As Blog Red Machine hands out team awards, writing about the Reds’ Rookie of the Year may be my easiest assignment yet. Not only was Jesse Winker the best rookie on the Cincinnati Reds, but before he had a season-ending injury, he was in the conversation for the National League Rookie of the Year.
Winker came out of the gate swinging for the Reds and showed the team that he belonged in the bigs. Batting leadoff on opening day, he went 0-4 with a walk. He quickly recovered and was batting .