by Bryan Nashalsky
Staff Writer
The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.
In the final month of the regular season, the Reds are only half a game out of a wild card spot at 73-69. Their lineup is so stacked from 1-9 that they have to rotate the DH spot around just to get everybody in. The players now play with swag, knowing that they have a legitimate shot of making the playoffs this year.
According to Fangraphs, the Cincinnati Reds currently have a 22.6% chance of making the playoffs - this is a huge increase from 1.7% at the beginning of the season.
A huge factor to Cincinnati's success is due to the young talent they called up from their farm system. Between rookies Matt McLain, Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and phenom Elly De La Cruz, they have a fresh, young infield. Rookie Andrew Abbott got called up in June, but has been pitching as if he’s been up since March. MLB.com lists sophomore Alexis Diaz as currently tied for leading the MLB in saves with 35. When both sides of the plate are producing, it’s hard to lose!
Reds fans around the building are very optimistic and beyond satisfied. Nathan Chittum (11) is “excited” not just for this year, but “for the future of the program.” Evan Rygalski (12) is a huge fan of Elly De La Cruz, and believes “the sky is the limit,” as he “could very well be the face of baseball in a few years.”
After a decade of losing, it’s an exciting time at Great American Ballpark. As the postseason looms around the corner, the Reds are ready to make a push. October 2023 is starting to look more and more red.
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