TJ Friedl was the best player on the Cincinnati Reds last year according to most every metric that judges these things. All the WARs pointed in that same direction, as the team’s CF provided the kind of baserunning, defense, and - perhaps most importantly - quantity of performance that his peers simply couldn’t match.
He did most all of his offensive work from the leadoff spot in the order, and that’s where we find him in the team’s lineup today in their Cactus League opener in Goodyear, AZ vs. the Cleveland Guardians. The team announced the full lineup on Twitter earlier Saturday, noting they’ll be backing starter Carson Spiers for the 3:00 PM ET start.