AFTERPAD

Gone is David Bell as manager of the Cincinnati Reds,  though the future ejections of a Reds manager may even be more entertaining. In as manager is future Hall of Famer Terry Francona,  a baseball lifer who has made quite the habit of taking one-time underdogs to the World the door is Jonathan India. The former National League Rookie of the Year once seemed poised to be the next face of the franchise,  but he somehow ended up a polarizing figure among fans - good enough to be a piece of a good club,  but not good enough to be the face. In comes Brady Singer,  India's former college teammate at the University of Florida,  to help bolster a starting rotation that needed bolstering badly last is Matt McLain to take over at the keystone. The former 1st round pick and 2023 breakout star missed the latter portion of23 and all of 2024 with a barrage of injuries,  but hopefully returns as Groot to Elly De La Cruz's Rocket as early as today. The same goes for Christian Encarnacion-Strand,  who once looked like he could hit a baseball over that there mountain before a wrist injury sapped his power Taylor Rogers Jersey,  confidence,  and just about everything else. Today begins his quest to threaten the 40 dinger threshold as a Reds player,  something that hasn't been threatened since the go-go days of the 2019 juiced Lux seemed an odd addition,  this winter's version of the Jeimer Candelario signing in the sense that he didn't have an obvious place to play everyday. Well,  the injury bug has already sorted that out more than we'd ever hope,  and now it seems there may be more places for Lux to play than he can physically play at any one time. Perhaps that's an omen given his actual versatility,  and he may help fill the void left by India more than we ever initially Steer is dinged up and destined for DH-only duty until his balky shoulder somehow gets better,  while the newly signed Austin Hays - brought in as a rebound candidate after an injury-plagued 2024 - is already out injured. Still,  potentialreturns to form' from both Candelario and TJ Friedl may well offset that Joey Votto Jersey,  in ,  the tantalizing southpaw that is Nick Lodolo. Is this the year he finally climbs up and over the litany of nagging injuries that have kept him still something of a secret league-wide? Is this the year he gets 28,  29 starts and flashes all the brilliance he's show in short stints so far? If so,  the tandem of Nick and ace Hunter Greene seems poised to be the most dominant,  intimidating duo the NL can ,  of course,  there is Elly - the beacon of this particular team. It's his team. It's his time. He's already shown himself to be one of the league's absolute unicorns,  the only thing remaining on his rise to superstardom being hoisting the entire team upon his back and carrying them to the promised land. Maybe he'll do it with his defense,  his range and arm second to none. Perhaps it will be again with his legs https://www.cincinnatistoreonline.com/5 … ver_Jersey,  an 80 steal season in the wings. It could,  though,  actually be with his bat,  with 40+ homer power from both sides of the plate and a bandbox in which to call 's Reds. Hunter's Reds. Tito's Reds,  and they're back in action today at 4:10 PM Opening Day.

The Cincinnati Reds made Chase Burns the highest pitcher selected in the 2024 MLB Draft last summer, using the 2 overall pick to pluck the righty from Wake Forest has a heater that reaches triple digits and an absolutely devastating slider, a combination that fueled him to the top of the strikeout leaderboard among all Division 1 college arms last year.  So, it's not at all surprising to see him immediately vaulted to the top of the Cincinnati farm system rankings, something echoed by Eric Longenhagen in the latest update to FanGraphs' Top 100 overall prospect checks in at 28 overall with a 55 FV grade, though Reds catching prospect Alfredo Duno ranking right behind him at spot 29 comes as something of an eye-opener.  The two are joined on Longenhagen's Top 100 by fellow Reds prospects Chase Petty and Rhett Lowder in an overall strong showing from the things get interesting is when you compare Longenhagen's list to the ZiPS Top 100 list dropped at FanGraphs by Dan Szymborski and his supercomputer earlier on Tuesday.  The Reds have only two prospects on the ZiPS list Jace Jung Jersey. and Burns is not one of made specific note of Burns after unveiling this year's list, noting that the lack of any pitching in the professional ranks after being drafted last year dings Burns in the eyes of ZiPS projections as college-only stats simply do not translate well in the algorithm.  That said, Rhett Lowder checked in at 74 on last year's ZiPS Top 100 despite having not pitched at all as a pro just is joined by only Edwin Arroyo this time around after the Reds had six prospects make the ZiPS Top 100 last year.  Each of Chase Petty, Carlos Jorge, Sal Stewart, and Noelvi Marte dropped off, while Arroyo fell all the way to 92 from spot 33 in you're an optimist, you can look at this pair of lists and say that each of Burns, Duno, Petty, Lowder, and Arroyo are considered Top 100 overall prospects by at least one corner of the FanGraphs crew Dillon Dingler Jersey.  If you're a skeptic - and who among we Reds fans isn't at least a bit anymore - you can see that there's certainly a divided opinion on several of the prospects in whom the Reds have invested heavily in the last few now, let us parade around knowing that someone well-qualified out there has Alfredo Duno as a Top 30 overall prospect in all of baseball and gloat accordingly.

The Astros have been 22nd inside staff OPS this Spring throughout MLB. They didn't demonstrate any symptoms of breaking out of their offensive stupor as soon as wasting in the direction of their tiny brothers within AAA,  the Sugarland Region Cowboys,  the formal Working day Just one of the Cam Smith technology,  the clean golden boy was 0-3,  though he built some optimistic get hold of. At the other conclude of the working experience spectrum,  the experience of the Astros Women's Houston Astros  Jerseys,  Jose Altuve,  ongoing his chilly Spring,  placing out upon all a few of his at Alvarez homered inside of his to start with at bat towards A.J. Blubaugh still struck out inside his upcoming 2 at bats. Upon the brighter facet,  Zach Dezenzo was 3-4 with an RBI,  and fourth outfielder Chas McCormick was 2-4. Jeremy Pena stayed incredibly hot way too,  likely novice Hayden Wesneski was shaky. When he merely surrendered a person work inside 4.1 innings,  he scattered 6 hits and 2 walks. Within over-all Randy Johnson Jersey,  Astros pitching was not as negative as the 7 operates indicated as 4 were being scored from Rhett Kouba,  who is optimum not likely in the direction of perspective large league motion this yr. Having said that,  the Astros offensive manufacturing was not as revolutionary as their 6 operates scored indicated as the Astros scored a few operates through 9th inning rubbish year versus the backside rung of the Location Cowboys games that depend get started Thursday.