In the 132 years that the Cincinnati Reds have been in existence they have been known for their offensive prowess. The Reds franchise has been home to some of the best hitters that Major League Baseball has ever seen. Hall of Famer Frank Robinson spent the first decade of his career with the Reds as he hit 324 home runs with the club. The 1970’s produced “The Big Red Machine” which consisted of infielders Tony Perez, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, outfielder George Foster, and catcher Johnny Bench. Led by manager Sparky Anderson from 1970-1978 and then John McNamara in 1979, the Reds made six postseason appearances in the decade which included consecutive World Series Championships in 1975 and 1976. The 1980’s produced outfielder Eric Davis and Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin as the two helped the Reds win the World Series in 1990. Under the guidance of current manager Dusty Baker, the Reds are giving the people of Southern Ohio that same kind of baseball once again with the new “Big Red Machine”.
Since 2010, the Reds have finished no lower than third in the National League for home runs. The current Reds team entered today third in the NL with 54 homers. Some skeptics may attribute this to the Reds playing their home games at Great American Ballpark, but don’t be fooled by that because this team can hit.
First baseman Joey Votto is second in the National League in batting average at .354. Votto leads the NL in on-base percentage at .477. Second baseman Brandon Phillips leads the NL in runs batted in with 43. Outfielder Jay Bruce is fourth on the team in home runs with 7, but the surprising player on the Reds has been outfielder Shin-Soo Choo who leads the team in home runs with 10. Choo’s career high in home runs came in 2010 as a member of the Cleveland Indians as he hit 22, but through 239 plate appearances this season he is on pace to surpass that.
In 2010 and 2012 it was the Reds offense that propelled them to the playoffs, but this year the pitching has been equally effective. The Reds 3.23 team earned run average is third in the NL. The Reds have four starting pitchers who have an earned run average under 3.50. Starting pitcher Mat Latos is 10th in the National League in innings pitched at 71.2 while starting pitcher Homer Bailey is tied for 12th in the NL for strikeouts with 63. Closing pitcher Aroldis Chapman and his 100 mph fastball have been a little erratic this season, but he still has accounted for 13 saves which is tied for fifth in the National League.
Baker knows that his pitching will have to be equally effective if the Reds are to make the postseason once again and ultimately advance in 2013. The Reds lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010 and the San Francisco Giants last year in the National League Divisional Series. Both the Giants and Phillies had dominant pitching which was able to shut down the bats of the Reds. Baker came close while he was the manager of the Giants as he was one game away from winning the World Series in 2002. Baker was one game away from advancing to the World Series in 2003 when he was the manager of the Chicago Cubs before things fell apart. This might be the most complete team that Baker has managed. The Reds are unselfish and they also hit for power and average. The starting rotation has been good with an intimidating closer coming out of the bullpen in the ninth inning. This team could do some damage this October.
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