A preview of the 2019 Reds Spring Training roster

Pitchers and catchers report today, and games start up in less than two weeks. What better time to look at who’s in the Reds’ camp for this season, and who we can expect to see competing for spots in Goodyear.

(* denotes non-roster invitee)

Catchers

• Tucker Barnhart
• Curt Casali
• Kyle Farmer
• Juan Graterol*
• Chris Okey*
• Tyler Stephenson*

A position of much controversy throughout the last offseason, the big league spots here are all but locked down unless there’s a major injury. Tucker Barnhart will get the majority of the playing time, and Curt Casali will make the roster as the backup (and as Sonny Gray’s personal backstop). If anything happens to one of those guys, Kyle Farmer, acquired by the Dodgers, is probably the next in line. Juan Graterol played in 4 big league games last year across two teams who weren’t the Reds, and it’ll be nice to see both Chris Okey and Tyler Stephenson in camp, as both could be big leaguers someday. Stephenson is the higher rated prospect, but don’t overlook Okey, as he could start the year in AAA and could put himself in contention as the emergency guy in Louisville.

Infielders

• Alex Blandino
• Scooter Gennett
• Connor Joe
• Jose Peraza
• Eugenio Suarez
• Blake Trahan
• Joey Votto
• Christian Colon*
• Alfredo Rodriguez*
• Nick Senzel*

No surprises here, but the big story in this group will be Nick Senzel’s first legitimate shot to make the team out of spring training. He’ll likely get time in a few different spots, including the outfield, but the team has him listed as an infielder as of today. Expect the quartet of Votto, Gennett, Peraza, and Suarez all to retain their positions on the roster, but the bench spots should be interesting. Connor Joe is the Reds’ pick from the Rule 5 draft, and has the versatility to play in the corner infield and behind the plate. We’ll likely see a lot of Blake Trahan and Alfredo Rodriguez in the middle infield in the later innings, and don’t count out Christian Colon with a good spring. The former 4th overall pick posted a .799 OPS across the Mets and Braves AAA teams last season.

Outfielders

• Phillip Ervin
• Matt Kemp
• Yasiel Puig
• Scott Schebler
• Jose Siri
• Jesse Winker
• Aristides Aquino*
• TJ Friedl*
• Brian O’Grady*
• Jordan Patterson*
• Taylor Trammell*
• Mason Williams*
• Kyle Wren*

One of the biggest shake-ups for the Reds in the offseason happened in the outfield, and this spring will be our first chance to see new right fielder Yasiel Puig in action. Jesse Winker will get a chance to plead his case for a starting spot, but shouldn’t have to worry about not making the roster this time around. As far as the non-roster guys go, you have Taylor Trammell there to get some experience in camp, and that’ll be a lot of fun to watch. Don’t sleep on TJ Friedl or Jose Siri putting together some good games, even if both of them are long shots to make the major league roster.

Starting Pitchers

• Luis Castillo
• Anthony DeSclafani
• Brandon Finnegan
• Sonny Gray
• Tyler Mahle
• Keury Mella
• Cody Reed
• Tanner Roark
• Sal Romano
• Lucas Sims
• Robert Stephenson
• Matt Wisler
• Alex Wood
• Vladimir Gutierrez*
• Tony Santillan*

Since the Reds probably won’t be going with a 15-man rotation, I don’t think we see any more than 7-8 of these guys get starts as spring goes on. As long as Luis Castillo, Tanner Roark, Sonny Gray, and Alex Wood are healthy, they’re probably starters on the big league roster. The 5th spot is up for grabs, with Anthony DeSclafani as the front runner. The rest of these guys will either be trying to impress with the intention of taking that last spot, putting themselves in consideration for a bullpen place, or putting some good innings together in anticipation of a bigger role on a minor league club. I’m looking forward to seeing Tony Santillan and Vladimir Gutierrez face big league hitters.

Relief Pitchers (so, everyone else)

• Matt Bowman
• Zach Duke
• Amir Garrett
• Jimmy Herget
• David Hernandez
• Jared Hughes
• Raisel Iglesias
• Michael Lorenzen
• Wandy Peralta
• Jesus Reyes
• Jackson Stephens
• Anthony Bass*
• Buddy Boshers*
• Odrisamer Despaigne*
• Felix Jorge*
• Ian Krol*
• Alex Powers*

A lot of new faces here, and if most years are any indication, we’ll likely see at least one of these names in the Opening Day parade who we’re not expecting. Raisel Iglesias will take his place at the back of the bullpen, and David Hernandez, Jared Hughes, and Zach Duke will be the veteran relief arms. Amir Garrett and Michael Lorenzen will likely return as the young power arms, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Wandy Peralta or Jimmy Herget make the team. Keep an eye on the non-roster guys, though. Ian Krol could be a sleeper from the left side, as he had a good year in AAA last year. Same with Buddy Boshers, who also last pitched in the majors in 2017, but put up good numbers in the minor leagues last season.

Welcome back to Red Reporter, and the 2019 Reds season!