So far in MLB play, it has become evident that there is something wrong with the ball.
Pitchers say they can’t have a good grip on it, and hitters say it’s like hitting rolled up socks: it doesn’t travel far.
Slugging numbers are significantly down compared to last season, and recents years, too.
The Cincinnati Reds must be hitting crumpled paper, then.
They are on the way of being historically bad, a sad current situation for one of the most storied and traditional franchises in MLB.
“The Reds with 591 plate appearances are slugging .285. No individual player with 500+ plate appearances in any of the last 11 seasons has had a slugging percentage that low,” Codify Baseball tweeted.
The Reds with 591 plate appearances are slugging .285.
No individual player with 500+ plate appearances in any of the last 11 seasons has had a slugging percentage that low.
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 27, 2022
The Reds’ offense lost Jesse Winker, Nick Castellanos, Tucker Barnhart, and Eugenio Suarez from last year’s team, four of the best and most consistent contributors of the last few years.
A Less Than Ideal Situation
To make matters worse, slugging first baseman Joey Votto is mired in a season-long slump, and Jonathan India, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, spent some time on the injured list.
Just two hitters on the Reds’ lineup have been above-average, per wRC+: Tyler Stephenson (142 wRC+) and Tyler Naquin (111 wRC+).
The wRC+ (weighted Runs Created Plus) is an all-inclusive stat that takes a hitter’s offensive performance and adjusts it to era, ballpark, and other external factors to come up with a number.
If the number is over 100, it means the hitters has been above-average.
Only Stephenson and Naquin surpass 100 on the Reds.
They have looked like a Triple-A lineup in the early going, and fans have been urging the Castellinis (Bob and his son Phil) to sell the team amid the mediocrity.
NEXT: Reds President Reportedly Apologized To The Organization