When the Cincinnati Reds swung large for Jeimer Candelario this offseason, we all squinted and stared at one another at Red Reporter HQ. Another infielder? What gives?!
The logjam there was obvious. Matt McLain looked like a Rookie of the Year winner for much of 2023, while the flashes Elly De La Cruz gave us on his best days reminded grayheads everywhere of Eric Davis. Christian Encarnacion-Strand has hit a billion homers at AA-AAA since the start of 2022 (and hit the ground running in his cup of coffee), Noelvi Marte hit better than all of those rookies last year, and Spencer Steer was the one who managed to both a) play well and b) play well all year.