Matt’s Take

Over the last two weeks, Cincinnati has managed to play some above average baseball. They pulled off a series upset against the Giants, despite blowing the final game of the series that would’ve ended in a sweep. Cincinnati heads to Boston to begin a two-game series beginning May 31, where the Reds look to win a game at Fenway Park for the first time since 1975 (Yes, you read that correctly).

The resurgence of Joey Votto, along with some solid performances from Mahle, Greene, and Ashcraft have all helped with a more positive atmosphere for the Cincinnati fan base. I am more than eager to finally see a healthy India, Barrero, Minor, and Schrock join the team in the upcoming future. The Reds now share the worst record in baseball with the Royals, but I believe they will soon have better records than the Tigers, Athletics, Pirates, and Cubs.

Q:A with @Nati_Sports

Anyone who follows Cincinnati Sports on Twitter knows one of the best accounts to follow with live game tweets, Cincinnati updates, and some of the best Bengals and Reds content is @Nati_Sports. Many influential and professional Cincinnati individuals follow his page including Annie Sabo, Jeff Ruby, Joe Mixon, and Bengal Jim to put into perspective the quality of his content. While I have thoroughly enjoyed following this page for quite some time, they were kind enough to do a Q:A with me regarding many questions that Reds fans currently have:

Q: Do you think Cincinnati moves Tyler Mahle or Luis Castillo before the deadline?

A: “At this rate, I believe so. It will take a king’s ransom for either of them, as it should, but with the state of the team, I think they’ll ultimately end up moving one or the other. I still believe the Reds think they will extend Luis Castillo, they’ve listened (to) him several years now with no real interest in moving him…” -@Nati_Sports

Q: What is your prediction for our record for the year?

A: “I told people to hammer the 75 win total. I looked like an idiot for doing such once we had 14 players, 12 starting caliber players, go on the IL and a historic 3-22 start…I’m going to say 68-94.” -@Nati_Sports

Q: Who has impressed you the most through the end of May?

A: “Brandon Drury. It’s super rare for a guy to be signed to an MiLB deal then hop back into the MLB in the 70th percentile or higher in every major offensive statistic. He’s taken advantage of every opportunity thus far, it’s been a joy to watch.” -@Nati_Sports

Future Hall of Famer, Joseph Daniel Votto

If you have 20 minutes to spare this week, watching Joey Votto on the Dan Patrick show from this past week is a “must.” Joey ranged in topics from Dolly Parton and hoodies, to what he believes he needs to do in order to make the hall of fame. After watching Joey Votto join the Dan Patrick Show in one of the most entertaining Joey interviews of all time, I wanted to get insight on @Nati_Sports thoughts on Votto’s case for the Hall of Fame: “I think he’s a first ballot HOFer, personally. There’s very few modern era players that you can label better overall hitters than Votto. If he reaches the 70bWAR mark, which he’s currently at 63.8, I think it’s an absolute lock…There’s a very small list of players with 800 XBH and 1300+ BB’s…Let’s hope Joey finishes strong.” -@Nati_Sports