The Cincinnati Reds are full of promise, MLB-ready talent and controllable assets for several years to come. One player whose future with the team is up in the air is former MVP 1B Joey Votto.
Regardless of what happens with Votto, he recently indicated in an interview with USA Today that the young kids are all proud to wear Reds jerseys, and he even provided a propitious remark on five of them.
Votto predicts that five Reds will be 2024 starting All-Stars
In an article written in USA Today by Bob Nightengale, Votto talked about the chemistry of the Reds young core and how he can tell the youngsters are going to stick together and be good for quite some time. He also indicated that at least five of them could be 2024 starting All-Stars.
“There are five guys I can name that are making the minimum (salary) right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re All-Stars next year, starting All-Stars. They’re all under team control for a long time, and most important happy to be here. They’re proud of representing this team, this city, and I think that’s an important factor.”
There are a ton of Reds players currently making right around the MLB minimum salary of $720,000. That core of players consists of infielders Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, along with outfielders TJ Friedl, Jake Fraley, Stuart Fairchild and Will Benson. Starting pitchers Andrew Abbott, Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft also fit that description.
The future certainly is bright for the Reds. Powerhouse teams in the National League like the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers do have the ability to flood the All-Star rosters with their players, so this young group will have its work cutout for it if these players want to make Votto’s statement come true.
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