2015: Projecting the 25-Man Roster

[Nutt]

With camp opening just a few days away, I figure why not discuss what spots on the team are open in Goodyear?

Compared to years past, more than usual.

I'm no Bryan Price, but I'm sure this might be something akin to the 2015 lineup:

Starting Lineup (8)
Hamilton, CF
Votto, 1B
Mesoraco, C
Bruce, RF
Byrd, LF
Frazier, 3B
Phillips, 2B
Cozart, SS

Weird that Dat Dude will hit at the bottom, but when healthy is a top-to-middle bat.

Up next is the Rotation with three spots locked down coming into the spring:

Starting Rotation (3)
1. RHP Cueto
2. RHP Bailey
3. RHP Leake

Now, we fill out the extras that are locked down, such as the bench and bullpen:
Bench (3)
C Brayan Pena
IF/OF Kris Negron
IF/OF Skip Schumaker

Bullpen (5)
LHP Chapman
RHP Hoover
LHP Marshall
RHP LeCure
RHP Badenhop


This is 19 of 25 spots locked up for Opening Day. This leaves the team with two bench spots, two rotation spots, and two bullpen arms (a lefty and swingman). I penciled in Negron and Schumaker for Opening Day, based on both player's versatility (Negron can play up the middle and at third; Schumaker second and the outfield), Negron having a hot September, and Schumaker being a left-handed bat.

The Bench Candidates
* - left, # - switch
*1B/OF Donald Lutz (.275/.340/.486, 12 HR, 49 RBI in 315 PA between AA and AAA; .176/.222/.255 in 56 PA for CIN)
1B/3B Neftali Soto (NRI; .100/.097/.133 in 50 PA for CIN; .302/.350/.406 in 303 PA for Louisville)
#IF Irving Falu (NRI; .100/.200/.100 in 35 PA for MIL and SD; .291/.343/.356 in 282 PA for Triple-A Nashville)
IF Eugenio Suarez (.242/.316/.336 in 277 PA for DET; .288/.360/.510, 8 HR, 36 RBI, 18 2B in 222 PA between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo)
*OF Brennan Boesch (NRI; .187/.203/.293 in 79 PA for LAA; .332/.381/.636, 25 HR, 85 RBI, 25 2B in 407 PA for Triple-A Salt Lake)
OF Jason Bourgeois (.242/.265/.303 in 34 PA for CIN; .278/.328/.363, 24 SB in 600 PA for Triple-A Louisville)
Darkhorses
#C Tucker Barnhart .185/.241/.241 in 60 PA for CIN; .246/.319/.316 in 292 PA for Louisville
OF Yorman Rodriguez .222/.76/.222 in 29 PA for CIN; .262/.331/.389, 9 HR, 40 RBI, 20 2B in 502 PA for Double-A Pensacola
*OF Kyle Waldrop .315/.359/.517, 8 HR, 35 RBI in 252 PA for Double-A Pensacola

I cannot remember if Lutz is out of options or if Rodriguez is, but if my memory serves me correctly, one is on his last optional assignment, while the other is out altogether.....Soto was outrighted off the 40-man roster after the Byrd acquisition and invited to camp....Falu has looked decent in his splashes at the big league level but is mainly a organizational depth player....Suarez was acquired in the Simon deal and could fill the middle infield void....Bourgeois played well in Louisville last year and it took a miracle to get his contract purchased to be called up, when he hit .242/.265/.303....Boesch could be an additional left-handed bat but the bench would lack pop....Barnhart is the organizational #3 backstop and is flexible incase Meso, Pena, or even Votto goes down....Waldrop wouldn't necessarily fill a #4 OF slot on this team, but could break camp if another OF is injured and he goes on a tear....although on the 40-man roster, OF Juan Duran was placed on the secondary roster to prevent being taken in the Rule 5 draft and will start at Pensacola or Louisville this year.

