“There’s a lot of mixed emotions,” Hunter Greene told reporters in Chicago on Sunday. “Obviously, I had a really great year this year, but I’m not here to just have a great year myself. The team came up short on a lot of fronts. I’m happy, but at the same time, I’m affected by everyone. Everyone’s affected by each other. There’s a lot we have to work on in the offseason, a lot of soul searching, a lot of adjustments we have to make. What’s really important is looking at yourself in the mirror and seeing what you have to work on. That’s important for taking it to the next level.”
Greene’s performance was a highlight in a largely forgettable season for the Reds, who added to a long list of failures.
The franchise hasn’t won the National League Central Division or a playoff game in 12 years. It hasn’t earned a playoff berth in a 162-game season since 2013. It hasn’t won a playoff series since 1995. It hasn’t won the National League pennant or World Series since 1990.
While the 2023 Reds competed for a playoff spot until the final week of the season, the 2024 Reds dropped out of contention in mid-August. There were some memorable moments and performances, of course. Here’s a review of 2024 season:
MVP: Second-year shortstop Elly De La Cruz led the Reds with a 5.1 WAR (Wins Above Replacement). That was more than double the number of the player with the second-best WAR, catcher Tyler Stephenson (2.4).
De La Cruz hit .259 with 25 home runs and 76 home runs. He led baseball with 67 stolen bases, eight more than Shohei Otani, of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bobby Tolan (57 in 1970) was the last Red to lead baseball in stolen bases.
There are plenty of fun facts related to De La Cruz’s season:
* De La Cruz is the first primary shortstop in big-league history to have more than 25 home runs and 65 stolen bases in a season.
• De La Cruz has 102 stolen bases in his first two seasons. He’s one of three players in history to steal 100 bases in his first two seasons, along with Vince Coleman (217 with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985-86) and Rickey Henderson (133, 1979-80).
• De La Cruz reached 100 stolen bases and 100 extra-base hits in 251 games. That was faster than anyone in baseball history.
Top starting pitcher: Greene was 9-5 with a 2.75 ERA in 26 starts in his third season, improving on his rookie numbers (5-13, 4.44 in 24 starts) and sophomore year numbers (4-7, 4.82 in 22 starts).
Top reliever: Buck Farmer, in his third season with the Reds, had a 3.04 ERA in 61 appearances, improving on his 2023 numbers (4.20 ERA in 71 games) and 2022 numbers (3.83 ERA in 44 games).
Most disappointing position players: Spencer Steer hit .225 in 158 games after hitting .271 in 156 games in his first full season in the big leagues.
• Will Benson hit .187 in 128 games after hitting .275 in 108 games in his first season with the Reds.
Most disappointing pitchers: Nick Lodolo (9-6, 4.76) and Graham Ashcraft (5-5, 5.24) struggled in their third seasons. Both finished the season on the injured list.
Best stat: The Reds ranked third in baseball with 207 stolen bases. They reached 200 stolen bases for the third time in the last 100 years and first time since 1988 (207). The last time the Reds had more stolen bases was 1976 (210).
Worst stat: The Reds were 15-28 (.349) in one-run games. That’s their worst mark since 2018 (10-29, .256). Only the Chicago White (13-29, .310), who lost 121 games, the most in a 162-game season in baseball hisotry, had a worse record in one-run games this season.
Strangest stat: The Reds outscored their opponents (699-694) in a losing season for the first time since 2011 when they finished 79-83 despite a positive run differential (735-720).
Worst injury: Matt McLain, one of the team’s top performers as a rookie in 2023, missed the entire season after undergoing left shoulder surgery in March.
Looking ahead: The Reds will play the San Francisco Giants on March 27, 2025, at Great American Ball Park on Opening Day in Cincinnati.
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