Under the Hood: Breaking Down the Reds’ Most Telling Offensive Stats

The Cincinnati Reds' offense continues to struggle. They have scored three runs or fewer in 30 of their 63 games this season. They have been shut out nine times this season.

Let's take a look at six fascinating stats.

TJ Friedl Has Elite Contact Skills

Friedl is striking out in just 11.5% of his at-bats and has a chase rate of just 18.3%. Despite the fact that he's hitting the ball hard just 30.3% of the time, his on-base percentage of .383 and slugging percentage of .419 make him one of the Reds' most consistent hitters right now.

Will Benson's Numbers Don't Tell the Whole Story

While Benson has just 18 hits in 72 at-bats, his expected stats show he's been unlucky. His expected wOBA is .400, his xBA is .291, and his xSLG is .581. He's hitting the ball hard 54.9% of the time, which is second best on the team behind Tyler Stephenson.

Gavin Lux Has Been Solid

While Lux doesn't wow you with his power, he has been very solid for the Reds this season. He's hitting .289/.382/.394. He's hitting the ball hard 41.1% of the time and his numbers all suggest that his performance should be sustainable throughout the season.

Santiago Espinal Can't Find the Barrel

Espinal started out the season hot, but has really struggled of late. In 780 batted ball events, Espinal has barreled the baseball just one time. His .267 wOBA is one of the worst among Reds regulars.

Where Did Spencer Steer's Power Go?

Steer is consistently hitting in the middle of the Reds' lineup, but his power has seemingly disappeared. The first baseman has just four home runs and a .277 wOBA with a disappointing .284 xwOBA. His barrel rate at 8.8% is fine, but he's not turning that contact into damage the way he has in past seasons.

Matt McLain's Struggles

McLain's production, or lack thereof, has been the most concerning. He is hitting just .175 on the season. Despite McLain hitting the ball hard 44.8% of the time, his xBA is still just .205. His whiff rate is up to 28.5%, meaning he's not making enough contact overall. While his 44.8% of contact is hard hit, the other 55.2% of the time he is hitting into lots of infield popups, weak groundballs or easy flyouts, dragging down his expected average.

The Reds need McLain and Steer to perform much better if they want this team to start performing better and make a run at the playoffs.

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