They have the lowest-scoring lineup in the league.
They get on base less often than anybody else in the majors.
Their hitters strike out more than anyone else in the majors, and their pitchers walk more batters than anyone else in the league.
They’ve got a losing record, a beat-up pitching staff, the toughest remaining schedule in the majors, and even if they shocked the world with a hot streak for several weeks they’d have five teams to chase down to even dream about a playoff berth.
Did we mention they’re in last place?
Even their home ballpark got slammed with a 22nd MLB ranking by USA Today’s annual evaluation of major league stadiums – which is even closer to last place than first glance might suggest, because USA Today didn’t count the Athletics’
temporary minor-league home in West Sacramento, California, for its purposes.
So why in the world would anybody bother showing up to watch the Cincinnati Reds these final five weeks of the season?
We put the Enquirer’s team of crack baseball researchers to work trying to answer that question. And believe it or not they came up with five actual reasons to watch the Reds the rest of the way:
1. Sal Stewart’s Rookie of the Year chase
The top-hitting rookie in the National League isn’t getting the love from the defensive analytics that Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt is, but Stewart’s power, heady base running, MLB-leading RBIs and defensive versatility should make him the favorite to become the Reds’ ninth ROY, first since Jonathan India in 2021.
“He’s a very advanced hitter,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “He uses the whole field. He has the ability with two strikes to get a little shorter, get on top of balls. He’s strong enough where he gets rewarded when he hits the ball the other way.
“And I think he relishes RBI opportunities, which is huge.”
He’s on pace to join only Ted Williams (1939) and Walt Dropo (1950) among rookies to lead his league in RBIs – on pace for 34 home runs, 30 doubles, 15 stolen bases and 122 RBIs.
If he finishes with some semblance of that production, the only thing left to watch will be what the nerd faction of voters do with the numbers.
2. Chase Burns’ Cy Young Award, uh, chase
Like Stewart, Burns (14-2, 2.51 ERA) is an All-Star in his first full season in the majors and among the league leaders in several categories, including top 5 in ERA, pitchers WAR, strikeouts-per-9-innings, wins and win-loss percentage.
Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sanchez is at least a co-favorite in the race, and Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski the most celebrated (and NL ERA leader). Atlanta’s Chris Sale and the Dodgers’ Yosh Yamamoto are among other top contenders in a strong field.
Burns has as many as seven starts down the stretch to make his best case, and the quality of opponents can only strengthen the case if he keeps up his pace with probable starts remaining against the Cubs, Brewers (twice), Dodgers and Braves.
One possible hurdle: Like Misiorowski, Burns is having his career-high workload closely watched down the stretch as he finishes his first full season, a consideration that could limit his innings or prompt extra rest.
“We’re monitoring it,” team president Nick Krall said. “It’s just trying to make sure that we’re doing what’s best for him.”
3. How about the NL MVP race while we're at it?
Spoiler alert: The Reds don’t have any candidates for this one, but they’ll get an up-close look at the fierce battle being waged between the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong – if not a say in the outcome.
Thirteen of the Reds’ final 28 games are against the Dodgers (seven) and Cubs, with a home and away series remaining against each. That includes three in Chicago over the weekend to finish the current road trip.
Last time they saw Ohtani, he was launching home runs into the stratosphere during the Dodgers’ two-game playoff sweep at Dodger Stadium last October. But other than that, he’s just 14-for-68 (.206) with two homers and a .663 OPS in 20 games against the Reds. And he won’t be pitching.
PCA? He’s 25-for-108 (.232) with three homers and a .655 OPS (and 9-for-11 in stolen bases) in 33 career games against the Reds – but 6-for-24 with an .858 OPS this year, and a big two-run homer to tie the game during the Cubs’ four-game sweep at Wrigley in May.
As we said, spoiler alert.
4. Cincinnati Reds championship race
That’s right. Champion. Ship. Race.
If you don’t think the last-place Reds have a chance at a title this year, then let’s go to the instant replay for proof.
Specifically, the ABS challenge monitor.
Through the latest weekly update, the Reds continued to lead the majors with a 63% success rate on challenges in the first-year system, a position they’ve held most of the season. Leading the way for the Reds, Tyler Stephenson is MLB’s top-rated catcher and Sal Stewart its top-rated hitter on challenging.
At least as impressive: The Reds remain one of just four teams who haven’t had a pitcher go rogue and challenge a call.
It might not seem like much.
Actually it's not.
But if the Reds aren't gonna get a trophy this year, they should at least get a helmet-tapping bobblehead if they close this out.
5. We’ll always have Pittsburgh?
It might be a while before you see these guys again. MLB owners all but assured of locking out the players when the collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1.
And if those owners are collectively stupid enough to shut down the game for months or even the whole 2027 season over a salary cap that nobody who works for somebody else would ever favor in their own lives, then it’ll be a long, silent summer at Great American Ball Park.
Maybe that makes final few weeks of August and September worth a nostalgic glimpse or two of Stewart, Burns and Elly De La Cruz before commissioner Rob Manfred and his billionaire buddies wage labor war on the sport's players and fans.
Here’s looking at you, Rob.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why bother watching Cincinnati Reds rest of season? We found 5 reasons
