The Cincinnati Reds sit at 46-39 in a tie for first place in the NL Central. The Reds have one of the most exciting players in baseball, Elly de la Cruz and perhaps the top rookie pitcher in the game, Andrew Abbott, who has given up just five runs in over 37 innings.
Yet de la Cruz and Abbott may not be the Reds’ best rookies. Rookies Matt McLain and Spencer Steer have legitimately been borderline All-Stars this season and have done it for longer than de la Cruz and Abbott.
The Reds sent just one player to the Midsummer Classic, closer Alexis Diaz. The lone Reds All-Star, Diaz, has been masterful in 2023, posting a 2.13 ERA in 38 innings while going 24/25 in save opportunities. Opponents are hitting just .154 against him and are striking out nearly 38% of the time. He is an All-Star in every sense.
But were the Reds disrespected by the voters and MLB when only one of their players were named to the team? How does a team go from a projected bottom-dweller in preseason to first place and only have one All-Star? Somebody, or multiple players, have to be performing well above expectations.
The Reds have three players who legitimately have a case to be All-Stars, especially over the players who were selected to the game. TJ Friedl, Matt McLain and Spencer Steer each have had outstanding seasons that rank among the best at their position.
Friedl has the highest batting average among NL center fielders, although he does not qualify for the batting title at the moment. Pirates center fielder Jack Suwinski does qualify and he only has three at-bats more than Friedl, so Friedl should qualify in the coming days.
Friedl ranks fifth in runs batted in, which is impressive considering he has played at least 12 games less than each of the players ahead of him. He is also top five in doubles and triples. Friedl’s offense has been the surprise of the season. His defense has always been his strength and he has continued that this season as well. There simply are not three center fielders better than TJ Friedl in the National League.
McLain has been nothing short of spectacular since his debut on May 15. McLain’s ranks among NL shortstops: .309 batting average (first), .372 on-base percentage (second), .543 slugging percentage (first), 15 doubles (fourth) and four triples (first). Based on the rate stats, he has been either the best or second-best shortstop in the NL this season. The only logical reason for his absence from the All-Star roster is because of his lacking counting stats.
However, when comparing McLain’s stats to NL starting shortstop Orlando Arcia, things get a bit harder to justify. McLain’s batting average is 13 points higher, his on-base percentage and slugging percentage are 24 and 105 points higher, respectively. Even in the counting stats, McLain has four more doubles, four more triples, the same number of home runs and runs batted in, all in 18 less games.
McLain is objectively having the better season.
Steer is listed as a first-baseman on MLB.com, but he has played everywhere. Steer has logged quality innings in left field and at third base as well. Perhaps the reason he is not an All-Star is because of how stacked the first base position is in the National League. Freddie Freeman, Paul Goldschmidt and Pete Alonso will be a tough group to break into.
Having said that, Steer still ranks third in batting average with a .285 mark, just behind Freeman and Goldschmidt. Steer ranks fifth in doubles, third in triples, fifth in home runs, sixth in runs batted in, fourth in walks and second in stolen bases. He is firmly in the top five of NL first basemen, but the top three just may be too big of names to crack for the rookie.
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Featured image courtesy of Reds.com
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