The Cincinnati Reds all the time want so as to add pitching. Each staff can most likely have that mentioned about them, however as we watched the 2024 season unfold, the Reds had their depth examined within the greatest of the way. And in the previous couple of weeks of the season they noticed two of their potential beginning pitchers in 2025 undergo accidents that led to Tommy John surgical procedure that can hold them out for all of 2025. Left-handed pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara is reportedly going to be posted by Chunichi this offseason in response to Yahoo! Japan. The simply turned 27-year-old has thrown almost 1100 innings in his profession in Japan since 2016 when he was simply 18.
The Reds will look to spring coaching with choices for his or her rotation in Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, Rhett Lowder, Graham Ashcraft, Carson Spiers, and minor league prospects reminiscent of Chase Petty and Connor Phillips. The cabinet isn’t precisely naked, even with the accidents and certain free company losses of Nick Martinez and Jakob Junis. However there’s loads of uncertainty with the rotation, too.
Free company and trades might assist alleviate that some if the entrance workplace makes use of the offseason nicely. Ogasawara threw 144.1 innings within the 2024 season in his 24 outings. That got here together with a 3.12 ERA, 9 dwelling runs allowed, simply 22 walks (and two of these had been intentional), and 82 strikeouts.
On the great facet of these numbers was a low ERA and a Nick Martinez-like stroll price of subsequent to nobody. However on the flip facet of that was the truth that he struck out simply 82 batters in 144.1 innings. Guys had been making a ton of contact in opposition to him. Up to now he’s had strong strikeout charges, however final season it was about as little as it will get.
That leaves open a bunch of questions which can be most likely higher left to the scouts who’ve been following him over the previous couple of years and have been capable of decide up on what could have led to the decline in strikeouts and if it’s one thing that may be tried to be “fastened” – be it a distinct strategy/pitch combine or one thing else.
With out a rise within the strikeout price, it appears not possible he might discover success within the massive leagues. You simply don’t see guys with that sort of strikeout price capable of finding extended success in Main League Baseball in in the present day’s sport.
As a starter he’s been working within the low 90’s along with his fastball, whereas mixing in each a change up and a low 70’s curveball. That makes one marvel if possibly the stuff might play up with a transfer to the bullpen the place he had a give attention to pitching in a shorter, multi-inning function. In that sort of function possibly issues get higher on the subject of the strikeouts, and he is also depth for the rotation if wanted down the road as somebody who has each the expertise beginning and as a multi-inning man wouldn’t want an enormous ramp as much as offer you 5-inning begins.
After all that additionally brings up the query of would he be prepared to do take that sort of function if one other group had been extra prepared to provide him a stronger shot on the rotation? Would any staff be prepared to try this, although, relatively than saying he would have an opportunity to win a spot within the rotation given his low strikeout price? I’m not so certain that they’d.
If he’s useless set on being a beginning pitcher than he may have to remain in Japan. But when he’s prepared to take a possibility within the massive leagues the place he’s at the very least going to be given a shot to win a rotation spot, some groups are going to be higher to choose from than others. Is Cincinnati a type of groups, given all the query marks they’ve as issues stand in the present day? Or is the mixture of the ballpark and at the very least some depth going to push somebody on this scenario to actually discover different choices?
