GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The Cincinnati Reds’ spring training camp has been so uneventful so far that manager Terry Francona’s session with reporters Wednesday morning finished in under four minutes. During the spring, it’s not unusual for Francona’s media session not to get to his team until four minutes in. Yet, with a healthy team without many open roster spots, there hasn’t been much new in camp leading up to Saturday’s Cactus League opener against the Cleveland Guardians.
Francona isn’t complaining about a healthy team or about shortening his time with reporters. It’s a sign that there aren’t that many glaring questions for this year’s Cactus League play. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things worth watching over the next month, starting with Chase Burns’ start against Cleveland.
Here are the things worth keeping an eye on as the Reds move through their Arizona exhibition schedule:
How do the left-handed bats fit?
It’s possible that the Reds’ most common lineup this year will not have a single left-handed batter after TJ Friedl, with switch-hitting Elly De La Cruz the only other player hitting left-handed.
Noelvi Marte, Eugenio Suárez, Sal Stewart, Matt McLain, Spencer Steer, Tyler Stephenson, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Jose Trevino exclusively hit from the right side.
There are left-handed bats in camp. Outfielders Will Benson, JJ Bleday and rookie outfielder Héctor Rodríguez are left-handed hitters, as is Tyler Callihan, who plays second and left field. First baseman Nathaniel Lowe is in camp on a minor-league deal. Outfielder/first baseman Michael Toglia, also on a minor-league contract, is a switch hitter.
That’s a lot of names and not much room on a roster with just three bench spots after the second catcher takes one. Right-handed hitter Dane Myers was acquired primarily for his outfield defense and could have an inside track to the roster for that reason, leaving just two spots.
Of those lefties, only Lowe and Toglia can’t be optioned, meaning the team has flexibility over who fits on the bench.
How do Sal Stewart and Noelvi Marte look in the field?
Stewart and Marte would often stand side-by-side a year ago as they fielded ground balls at third base. This year, neither one is spending time with Hayes at third base during drills. Stewart is on the other side of the infield working at first base and second base, while Marte is even further away in right and center fields.
The two were playing positions they’d barely touched, rising through the minors. In fact, Marte hadn’t played in the outfield since he was a kid, well before his professional career.
Hayes was brought in last year to shore up the Reds’ defense at third base, allowing Marte to move to the outfield full-time. The presence of Hayes — who won his second Gold Glove at third base last year — and McLain at second meant that to get Stewart’s bat into the lineup, he needed to be at first base.
Stewart was always typecast as a future first baseman because of his build, but he came into camp much lighter than he was a year ago and could see more time at second base, especially when De La Cruz gets days off. Francona said he expects Stewart to play second in Saturday’s game against the Guardians.
Marte, too, will play another position at times this spring, adding center field duties to his time in right. Marte had some growing pains in the outfield, but he also had his highlights. The 24-year-old Marte was sixth in sprint speed for the Reds last season, according to StatCast. That doesn’t sound impressive until you realize that De La Cruz was fifth.
Noelvi Marte, #16 of the Cincinnati Reds, rounds third base and scores on an inside-the-park home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. (Photo by Jeff Dean / Getty Images)
Where’s Spencer Steer?
Steer’s spot in the batting order may eventually become more consistent than his spot in the field. Steer, a Gold Glove finalist at first base last year, will spend time in left field, second base and first base. With Suárez in the fold as the second choice behind Hayes at third base, Steer will see less time at third.
How good is Héctor Rodríguez?
Facing Reds closer Emilio Pagán in live batting practice on Thursday, rookie Héctor Rodríguez looked comfortable standing in against the man who finished second in saves in the National League last season. If he was intimidated, you couldn’t tell by how relaxed he looked in the box and taking hacks. Ask anyone in camp about Rodríguez, and the answer will be the same as it was about Stewart last year at this time: “He can hit. He can really hit.”
The first taste of big league pitching is always an adjustment, but there hasn’t been much that the 21-year-old Rodríguez has shown he can’t handle.
