Friedl has been a steadying presence in a lineup that has had its ups and downs this season. During spring training, manager Terry Francona told Friedl that he wanted Friedl on base twice a day and that he didn’t care how he got on base. Friedl has embraced his role as the table setter at the top of the lineup.
“For me, it’s getting on base for the guys behind me,” Friedl said. “It’s setting the table, which is something I take a lot of pride in my whole life and more importantly this year.”
Friedl has been one of the most productive leadoff hitters in baseball. He works tough at-bats, reaches base and runs the bases well. He has also proven to be a strong power threat when pitchers try to jam him with inside fastballs. He has made just as big of an impact with his glove, including two acrobatic catches at the wall in June. On one of them, Friedl ended the game by robbing a home run as the Reds beat the Milwaukee Brewers.
“This is who he is,” Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson said. “He’s relentless. He plays his butt off. I’m happy for him. He’s a huge sparkplug for this team, and he can do it in so many ways.”
Friedl, one of the longest-tenured Reds players, has also stepped up as a more vocal leader this season. His consistent energy has helped set a tone with the team’s young players, and he remained upbeat when the lineup was really struggling in May.
Friedl’s message was, “Sometimes, you go through a lull where everybody is going through it together. Everyone is pressing for that one hit. Everyone is looking for that big hit. But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s baseball.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Like Friedl, Abbott doesn’t have jaw dropping physical tools but finds a way to be consistently productive. Abbott’s fastball sits in the low-90s, he doesn’t spin an incredible breaking ball and he mixes five pitches. It’s an old-school approach that works well for him.
“Mentally, he’s very strong,” Francona said. “Being left-handed, you don’t have to break the radar gun to always be effective. When you can cut the ball and you have a changeup and a breaking ball, they have to respect three speeds. It really helps. You see him get some funky swings.”
Abbott’s complete game shutout in a win over the Cleveland Guardians was the highlight of his young career. He used all of his pitches, filled up the strike zone and remained incredibly efficient.
With Hunter Greene on the injured list, Abbott has stepped up as a frontline starting pitcher. Abbott had very strong stretches in 2023 and 2024, but he said this is the best he has ever pitched.
‘I’m more experienced,” Abbott said. “I have more knowledge under my belt about the league. Our staff has been tremendous with our prep and pre-work and post-work to keep us healthy and going as much as possible. I’d love to be this consistent forever.”
He has improved in some very subtle areas this season. Abbott is in the best shape of his life, and he feels healthier. He has significantly improved his routine between starts. He has developed a new cutter that has made an impact.
“He’s more equipped to run through lineups,” Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson said. “He’s throwing more strikes. He’s throwing more quality strikes. The focus was on preparing himself for a full year. He retrained himself with how he was throwing. A lot of his catch play stuff changed, even from spring training until now. All of the little details add up. He has made some good pitches and big pitches when he has had to. It’s turned out pretty well for him.”
Shortstop Elly De La Cruz has been heating up at the plate and could also get consideration for an All-Star spot. His defense has room to improve, he’s not as aggressive on the bases this year and he’s statistically not slugging as much as he did last season. But still, he’s a power hitting switch-hitting shortstop with elite speed and has far-and-away the most home runs on the team.
De La Cruz is in the middle of his best run of the season. If he stays hot in June, then he’ll have a good chance to be representing the Reds in Atlanta in July at the All-Star Game.
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