The Cincinnati Reds Need to Rebuild Their Outfield

The Reds have struggled at the plate this season.

Jun 11, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl (29) and outfielder Stuart Fairchild (17) stand on the field during a stop in play in the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports / Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

The Cincinnati Reds may need to rebuild their outfield after this year. It has been a bad season for this unit and it gets much worse if you move Spencer Steer to the infield.

Taking Steer out of the equation saps this position group’s power. TJ Friedl has been limited this year by multiple injuries, which has played a big part in this group’s bad season, but absolutely no one has stepped up in his absence.

Will Benson, Jake Fraley, Stuart Fairchild, Nick Martini, Jacob Hurtubise, and a cavalcade of other names have combined to produce next to nothing. When you remove Steer’s production from them, the numbers are bad.

The Reds outfield without Steer would be dead last in MLB in total home runs and total RBI. The Reds would be second to last in slugging percentage, and third-to last in on-base-plus-slugging. That group would also be 27th in both batting average and on-base percentage.

In short, removing Steer from this outfield shows just how much of a liability that it has been. Before the 2024 season began, it looked like the Reds needed a right-handed outfielder. Now it looks as if they may need to rebuild the entire thing.

Rece Hinds showed his potential on Monday night, finishing 2-for-4 with a towering home run in his big league debut. Will he help stabilize the Reds' outfield? Could he develop into a building block moving forward?

Will Friedl coming back really save this group? It certainly helps when he is healthy, but his aggressive style of play inspires no confidence that he can remain healthy for an entire season. The Reds need consistent production from this position group and it’s fair to wonder if they will need to look outside their clubhouse to get it.

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