Cincinnati Reds
Record: 91-71 (NL Central Champions, six games ahead of St. Louis)
Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Joey Votto (.324)
Home Runs: Joey Votto (37)
RBIs: Joey Votto (113)
On-base Percentage: Joey Votto (.424)
Pitching Leaders
Wins: Bronson Arroyo (17)
Strikeouts: Johnny Cueto (138)
Innings Pitched: Bronson Arroyo (215.2)
ERA: Johnny Cueto (3.64). Bullpen- Arthur Rhodes (2.29)
WHIP: Bronson Arroyo (1.15). Bullpen- Arthur Rhodes (1.02)
Saves: Francisco Cordero (40)
Highlight of the Year: On September 28, Jay Bruce drilled a walk-off homer off of Astros reliever Tim Byrdak to send the Reds to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years.
Lowlight of the Year: Pretty much the entire NLDS against Philadelphia. The Reds became the first team to get no-hit in a postseason game in 54 years in Game 1, committed four errors in Game 2 that led to a 7-4 loss, and were shut out at home in Game 3.
The Lowdown:
The Reds arrived in the postseason a little bit ahead of schedule in 2010, as many prognosticators believed that they were a couple of years away from contention entering the season. Their young talent came to fruition, as Joey Votto put together an MVP season, Drew Stubbs emerged as a capable center fielder, and Jay Bruce settled in after a rocky 2009. Their pitching also solidified itself, as rookies Mike Leake and Travis Wood emerged to strengthen a rotation that already featured veteran Bronson Arroyo, as well as fireballers Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez, the latter of which came back from Tommy John surgery in the second half to provide more depth to their rotation.
The Reds were not quite your typical playoff team, though. Even though they featured one of the best offenses in the National League, the Reds were largely unsuccessful facing teams with winning records. In fact, the Reds did not record a winning record against any team that finished above .500 (including going a dismal 6-12 against division-rival St. Louis). However, the Reds made up for this by absolutely decimating the sub-.500 teams, including finishing 12-4 against Chicago, 11-3 against Milwaukee, 10-5 against Houston, 10-6 against Pittsburgh, and a combined 10-4 against Florida and Arizona. While some criticized the Reds for their inefficiency against the "big boys," they gained ground in the division by laying waste to the teams they needed to beat, which is what good teams are supposed to do. Their season may have ended on a disappointing note in the playoffs, but their core will remain together for the next couple of years at the very least, meaning that they will be right back in contention this year should everyone stay healthy.
Offense:
Cincinnati finished fourth in the majors in runs (790), fourth in batting average (.272), fourth in home runs (188), fourth in slugging (.436) and fifth in on-base percentage (.338). The body and soul of this lineup was without question, Joey Votto, who led the Reds in just about all of their major offensive categories. He not only was the Reds' best hitter, but he was also one of the elite hitters in the National League last year, finishing second in batting average, third in home runs, third in RBIs and first in on-base and slugging. His remarkable all-around performance resulted in him being named the National League MVP in a vote that was nearly unanimous.
Votto wasn't the only run producer in this lineup though, as Scott Rolen, Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips and Drew Stubbs contributed to making this lineup a formidable one. Rolen had a renaissance year at age 35, hitting .285 with 20 home runs and 83 RBIs, easily his best season since he helped guide St. Louis to a World Championship in 2006. Brandon Phillips also continued to show that he is one of the elite second basemen at the plate in the National League, finishing with 18 home runs and 59 RBIs. Even though his power totals dipped a bit, this was likely the result of him not having to be the main power hitter in the lineup anymore after the emergence of Votto and Bruce.
Jay Bruce was able to bounce back from a rough 2009 campaign, as he raised his batting average by 48 points to .281 while hitting a career-high 25 home runs and 70 RBIs. Center fielder Drew Stubbs also gave the lineup some considerable balance by having decent power and good speed, hitting 22 home runs while stealing a team-high 30 bases. Left fielder Jonny Gomes gave the Reds some extra power in the outfield as well, hitting 18 home runs while driving in 86.
This lineup had a lot of great hitters up and down their order, and they were unquestionably one of the best in all of baseball.
Final Grade: A+
Pitching:
What was once a weakness for many years with the Reds finally became a strength in 2010, as they featured a deep rotation with several arms capable of putting the team in good position to win. The staff was led by veteran Bronson Arroyo, who continued to show off his rubber arm by logging the most innings on the staff with 215.2, while recording the most wins with 17.
Johnny Cueto proved to be very reliable last year as well, finishing with a 12-7 record with a team-best 3.64 ERA and 138 strikeouts. The Reds were also able to find reliability from two rookies, as Mike Leake and Travis Wood provided stability in the back of their rotation. Leake got off to a blistering start in the first half before cooling off, as he began the season with a 5-0 record with a 2.22 ERA before finishing 8-4 with a 4.23 ERA. Lefty Travis Wood however, was able to pick up where Leake left off in the second half, finishing 5-4 with a 3.51 ERA and a WHIP of 1.08 in just 102.2 innings.
Also giving the rotation a boost was Edinson Volquez returning from Tommy John surgery in the second half of the season to add more depth to the rotation. Although his numbers were fairly average (4-3 record, 4.31 ERA), his addition to the rotation during the second half eliminated the need for the Reds to go after a starting pitcher at the trade deadline.
In addition to the starting rotation, the bullpen was very effective for the second year in a row, finishing 15th in the majors in ERA at 3.97. The top arm out of the Reds' bullpen last year was without question, Arthur Rhodes, as his 2.29 ERA and 1.02 WHIP led all Reds relievers with at least 30-plus appearances. Nick Masset also proved to be pretty reliable last year as well, leading the team in appearances with 82 while finishing with a 3.40 ERA. Meanwhile, Francisco Cordero had a lot of heartburn-inducing moments in the closer's role last year (his eight blown saves tied for second-most in MLB behind only Washington's Tyler Clippard), but he still finished with 40 saves, third most in the National League.
The bullpen also received a boost late in the season with the September call-up of lefty Aroldis Chapman, who dazzled fans with his electric fastball, one which was clocked as high as 105 MPH on occasion. Although he only appeared in 15 games, he made the most of his appearances, striking out 19 in just 13.1 innings while recording a 2.03 ERA.
Overall, the Reds staff finished 12th in ERA, 11th in "batting average against" (.254), 13th in WHIP (1.33) and 10th in home runs allowed (158). While collectively the rotation seems average, Reds fans have been looking for merely average from their rotation for a long time.
Final Grade: B-
Wild Card: Fielding
The Reds committed only 72 errors last year, which tied San Diego for the least in the National League, and their .988 fielding percentage tied for the best in baseball. Cincinnati's outstanding defense didn't go unnoticed during awards season either, as Brandon Phillips, Scott Rolen and Bronson Arroyo all took home Gold Glove Awards at their respective positions.
Final Grade: A+
Overall:
The only thing keeping me from giving the Reds an A+ is their poor showing in the Division Series against the Phillies. Otherwise, there aren't too many things that you can find wrong with last year's Reds.
Final Grade: A
Check back soon for the report card on the San Francisco Giants!
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