The Reds had a cavalcade of young talent break into the majors last season.
Players like Matt McClain, Spencer Steer, Elly De La Cruz, Noelvi Marte, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Andrew Abbott injected new life into the organization and surprisingly carried Cincinnati into playoff contention.
Amid all the excitement of the Reds' youth movement, Tyler Stephenson was one player that flew under the radar for most of last season.
Not that far removed from a stellar rookie campaign of his own, Stephenson suddenly feels like the forgotten man in a crowded Reds infield.
It would have been hard to imagine that being the case back in April when Stephenson was considered one of the key foundational pieces for another Reds rebuild, alongside second baseman Jonathan India.
It's a reminder of how quickly things can change in the game of baseball, but the perception that some have of Stephenson could still prove to be extremely different from reality.
Unlike India, who's future in Cincinnati still remains uncertain amid on-going trade rumors, we know where Stephenson is going to play in 2024. Assuming he's healthy, the 27-year-old will start a majority of the games behind the plate for the Reds. When it's Luke Maile's turn to catch, Stephenson will likely get some time as the designated hitter.
With the emergence of all the aforementioned rookies and the addition of veteran Jeimer Candelario in free agency crowding up the infield, it'll be tough for Stephenson to get the same number of at-bats at DH (151) at-bats next year.
He's hoping to bounce back after a rough ending to the 2023 season. Stephenson struggled mightily at the dish over his final 65 ball games, hitting just .221 with seven home runs and 23 RBI.
His overall slash line of .243/.317/.379 for the 2023 season fell well below the expectations that he set for himself since joining the organization in 2015.
Was it just one down season or was it the start of a troubling trend for one of the game's promising young backstops?
It marked the second consecutive disappointing season for Stephenson, albeit for completely different reasons. He was playing the best baseball of his big league career two years ago when he was healthy. The problem was he missed a majority of the season due to multiple stints on the injured list.
A concussion caused by a collision at the plate in April, a broken thumb from a foul ball in June, and a broken collarbone from another foul ball in July cost him all but 50 games in 2022.
Former Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco is no stranger to the cruel struggles of Major League Baseball. He endured numerous injury related set-backs over the final four seasons of his playing career and was never able to return to his All-Star caliber form when he finally got healthy.
Now an Assistant Coach at the University of Pittsburgh, Mesoraco recently told Inside the Reds that he still keeps tabs on the Reds and when asked, offered up some advice to Stephenson after back-to-back disappointing campaigns.
"Don't take anything for granted. You have to continue to treat every day that you're in the big leagues, like it's your last. Or every day in the big leagues, like it's your first. To stay at the top of there, that's what it takes," Mesoraco said. "My advice is don't assume anything. Don't take anything for granted. Continue to develop, continue to work. As soon as you feel like you have this thing figured out, yeah, you don't. Just continue to do whatever you can to maximize your potential."
Advanced metrics indicate that luck, or lack there of, played a bit of a factor in Stephenson's dreadful second half numbers. He showed good plate discipline and his exit velocity was increasing as the year came to a close.
The only other time he ever hit below .250, since being drafted 11th overall out of high school, was back when he was playing High-A ball.
After a healthy offseason program, Stephenson could be primed for a big bounce back year and prove that he is still a vital part of the Reds future.
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