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The Cincinnati Reds have had an up and down season so far in 2016. Their pitching staff has been decimated by injuries, including their top three starters being on the disabled list. Lost in the bad bullpen and scrambling to find starting pitchers, the Reds have been having a great year on the base paths.
The Reds are averaging 4.1 runs per game so far in 2016. Of those runs, two are from their base running prowess. More impressively is that the are doing that with an OBP of .292 as a team. That is the second worst in all of MLB ahead of only the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Reds are sixth in the National League in base running runs per game. It’s no surprise that the Chicago Cubs lead all of baseball with five. They average 6.2 runs per game, so most of those can be attributed to base running as well. Part of the reason why the Cubs look so good is that they have had 95 opportunities to advance on ground outs. By contrast, the Reds have had only 77. That means the Cubs are adding runs while the Reds are losing them, relative to the ground out scenarios. Despite this, the Reds are still doing great on the base paths.
It’s more than just an overall team effort. The Reds have three of the top 20 base runners in all of baseball on their roster in outfielders Tyler Holt and Billy Hamilton, along with shortstop Zack Cozart. They also lead the National League in stolen bases.
The Reds haven’t had a great start to the season, but their base running has kept them respectable. They have to get their bullpen turned around. Otherwise, their base running strength will only make for exciting plays, not an exciting season.
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