Breaking Down the Reds’ Biggest Contributors Through 22 Games

The Cincinnati Reds are 14-8 and off to their best start in two decades. They have already won the same number of extra-inning games as they did all of last season.

Let's take a look at their biggest winners through the first 22 games of the season.

Sal Stewart

Apr 18, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Cincinnati Reds second baseman Sal Stewart (27) loses his helmet as he runs to third base against the Minnesota Twins in the second inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

While Reds fans came into the season with high expectations of rookie infielder Sal Stewart, nobody could have predicted the start he has had. Through 22 games, Stewart leads the Reds in batting average, home runs, RBIs, on-base percentage, and OPS. The rookie is slashing .278/.383/.595 with 11 extra-base hits and four stolen bases.

Stewart ranks in the 93rd percentile in xwOBA, 85th percentile in xBA, 94th percentile in xSLG, and 97th percentile in barrel percentage. While the league is starting to adjust to him, there is no reason to thing Stewart won't adjust back. It's been a dream start to the season for the young first baseman.

Elly De La Cruz

Apr 19, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz (44) rounds third base and will score against the Minnesota Twins in the tenth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Elly De La Cruz is showing that it was clearly his quad injury that was slowing him down in the second half of last season. He's exploded onto the scene this year and it still feels like he's yet to truly get hot at the plate. Through 22 games, De La Cruz is slashing .261/.337/.523 with 11 extra-base hits and five stolen bases.

De La Cruz's average exit velocity is at 95 mph this year, which is not only the hardest of his career by a wide margin, but also is in the top 3% of Major League Baseball.

xwOBAcon (Expected Weighted On-Base Average on Contact) is a baseball statistic that measures the expected outcome of a ball in play based on exit velocity and launch angle, excluding walks, strikeouts, and hit-by-pitches. De La Cruz's xwOBAcon is .505, which is in the top 7% of the entire league

While Elly De La Cruz has committed three errors, his Outs Above Average still sits at +1. For context, he finished the 2025 season at -3 in that same metric.

Graham Ashcraft

Apr 4, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Graham Ashcraft (23) throws during the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Ashcraft has possibly been one of the biggest surprises of the season. While he was fine last year, he looks dominant this season. Through 12 appearances, Ashcraft has given up just two runs on eight hits. He's struck out 14 in his 12 innings of work. His WAR of 0.7 is third on the pitching staff behind Chase Burns and Tony Santillan.

Ashcraft is getting groundballs 51.9% of the time, which ranks in the 76th percentile of the league. His expectated batting average against is at .194 and his strikeout rate of 29.8% is the highest of his career. Ashcraft has been a plesant surpise to start the season.

Chase Burns

Apr 16, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Burns (26) throws against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Chase Burns has been fantastic through his first four starts of the season. He has stepped up in a big way with Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene on the injured list and with Andrew Abbott and Brady Singer struggling to start the season.

Through four starts, Burns has an ERA of 2.42 and a WHIP of 1.07 to go along with 22 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings. Last year, Burns struggled to get into the fifth inning, let alone go further than the fifth. In 2026, Burns has thrown five innings or more in all four of his starts and has thrown six innings twice.

Opponents are hitting just .114 against his slider this season. The former first-round pick is looking exactly like the pitcher the Reds thought he could be.

Tony Santillan

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tony Santillan (64) reacts to striking out the last batter as the Cincinnati Reds defeat the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Sept. 21, 2025. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While Santillan's velocity continues to be down, he has still found a way to put zeros on the board. In fact, he has yet to give up a run and has a WHIP of 0.90. His WAR of 1.0 is tied with Chase Burns for the top spot among the Reds' pitchers.

The right-hander has been dominant under the hood. Opponents have just a .156 expected batting average against him (top 5% in MLB), along with a .258 expected slugging percentage (top 9%) and a .189 wOBA that ranks in the top 3% across the league. Opponents are hitting .125 against his fastball and have yet to get a hit against his slurve.

Rhett Lowder

Apr 15, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Rhett Lowder throws against the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park. Players and coaches will wear No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day around the league. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

When you look at Lowder's baseball savant page, nothing jumps out at you in a dominant way, but that is the type of pitcher Lowder is. While he doesn't have crazy stuff, he knows how to pitch. Lowder didn't pitch in a big league game last season and was thrown right back into the rotation after the news broke that Greene and Lodolo would both miss the start of the season.

Lowder has an ERA of 3.52 with a WHIP of 1.13 and is second on the team with 23 2/3 innings pitched. Teams are hitting just .179 against his sinker and .111 against his changeup. Lowder has provided stability for a rotation that is missing their top two starters.

Add us as a preferred source on Google