Sitting at 9-8, the Reds own a winning record for the first time since May 1, 2024. Now, will they maintain? Who knows, but here at From the Field, we love to stay positive when we can. And right now, there’s some real positives to write home about.

The Good?

There’s a real Cy Young contender in Cincinnati. Hunter has the best ERA in baseball. He has a pitch (slider) he has thrown over 100 times with a 54.1% WHIFF to produce 13 Ks and 0 hits. His fastball averages 99.4 mph. And he even beat the Pirates.

The entire starting rotation has been impressive. Reds starters own the second best ERA in baseball (2.92), are tied for the second most quality starts (8), have pitched the fifth most innings (despite playing less games than all teams ahead of them), and have the 8th best K% in baseball. They also have the best BAA and the only sub-1.00 WHIP. As you can see, almost every metric points to this being the best rotation the Reds have had in years.

And the pen hasn’t been bad. Top 5 ERA, #3 BAA, #4 WHIP, the 6th highest shutdowns and the 6th lowest meltdowns. Once again, a huge improvement.

The Bad?

The offense has not backed up the Ace Arsenal that Nick Krall and Terry Francona have put together. While there have been some injuries, there are injuries everywhere in baseball. That can’t be the accepted excuse any longer in Cincinnati.

Rake Fraley is absent, replaced by Fake Fraley.

Elly has improved his K%, but has dropped his baserunning and batting effectiveness.

Steer is clearly still recovering and not doing well.

CES and Candelario are not March/April fans.

The Not So Ugly

Jose Trevino, Brady Singer, and Austin Hays have been solid additions.

Trevino- Of the 29 players who have at least 20 PA in the 9th position: 11th in BA, 12th in OBP, 6th in Slugging, and 2nd in K%. Is he the best 9th position hitter in the league? No. But he is certainly an improvement for the Reds. The Reds last year ranked 26th, 27th, 25th, and 30th respectively from the 9th position in the order. He likely won’t stick around and be the every day catcher, but if he proves to be as good at framing as he was in 2024, he might just have a battle with Stephenson for innings.

Singer- While Greene and Lodolo are without a doubt the 1-2 punch the Reds have been searching for, Singer has been a welcome addition. With a 3.18 ERA, 9.53 K/9, 1.06 WHIP, and .194 BAA, he fits in very nicely to this Arsenal that the Reds have built.

Hays- one swing of the bat and he is welcome in any Cincinnati bar. We will see how he fares over the rest of the month, but he could not have started his career in Cincy much better.

Where They Go From Here

Obligatory: I am not, nor have I ever been, nor do I intend to be, nor do I want to be a manager of baseball teams at any level. But, here’s some thoughts anyway:

Steer needs time to get up to speed. He can either do that in the majors where the games matter and every at-bat could be important come October. Or, he could go down and play a week or two in the minors.

Trevino needs to stay in the lineup in the nine hole. DH him. Catch him. Whatever. The fact that the bottom of the order is able to turn it around to the top with a guy on, that will be special when the team really lives up to the offensive potential.

Send Fraley either to the bench or to the farm. Blake Dunn doesn’t have the numbers, but he also doesn’t have the playing time. If you want to let someone develop in the outfield, let them play.

Martinez to the pen and Lowder (or Spiers until Lowder is ready) to the rotation. Nick was lights out from the pen last year, and he continues to be pretty darn competitive the first time through the order. He has not allowed a first inning hit or walk. In the first 3 innings, he has given up 3 hits and 1 run in those 9 innings against 9 Ks and 1 walk. Meanwhile his numbers shoot up in the 4th-6th: 13 hits and 10 runs in 7.1 innings with 6 Ks and 4 walks. Get him to the pen.

Use Ashcraft in one of two roles: an “every day” reliever OR the high-leverage shutdown.

What’s Ahead?

Close out the series against the Mariners. Follow that with a 9 game trip to Baltimore, Miami, and Colorado.