Skip to main content
KSRKSR Plus
KSBoard
kentucky logo

The Reds Report: September 25

by:Eric Roseberry•09/25/16
[caption id="attachment_207836" align="alignnone" width="600"]votto USA TODAY-Sports[/caption] usa-today-9197670-0The Cincinnati Reds season is quickly coming to an end. After today's game against the Milwaukee Brewers the club has just seven games remaining. The past week was a struggle, and it was a reminder to all fans of the issues that have plagued this team in 2016. Earlier in the week, the Reds were swept by the Chicago Cubs by a combined score of 20-5. The Reds were able to bounce back and take two out of three from the Milwaukee Brewers this weekend. Let's get to this week's Reds Report. 1. It's hard to write or even think about baseball today without thinking of Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez. News broke early Sunday morning that the twenty-four-year-old was killed in a boating accident. On the field, Fernandez was one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. His stuff was electric, and he always displayed an infectious joy. Details remain sparse, but this is one of the most significant tragedies to hit MLB in some time. Jeff Passan wrote about Fernandez's climb from Cuban immigrant to major league superstar in an article entitled "The American Dream." C. Trent Rosecrans looked at several Reds players who had strong ties to Fernandez, and how they were handling the news. There is no easy way to transition from this story to the normal events of a week in baseball. Jose Fernandez will be missed. 2. The Reds kept setting records this week. As you can imagine, they weren't the good kind of records. 3. One of the biggest questions facing the Cincinnati Reds in 2017 is what to do with Jesse Winker. There was a time when Winker was considered to be the Reds left fielder of the future. However, the emergence of other options have left that conclusion in doubt. Zach Buchanan took some time this week to ask "Where does Jesse Winker fit in?" 4. Another major question for the Reds as this season concludes is what to do with Brandon Phillips. 2017 will be the final year of Phillips' six-year contract, and it's likely Cincinnati could try and move him in the offseason. The team attempted to trade Phillips prior to the 2016 season, but he vetoed a trade to Washington. Phillips has put together a nice second-half at the plate, and it's possible a team could look at him as a short term upgrade with an expiring contract. Mark Sheldon of MLB.com broke down Cincinnati's in-house options if they move BP. 5. In sports, success is usually defined by wins and losses. Yet each year there are a handful of teams clearly out of contention from the beginning of the season. Most analysts put the Reds in this category prior to the season. Does the fact that the Reds weren't going to win a title mean they couldn't succeed this year? Over at Red Reporter, I took some time to assess whether or not the 2016 Reds season could be called a success. Specifically, did the Reds take the necessary steps to upgrade the roster and get closer to contention? 6. One thing is for sure. The future looks bright with Jose Peraza in the Reds lineup. The twenty-two-year-old rookie hit his third home run of the season against Milwaukee this weekend. For the season, Peraza is now hitting .330/.354/.425. To close out the season the Reds will play four in St. Louis, followed by a three game series with the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park. As of Sunday afternoon the Cardinals were half a game back of a Wild Card spot. Cincinnati has the opportunity to play spoiler for their division rival in the early part of the week. You can follow the Reds all season long, and Eric's other writing, at Red Reporter.

Discuss This Article

Comments have moved.

Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.

KSBoard

2024-11-14