The Cincinnati Reds are ready to make a splash in 2024. They have young talent everywhere and bounced back from a woeful 2022 to be a winning team in 2023, even if it was just by two games.
Second baseman Jonathan India believes the Reds are ready to become a true playoff threat. He told Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports that his squad is more confident and, after narrowly missing the postseason last year, will win the NL Central.
“This is the year we’re going to be a playoff team,” India said to USA TODAY Sports. “We all know it. We just missed the playoffs by two games last year. We’re not going to miss it again. We’ve got more energy. We’ve more confidence. And a lot of us have a chip on our shoulder. We’re going to win the division this year.”
Those are some bold words from India. It’s especially interesting to see him make such a bold declaration for a team that could end up trading him soon. Because of that, one might think he might not be the biggest fan of the organization right now. But he clearly has legitimate expectations for his team — and he should.
Elly De La Cruz is the face of the Reds right now for his unreal speed and raw power. Should the 22-year-old improve his game and become a more consistent threat, he will rocket into stardom and become an even bigger focal point to the Reds’ success.
The Reds have other stars on the rise, too. Spencer Steer, Will Benson, and. Matt McLain — ages 26, 25 and 24 respectively — are all above-average hitters who can play multiple positions. Their starting rotation will most likely feature Hunter Greene, Graham Ashcraft, Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo, all of whom are 26 years old or younger.
What greatly helps the Reds is that their division is a joke. The reigning division champions, the Milwaukee Brewers, traded away ace pitcher Corbin Burnes. The Chicago Cubs should still be pretty good but have yet to prove themselves as an elite team.
Adding veterans Frankie Montas and Jeimer Candelario shows the Reds aren’t willing to wait around. This year could be the first of a very successful era.
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