We are two weeks into the MLB season and the Cincinnati Reds offense has done virtually nothing. Outside of maybe one or two games, scoring runs for this offense has been a struggle. There is not one person to put the blame on, but there are a few people that stick out when talking about the offense.
The first player that has to come to mind is Billy Hamilton. The speedster has struggled big time so far and at times doesn’t look like he belongs in the big leagues. Coming into this season, he already had big shoes to fill in replacing on-base machine Shin Soo Choo. It’s safe to say no rookie is under more pressure than Hamilton. So far, he is batting .154 and has gotten on base 8 out of 41 times. That’s definitely not good enough for a lead-off hitter, but it’s still early. Also keep in mind he’s faced some of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball including the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays.
Another player that hasn’t had a great start to the season is Zack Cozart. Through the first 8 games, the shortstop only reached base once and has virtually been an automatic out for pitchers. Cozart and the Reds were hoping for a breakout year offensively, but it hasn’t started the way either of them had hoped. He hasn’t struck out much which is a good sign, but he must get on base more than he has already.
No matter what the numbers are now, we must remember that there are 150 games left. It’s still very early and anything can happen. There’s great potential with this Reds offense and only time will tell if they can live up to it.