How Reds' young roster is shaping up for '23

CINCINNATI -- As the calendar switches from 2022 to ‘23, it means there is only a little more than two months remaining until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. It's been a rather quiet offseason for the Reds, but here are some things that I'm thinking about regarding the team.

This sure is a young roster

Based on the current 40-man roster, the average age of the Reds is 27.22 years old. That, of course, includes a 39-year-old Joey Votto, which skews it older. Eight players are 30 or older, including reliever Fernando Cruz, who made his big league debut in September at 32 and will turn 33 in March.

Even after the Reds signed two veterans last week in Wil Myers and Curt Casali, they will be relying heavily on their younger talent to begin the 2023 season. Come Opening Day, their three top starters will have an average age of 24.3 years. Hunter Greene is 23, and both Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft will be 25.

In the infield, Spencer Steer is 25, and Jonathan India just turned 26. If he makes the team as the shortstop, Jose Barrero will turn 25 on April 5. Catcher Tyler Stephenson is also 26. And if 21-year-old shortstop and top prospect Elly De La Cruz does well enough in camp to overtake Barrero, it gets even younger.

Votto leads active players with 2,093 hits while with the Reds. Do you know who is second?

It's India, who has only two years logged in the Major Leagues. He has 239 hits.

That rotation could be pretty fun, though

Each of the three young starting pitchers went through stretches of taking their lumps. Greene was hurt by home runs, especially, as he learned how to better locate his fastball. Lodolo struggled in some of his earlier outings around a back injury, which put him out for over two months. Ashcraft didn't finish strong in his last three starts after missing a month with right biceps soreness.

The good news is that all three are battle-tested and have a year of experience behind them. If they stay healthy, the group could be an exciting top three for the club to run out against lineups. Greene made improvements on his triple-digit fastball, his slider and his changeup by the end of 2022. Lodolo has a sweeping curveball that can rack up strikeouts. Ashcraft has a triple-digit cutter and a sinker, and he’s working this offseason to broaden his repertoire.

Behind the main three, the Reds will have a competition for the last two spots. In camp, other prospects will include lefty Brandon Williamson, ranked the No. 6 prospect in the organization by MLB Pipeline, and right-hander Levi Stoudt, the No. 24 prospect.

The offense was improved

The Reds’ signings of Myers to a one-year, $7.5 million contract and Casali to a one-year, $3.25 million deal last week were not industry-rattling free-agent moves, but they appeared to improve the team’s offense in multiple ways.

In 2022, the Reds ranked 26th in MLB with a .676 OPS and 23rd in runs scored (648). Before Myers, they also had no outfielders that could yet be considered as established everyday players.

Myers, who will play right field, had a down year in 2022 while batting .261 with a .713 OPS and seven homers. The right-handed hitter had stronger splits against left-handers with an .815 OPS compared to a .659 OPS against right-handers. Myers slugged 17 homers in '21 and had 15 homers during the 60-game 2020 season -- all while playing in spacious Petco Park. Going to the smaller Great American Ball Park is expected to improve his numbers.

The Casali signing gives the Reds three catchers and protects Stephenson from getting too banged up. If Casali or Luke Maile are catching, Stephenson can remain fresh while his bat can still produce as the designated hitter or at first base if Votto needs a day off.

"We are excited about this, because it allows you to put Tyler in the lineup just about every day," general manager Nick Krall said.