Cincinnati Reds Bullpen May Have an Opening Day Shakeup

There may be a surprise brewing for the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day roster and it is in the bullpen.

Terry Francona laid down the gauntlet at the outset of camp and told players he didn’t care about what they had done in the past and that they needed to prove they deserved a roster spot in camp. With that being said, there may be two pitchers in trouble.

Both Sam Moll and Graham Ashcraft have been uninspiring in their performances this spring, but word on the street is it runs much deeper than some meaningless Cactus League statistics. Both pitchers are well below their average pitch velocity from last season, with Opening Day just over a week away. That is usually a good indicator that neither pitcher is in playing shape yet.

In his most recent outing, Moll was at least one mile per hour slower on all four of his pitches than last year and almost two MPH slower on his fastball. 

Ashcraft was 1.8 MPH slower, on average, with his cut fastball than last year and 2.4 MPH slower with his slider.

Both of those guys were Opening Day locks for the bullpen entering the spring. It is concerning the reports I have heard on them and based on what Francona said early in camp, this could be a recipe for an early season trip to Louisville. Both players have MiLB options, so they could be sent to Triple-A without hitting waivers.

With that being said, who takes their place? Joe La Sorsa appears to be a legitimate candidate to make the roster.

The 26-year old southpaw has just 41 career MLB games under his belt but all reports from camp point to his hunger to make the team. He showed up in fantastic shape and his velocity is off the charts.

In his last outing, La Sorsa was 2.7 MPH faster with his sinking fastball and 1.9 MPH faster with his slider than he’s ever been. He would be an easy early season replacement for Moll as the Reds bullpen would not lose a lefty.

La Sorsa has yet to make a name for himself in the majors. His 41 career games have been split with Tampa Bay (two games) and Washington (39). He has a lot of growing left to do. Maybe Derek Johnson can unlock his potential and the Reds can have a young, controllable bullpen arm for a few years.

Keep an eye out for this roster possibility with Opening Day just nine days away.