The Reds need more slugging, and they're counting on Spencer Steer and CES to take the next step

GOODYEAR, Ariz. —On the first night of the MLB Winter Meetings in December, outfielder Michael Conforto signed a one-year deal for the Dodgers for $17 million.

Conforto is a solid slugger and was an above-average hitter last season. But he’s not an All-Star. He represented the middle tier of this year’s outfield free agent market.

The Conforto contract showed the Reds how much it was going to cost to add the type of player that they were looking for. The Reds — operating on a budget that was particularly inflexible at the time because the team didn’t have a TV deal — had to pivot.

Signing a big power hitting bat was right at the top of the Reds’ wish list this winter, right alongside adding a durable starter. Conforto, Tyler O’Neill and Joc Pederson all went on to sign big deals early in the offseason before the Reds got an influx of money from their new television contract. They didn’t trade for Kyle Tucker or Luis Robert.

They found some value opportunities and bought low on Austin Hays and Gavin Lux, who were the Reds’ biggest position player offseason additions. But Hays and Lux aren’t power hitters.

The 2024 Reds ranked 21st in MLB in slugging. They also ranked 19th in homers, which is very low for a team that plays half of its games in GABP. The Reds need more pop behind Elly De La Cruz, who was the only player on the team that finished the year with more than 20 homers.

The Reds’ “plan” will always be dependent on player development, and they’re now counting on Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand to provide that power they know they need.

“The way that I believe in hitting is that when you’re a good hitter,” Terry Francona said, “Especially with young guys, when you use the whole field and you’re balanced and you’re as strong as the two guys that you just talked about, they’re going to grow into power.”

In 2024, Steer and Encarnacion-Strand got into the worst ruts of their professional baseball career.

Steer had a nice season with 20 homers, 92 RBI and consistent clutch hitting. But he went into some slumps over the course of the year and finished 2024 with a below average OPS of .721.

“I expect more out of myself,” Steer said. “You put in the time you do year-round, and every day you’re working to get better. When I don’t play up to what I feel like I’m capable of, there’s definitely frustration. All competitors feel the same. I didn't give myself any grace, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Steer was quietly dealing with significant shoulder soreness, which is still impacting his ability to throw. The Reds are having him rest his shoulder this spring, and he’ll be the DH during the early part of the spring training schedule.

Steer said that the shoulder issue never physically impacted his actual swing. But he really had to grind to make himself available to play every day. Steer still played in 158 games.

“The impact that it had was on the mental side of things and how draining it was preparing to play every day and all of the treatment it took to get the arm ready to play, and then the treatment after the game to get it ready for the next day to recover properly,” Steer said. “Dealing with the pain it was causing, mentally, it got exhausting at times. But I don’t think it’s fair to use that as an excuse or even blame it on the results.”

The team views Steer, the Reds’ team MVP for the 2023 season, as a potential future All-Star and a core piece of the Reds’ foundation. He’s an old-school player who works quality at-bats, uses the entire field and hits for power without trying to hit homers. He’s also stepping into a bigger leadership role.

For the Reds to meet expectations this season, the 27-year-old Steer will have to make another leap and start to enter his prime.

“I definitely have certain goals that I’d like to hit, and I’ll keep that to myself,” Steer said. “My goal is to be healthy and be available for 162 games. Then, focus every day on trying to play winning baseball. I truly believe that when you focus on trying to win the game, all of the individual stats and goals you set for yourself take care of themselves.”

The highest-upside version of the Reds’ lineup has Steer and Encarnacion-Strand hitting behind De La Cruz as middle-of-the-order sluggers.

As frustrated as Steer was with his 2024 season, Encarnacion-Strand had it even worse.

Before last season, Encarnacion-Strand had never struggled over the course of his entire professional career. He keeps things very, very simple and doesn’t overthink his approach at the plate.

He opened the 2024 season as the No. 3 hitter in the Reds’ lineup and was Joey Votto’s replacement at first base. Encarnacion-Strand was pressing at the plate, hitting .190 with a terrible .513 OPS. He was on the verge of being sent down before he suffered a season-ending wrist injury.

“I didn’t play to my ability,” Encarnacion-Strand said. “It’s a new year this year. You want to perform the best you can. Last year is last year. It is what it is. You move on and play the best that you can.”

At first, Encarnacion-Strand thought that the fractured wrist was just a contusion. He initially tried to play through it, but he was gritting through a lot of pain. A follow-up scan revealed the fracture.

Encarnacion-Strand gave his wrist as much time as he could to heal in an effort to avoid surgery. He said, “We tried to let it heal by itself because it had the potential to. But it didn’t.”

Encarnacion-Strand had season-ending surgery in July. He played in the Arizona Fall League in October to get some at-bats, and he says his wrist is feeling great this spring.

Despite his struggles last year, Encarnacion-Strand didn’t make any big changes to his swing this offseason. That’s not really his way.

“I’m just going to go out there, play some ball and trust my ability,” Encarnacion-Strand said.

The biggest change that he made was to his workout routine. He looks a lot more athletic, and now the coaching staff is reintroducing third base to Encarnacion-Strand. He has only made four big league starts at that position and was becoming a prototypical slugging first baseman.

Because he’s a more explosive athlete now, he’s getting another shot to play third. If he can handle the position, he’ll address the weakest spot on the Reds’ depth chart. So far this spring, he’s spending half of his time at third and half at first.

“I feel great at third,” Encarnacion-Strand said. “Either way, first or third, I’m great. I’m moving well, and that’s all that matters.”

Francona said that he doesn’t want Steer and Encarnacion-Strand selling out for power. As much as the team is counting on their slugging, Francona wants them to keep their approach consistent.

“I’d much rather see guys learn how to hit,” Francona said. “They’ll grow into that power. Whatever it ends up being. When you start getting guys to lift (and try to hit fly balls), you’re setting yourself up to make some mistakes.”

For more of Charlie’s coverage of spring training, stay posted here. Also, look out for some upcoming features with Cincinnati Magazine.