Cincinnati Reds Shining in Spring: Hitters Edition

The Spring sun is shining down in Arizona, and some hitters in Reds uniforms have been shining in these early Spring Training contests. For Spring Training, the process and feel are the priority, not stats and results, but it’s still fun to check in on who’s looking good.

Blake Dunn – LF

Blake Dunn is a speedy, fourth-outfielder kind of guy who has shown flashes of pop in the minor leagues. So far in Spring, he has played eight games, slashing .717.

His offense is most likely not going to be his biggest strength if he makes the team out of camp and/or if he gets called up during the year. His contribution this year will be as someone who gets one or two starts a week, providing consistent defense and speed off the bench.

Dunn has looked great in those departments this Spring, while also showing some solid at-bats, which is why he makes this list despite the underwhelming offense.

Matt McLain – 2B

As if from a long nap, fans are wondering if they have woken up back in the second half of the 2023 season. Matt McLain might be back, as he has looked fantastic at the plate so far.

Is it easy to claim that statement as an “overreacting to Spring Training” kind of statement? Yes. However, the excitement surrounding McLain is more than just due to his performance in Spring; it is the process.

In five games, he is slashing .571/.647/1.286 for a 1.933 OPS. He has hit three home runs, with the most impressive one being a no-doubter the other way off of a low breaking ball.

McLain’s swing remained similar to last year’s, besides one simple thing: His stride. He has started his stride just a bit earlier compared to last year, so as not to be beaten by pitches. From the looks of it, he has fixed the root of his struggles from last year, but only time will tell. It’s important to remember the massive shoulder injury that cost him his 2024 season and how that most likely caused his struggles.

Elly De La Cruz – SS

Moving on to McLain’s double play partner, Elly De La Cruz has looked great for the Reds all around in Spring so far. His story for 2025 is different from McLain’s, as De la Cruz was an All-Star for the second time in his career. However, his 2025 season is still a tale of two parts.

His second-half struggles at the plate were well documented and linked most likely to his fatigue from attempting to play all 162 games. He was also not as effective defensively and on the bases, but all that has changed in Spring Training.

De La Cruz has seemingly dropped the toe tap approach at the plate and gone back to his old stride. He is slashing .400/.400/1.000 for a 1.400 OPS, all while running the bases extremely well and looking solid all around the field.

Sal Stewart – 1B

Big Sal, undoubtedly the most excited Reds fans have been for a prospect in a few years, has been playing as expected so far. In six games, he is slashing .429/.529/.929 for a 1.458 OPS.

He has left the yard twice, with one going over the batter’s eye in center field. The 22-year-old will be essential to the team’s success this year, and all signs are looking positive heading into the regular season.

JJ Bleday – OF

JJ Bleday, a newcomer, is making a pretty sweet first impression with the Reds.  He wasn’t brought in purely for his offense (despite there being some untapped potential there), but he has slashed .417/.500/.750 for a 1.250 OPS.

Austin Hays, Gavin Lux, and Spencer Steer split the left field duties the year prior and weren’t very effective at the plate. Hays had his moments early on, but faded away soon after for the majority of the year.

Bleday breaking out as a hitter will improve this team exponentially. It’s just unfortunately not a guarantee, but it’s looking good so far.