The Cincinnati Reds have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2021 MLB season.
Going into the year, not many folks gave the team a chance to make the playoffs, but with a little over two weeks to go in the regular season, the Reds are firmly in the mix.
There are a few reasons why MLB fans should want to see Cincinnati make the postseason, and today, that’s exactly what we’re going to talk about.
Let’s get started.
Reason No. 3: We Didn’t Get A Fair Look At The Reds In The Postseason Last Year
The Reds made the playoffs in 2020, but fans didn’t get the full experience.
With the expanded postseason, the first round of the playoffs was just a best-of-three series.
The Reds were eliminated by the Atlanta Braves in just two games.
Break out the brooms! 🧹
Watch the final out as the Braves complete the sweep over the Reds to advance to the NLDS. #Postseason pic.twitter.com/BiskQPBxpU
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 1, 2020
While it was great to see Cincinnati back in the postseason, Reds fans were left wanting more.
It has been far too long since the team made a deep playoff run.
In fact, Cincinnati hasn’t advanced past the NLDS since 1995.
A lot of Reds fans weren’t even alive at that point.
It’s time Cincy to end that.
Reason No. 2: The Reds Are Constantly Involved In Close Games
The Reds play a very exciting brand of baseball.
They’re constantly involved in close games, and that’s exactly what neutral MLB fans want to see in the postseason.
Cincinnati has played in a whopping 41 one-run games this season.
The team has won more of those games than it has lost (22-19).
Given the poor state of the Reds’ bullpen, that’s a pretty impressive feat.
It’s not far-fetched to think that Cincy’s trend of playing in close games would carry over to the postseason.
Reason No. 1: The Team’s Elite Trio Of Joey Votto, Jesse Winker, And Nick Castellanos Would Be Fantastic To Watch In The Playoffs
Very few teams can say they have a trio of players who are having MVP-caliber offensive seasons.
The Reds can.
Cincinnati has an electric Big 3 of Joey Votto, Jesse Winker, and Nick Castellanos.
Those three players have been fantastic this season, and they’re one of the biggest reasons why the Reds would draw a lot of eyeballs in the postseason.
Let’s take a look at what each player has accomplished so far this year.
Votto is slashing .265/.366/.544 with an OPS+ of 129
He has launched 30 home runs, 23 doubles, and a triple in 117 games.
Winker, meanwhile, is batting .307 with a .955 OPS and 141 OPS+.
He has homered 24 times, doubled 32 times, and tripled once in 109 games.
Wink Wink
Jesse Winker has 2 homers and 5 RBI in 2 innings. pic.twitter.com/6fFaQLR9mN
— MLB (@MLB) June 6, 2021
And last, we’ve got Castellanos, who has a slash line of .310/.365/.569 on the year.
He has a .933 OPS and 134 OPS+.
He has homered 29 times, doubled 35 times, and tripled once in 124 games.
In all, the Reds have three players in their lineup who would be the best hitter on a number of other teams in the league.
Wrap-Up
Right now, Baseball Reference gives the Reds just a 36.9 percent chance of making the postseason.
The team is one game back of a Wild Card spot in the National League, but with such a logjam of teams still in the mix, it’s tough to predict how the race is going to unfold.
But one thing is for sure: Cincinnati is still kicking.
It would be great to see the team in the postseason, and that’s definitely something that’s within reach.
We’ll have a playoff bracket in a little over two weeks.
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