For whatever reason, in a league that sports the likes of Xander Bogaerts, Francisco Lindor, and Manny Machado, the Reds still seem to think that shortstop is a defensive-first position. Throwing away a lineup spot to a glove-first, no-power bat in the 2019 offensive environment kills playoff aspirations more reliably than the Wilpons, and that’s before remembering that the Reds already lose a competent bat in the lineup with the pitcher’s spot and that there are only a handful of major league bat-first catchers. For as long as I can remember, the Reds have operated with essentially a six-bat lineup and hoped for a roll of the dice from the lower-third.
Why the Reds middle infield problem is worse than it looks
