Tight Race for Top Spot: Reds Outfield Power Rankings Ahead of Opening Day

The Reds are going to have one of the most scrappy outfields in baseball this season. Will they be more consistent? That's one of the many intriguing storylines heading into 2026. Based on what has gone on in Spring Training thus far, there is a solid chance they might find it.

The Reds used 16 different players in the outfield last season. That ranked third most in Major League Baseball, only behind the Royals (17) and Rockies (19). The Reds go through outfielders like a warm knife goes through butter. That can make power ranking this season's outfield tough... but not impossible.

No. 6 Dane Myers

Acquired in a trade this offseason with the Miami Marlins, Dane Myers is a speedy defensive specialist that is going to be able to play anywhere beyond the infield. Coming off a season with 18 stolen bases and an arm that ranks in the 97th percentile, there is reason to believe he could be of great importance in 2026. The reason he is ranked in last place, is because the Reds have not utilized these players all that well in the past.

Blake Dunn and Bubba Thompson come to mind as guys who were supposed to be players to give the Reds some outfield depth and some speed on the bases. They just haven't worked out the way Bell and Francona might have liked. By no means does that mean Myers won't have a part to play, but there are other pieces that need to contribute more.

No. 5 Will Benson

Kings Island doesn't have a roller coaster as thrilling as Will Benson's career. Since 2023 he has been the most exciting player and the most frustrating player rolled into one. He has shown signs of being an incredible ball player, but his plate discipline has gotten the better of him.

Heading into 2025, Benson stated that he wanted to get every-day at-bats, instead of just coming in to face right handed pitching. He got what he asked for to start last season, and it did not work. He ranks in the bottom 15 percent in whiff percentage and strikeout percentage. His OBP was remarkably low at .276 and his OPS wasn't much better.

This spring he is 8-for-32 with four home runs. He's played well enough to make the Opening Day roster. Could this be the sign of his 2023 resurgence or will it be another hill on the never ending roller coaster that has been his Reds career?

No. 4 Rece Hinds & JJ Bleday

Two players who are trending towards not even making the Opening Day roster come in at the four spot. Both players are having phenomenal Springs.

JJ Bleday is 12-for-27 with six extra base hits and 10 RBI, while Rece Hinds is 13-for-34 with four home runs and 10 RBI.

Bleday has had a serviceable career in three seasons with the Athletics. The most noticeable aspect to his game is his pop. He hit 20 home runs in 2024 playing in 159 games, and hit 14 home runs last season in nearly less than half the at-bats.

We have seen sparks from Rece Hinds in the Major League level, but have not seen nearly enough playing time. These two players might not make the Opening Day roster, but they will make their mark on this season.

No. 3 TJ Friedl

Terry Lee has been a good-enough player for the Reds since 2022. He has taken the centerfield position and played it as well as we could have hoped. He has shown signs of power, hitting 18 home runs in 2023 as well as having one of the better plate approaches on the roster. In that same season, he did not hit into a single double play in nearly 140 games. After a disappointing 2024, last season he played close to how he did in 2023 hitting .261/364/.742.

This spring, he is slashing .306/.366/.755 with eleven hits and six runs batted in. He is not the best player on the team, and probably is not remotely close to it. However, he is a guy that can be counted on in an outfield that has been uncertain for several years now. Assuming he is not taken by the injury bug, which is a hard thing to assume with this ball club, he will be a known commodity for Reds fans this season.

No. 2 Spencer Steer

Steer is the rock of this team. On a team that lacks power, he has hit 20+ home runs in three straight seasons. On a team that lacks durability, he has played in 146+ games in each of his last three years. He has played nearly every position on the field, while keeping his offensive numbers as consistent if not more so than anyone else during that time frame.

The nonsense that claims his defense is not good enough to warrant a spot in the lineup every day is laughable. On paper, he might be the most ordinary player on the roster, but Reds fans know, or should know, that he is of the utmost importance if this team has postseason aspirations.

His role is the most unique on the roster because it is not set in stone. Terry Francona's plan might change for Steer with each passing game, because he knows no matter what is thrown at him, he will be ready.

It has been a pretty uneventful Spring Training for Steer, but that doesn't mean anything to the most rock-steady player on the roster.

No. 1 Noelvi Marte

Cincinnati Reds right fielder Noelvi Marte (16) caches a fly ball off the bat of Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Miguel Ro — Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Before the PED suspension, Noelvi Marte had as much hype as anyone on this roster. He looked like a superstar in only 35 games back in 2023. When he came back from the suspension in 2024, a whole bunch of worry started to creep in to the minds of Reds fans and I would imagine the front office.

That doubt was quickly smashed last season after getting back to his old self and becoming an every day outfielder in the process. There have been some learning curves in the outfield, but the 24 year old adjusted quickly. He made what is regarded as the play of the season last year when he robbed Bryan Reynolds of a home run. That sealed a victory for the Reds and kept them in the playoffs.

This spring he is 10-for-38 with six extra base hits and is taking great strides in the outfield. He ranks No. 1 on this list for his incalculable upside, and the excitement he brings to an outfield that Reds fans haven't had since the departure of Nick Castellanos.