Final Rotation Spots
RHP Dylan Axelrod
LHP Tony Cingrani
RHP Carlos Contreras
RHP Daniel Corcino
RHP Anthony DeSclafini
LHP David Holmberg
RHP Raisel Iglesias
RHP Matt Magill
RHP Jason Marquis
RHP Pedro Villarreal


A lot have speculated that 4th and 5th in the rotation will be Cingrani and Iglesias in no particular order, however, this will be Iglesias's first Cactus League and the Cuban Series is considered around AA level....Cingrani must prove his velocity has not dropped after shoulder problems last year....Axelrod seems to be a darkhorse candidate with the signing of Jason Marquis....Axelrod looked great until injury, and Marquis is over a year removed from TJ surgery....DeSclafini may start the year at Louisville.


Bullpen Options
LHP Ryan Dennick
RHP Jumbo Diaz
RHP Kevin Gregg
LHP Paul Maholm
LHP Manny Parra
RHP Keyvius Sampson

Having Diaz and Parra here show the battles that could be waged in camp, as with Kevin Gregg and Paul Maholm receiving camp invites, they will bolster the opportunities provided. It doesn't hurt that some of the rotation arms could be squeezed into that 7th bullpen arm with Corcino, Cingrani, Axelrod, Iglesias, and Magill....Gregg had a terrible 2014 but experience in the bullpen could help with middle relief help....Maholm could revitalize his career as a lefty specialist like Parra has become, or could also provide rotation depth...Dennick was lights out at Triple-A last year but was lit up in September.

[Nutt]

My thoughts on the bench, rotation and bullpen:

Bench will be Pena, Negron, Schumaker, Bourgeois, and Boesch. If Lutz is out of options, I could see it being Boesch or Bourgeois as the odd man out. This gives Price a flexible bench with multiple positions to be played (Pena C/1B; Schumaker 2B/OF, Bourgeois 2B/OF, Negron 2B/3B/SS/CF, Boesch OF, Lutz 1B/LF/RF).

#4 and #5 will be Cingrani and either Marquis or Axelrod. If Marquis has anything left, I expect him to be #5. Axelrod may have been lightning in a bottle but his numbers were too good to pass up. Iglesias would be a much better fit IMO to start at Triple-A. Do not count out Holmberg or Corcino.

The final two bullpen spots will go to Jumbo and Parra, with the Marquis/Axelrod runner-up a taxi player hoping to latch on if someone goes down before Opening Day, with Maholm and Gregg hoping they still have something in the tank. Let's face it: every team has a small injury that happens that puts a player down the first week or two of the season. Unfortunately for the Reds last year, this bug attacked the entire bench and the back end of the bullpen, throwing every thing in whack with seven players starting on the DL (Chapman, Marshall, Broxton, Schumaker, Hannahan, Mesoraco, Latos).

I've narrowed it down to 13 guys hoping for six spots here. What do you think?

[Sabo-metrics]

I really like our starting 8. I think offensively, and defensively we stack up with most teams in the NL. Our depth is still a little too shallow. One more professional hitter would be huge.

I like Parra in the pen and if Marshall can stay healthy, we have some good lefty options. LeCure and Hoover are solid arms from the right side. I'd really like to see Chapman pitch the 8th and 9th more often, but I doubt that will happen.

[icee82]

Here are my predictions.

I like the starting lineup proposed above but I would switch Byrd and Meso. I would like to have a huge bat behind Bruce so that they cannot pitch him junk hoping that he will swing at it.

Pitching...with the announcement today that Bailey would not be available until May changes things.

My starting five

Cueto
Leake
Cingrani
DeSclafini
Axelrod

Bullpen
Chapman
Diaz
LeCure
Badenhop
Parra

Bench
Pena
Negron
Schumaker
Suarez
Bourgeois
Lutz (I chose him because he can play first as well as in the outfield)

[Francoeurstein]

Can't believe Jason Marquis is still kicking it around....