But can they pitch? That’s the big question as the Reds prepare for the 162-game grind that gobbles pitchers like sharks swallow fish.
There is a reason former Reds general manager Jim Bowden hung a huge sign behind his desk that read simply, “Pitching, Pitching, Pitching.”
One of the greats who made a stop on the Reds pitching staff was Hall of Famer Tom Seaver and he said, “I’m a huge advocate of pitching. You have to have good pitching as the solid core, the foundation. It keeps you in every game.”
And pitching, particularly the starting staff, will dictate the success or failure of the ‘24 Reds.
As of today, manager David Bell’s rotation is Hunter Greene, Graham Ashcraft, Frankie Montas, Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo.
Was youth mentioned? Greene is 24, Abbott is 24, Lodolo is 25, Ashcraft is 25 and Montas is the old guy at 30.
That’s today’s rotation. What will tomorrow or the next day or the next day bring? Injuries, old and new, always need to be factored in. So does ineffectiveness by one or more of those five and effectiveness by other candidates.
Fortunately for the Reds, there are alternatives, and they aren’t just warm bodies. They are legitimate fellows with talent.
Remember these names: Connor Phillips, Brandon Williamson, Lyon Richardson, Rhett Lowder. Expect at least one, probably more, to toe the rubber on a major league mound at some point this season.
And there is Nick Martinez, a swing guy probably ticketed for the bullpen, but he has starter experience and can step in, if needed.
Turning the clock back to last season, when 17 different starters had the third highest earned run average of the 30 major league teams, does nobody any good. Hours spent in the trainer’s room last year means more than earned run averages.
The two projected to be the best of the rest, Lodolo and Greene, were regulars on the trainer’s table. Lodolo didn’t pitch after May and Greene lost two months to three different lapses onto the injured list.
Health for those two is more important than stealth or wealth. The club needs a lot of innings from both.
Greene led the world last year in triple-digit miles per hour on his fastballs, hitting 103 and 104 regularly. But when he lowered his velocity, all the way down to 98 and 99, his command and control showed heavy improvement.
And it must put less strain and pressure on his shoulder and elbow to help maintain his health and well-being.
With Lodolo, it is a matter of how much Rustoleum he needs. He hasn’t pitched since last May and there has to be rust and crust to dislodge. If healthy, Lodolo possesses a knee-bending curveball to go with an above-average fastball.
Abbott is known in the business as a crafty left-hander. He was not called up until June last season but made 21 starts and had the best ERA of the starters at 3.87.
And his four-pitch mix can be baffling, especially with his so-called sweeper, which is nothing more than a flat, wide-breaking curveball. The enemy hit only .174 last season against Abbott’s sleeper pitch, the sweeper.
For Ashcraft, the search is on for consistency. Last season he was very, very good or very, very bad. He ended the season on the upswing, a 2.58 earned run average for his last 12 starts.
But before that? It was a homely 12.82 for his eight previous starts and in six of those assignments he gave up six or more runs.
Montas is either the trump card or the joker in the rotation. Can he be the mentor? Can he be the steadying hand? And can he be what he once was?
Three seasons ago he was the ace of the Oakland A’s staff and received Cy Young votes after going 13-9 with a 3.37 ERA over 32 starts.
He began the 2022 season with the A’s then was traded to the New York Yankees in August and was mediocre at best with a combined 5-12 record with a 4.05 ERA in 22 starts.
Then came 2023 and shoulder miseries. He made one appearance for the Yankees and pitched 1 1/3 innings. Then he was out for the season with shoulder surgery.
He was a free agent after the season and the Reds are rolling the dice and drawing to inside straight on him, signing him to a one-year, $14 million deal. The other four starters combined don’t make $14 million. Greene’s $8.8 million is the closest, with the other three making close to the MLB minimum of $750,000.
The Reds, of course, are gambling on a fully repaired shoulder for Montas and a return to his 2021 form.
And Montas is upbeat over pitching with Greene, Lodolo, Ashcraft and Abbott. After he signed, he scanned the roster and said of the rest of the rotation, “This rotation? They all are electric.”
The Reds hope somebody plugs them all in.
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