender. He makes the plays. I think the key for him to be to just show his range and mobility, and I’m confident that he will do that.”

Blandino, 28, was a shortstop for Stanford University when selected by the Reds in the first round of the 2014 MLB Draft. But the organization profiled him more at second base or third base, and that was reflected in how he was used as he moved up the system.

By the time he was called up to the big leagues for the first time in 2018, Blandino was a utility player.

“I pride myself on my versatility, learning a few other positions in my time in the Minors and in the big leagues, I've even played first a little bit,” Blandino said. “It's exciting to be in the mix at short. I think I can definitely get some innings there. Yeah, I'm just looking to prove something in spring and have a good run at it.”

Mark Sheldon reds.com

[StRedlegs900]

Gotta love all these articles popping up everywhere about the huge strides that all of our "shortstop candidates" have made. At this rate we might be selecting from among 3-4 different potential all-stars! What were we all worried about?

Baseball Spring has indeed sprung, and oh how we've missed ye!

[JFLegal]

yeah, the way i view the SS situation is the reds are just biding time until they think garcia is ready. they will go with a platoon, and it will likely be some combination of farmer/blandino/strange-gordon/holder (2 of those 4). then when garcia is ready, he will be the everyday SS.

[M2]

Devin Lohman also not an MLB player, not sure where he was going with that one.

Wasn't that guy the star of Ned's Declassified?