**After a Year-Long Wait, the Jake Fraley-Led Cincinnati Reds Are a Hard Watch**
The Cincinnati Reds have long been a team with flashes of brilliance, but ultimately have been plagued by inconsistency, underperformance, and missed opportunities. After a year-long wait, the team’s performance in 2024 has been underwhelming. Despite hope building after a thrilling end to the 2023 season and a promising offseason, the Reds have once again become a tough watch for fans who were hoping for a breakthrough year. With Jake Fraley expected to be a leader and a catalyst for this team, many have been left wondering what went wrong.
### A Brief Look at the 2023 Season
To understand the level of expectation for the Reds heading into 2024, it’s important to reflect on 2023. Despite the team finishing with a subpar record of 82-80, there was excitement brewing in Cincinnati. The Reds showed flashes of young talent, and after a mid-season surge, they were contenders for a playoff spot up until the final month of the season. The team was largely carried by their young core—players like Elly De La Cruz, Spencer Steer, and Matt McLain, who seemed to be the future of the franchise. There was hope that the team’s rebuild was coming to fruition, and 2024 could be the year they made a legitimate push for the postseason.
Jake Fraley, the outfielder who emerged as a key figure in the Reds’ lineup, had a breakout 2023 season. His ability to get on base, hit for power, and be a reliable presence in the outfield made him a crucial part of the team’s offense. As a player, Fraley was the type of player that could lead a lineup, someone who could spark the offense and be a steady hand in the clubhouse. With him at the helm, fans were hopeful that the Reds could take a significant step forward.
However, as the calendar flipped to 2024, the optimism surrounding the team has quickly turned into frustration.
### The Frustration of 2024
Entering 2024, there were legitimate expectations that the Reds would continue their growth as a team. The front office made moves to improve the roster in the offseason, hoping to solidify the bullpen and add some veteran presence to complement the young core. The team seemed poised to build on the success of last year’s late-season surge. Unfortunately, that optimism has been swiftly replaced by disappointment.
The Reds’ struggles in 2024 stem from several factors, with the team’s lack of consistency being the most glaring issue. Despite having one of the more exciting young lineups in baseball, the team has often been inconsistent at the plate. The Reds’ offense, which was explosive at times last year, has failed to consistently deliver in key moments. Too often, the team has been unable to string together hits and sustain rallies, leading to frustrating losses.
Fraley, for all his promise and previous production, has also faced challenges this year. While he has continued to show flashes of the talent that made him such an exciting player in 2023, his overall performance has been inconsistent. As the team’s primary leader, Fraley’s struggles have been magnified, and the team has been unable to find the offensive rhythm needed to contend in a competitive division.
### Injuries and Underperformance
Injuries have also played a significant role in the Reds’ struggles. As with any team, injuries are often a reality in Major League Baseball, but the Reds’ key players have been affected at crucial times. Elly De La Cruz, widely considered one of the brightest young stars in the game, has been hampered by injuries that have prevented him from reaching his full potential. His absence from the lineup has been noticeable, and the team has struggled to replace his impact.
Similarly, other young players like Spencer Steer and Matt McLain have shown potential but have been unable to maintain consistent production. Steer has dealt with a dip in his performance, and McLain, while an exciting player, has shown signs of growing pains as he adjusts to the rigors of a full MLB season.
But it’s not just the youth of the team that’s been inconsistent. The Reds’ veteran players, including Fraley, have faced their own struggles. Fraley’s bat, which was a major asset in 2023, has lacked the same level of consistency this year. His plate discipline, which was a key part of his success last season, has been erratic, and he has failed to deliver in clutch situations. While still valuable, Fraley has not been able to be the clear leader that the team needs.
In addition to the struggles in the lineup, the Reds’ pitching staff has been inconsistent as well. The team’s starting rotation, which showed promise last year, has been uneven in 2024. Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, two of the team’s most promising young arms, have been sidelined by injuries, leaving the Reds with a patched-together rotation. The bullpen, which was expected to be one of the team’s strengths, has also underperformed, blowing several late leads and contributing to the team’s inability to close out games.
### The Lack of Leadership and Mental Toughness
Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of watching the 2024 Reds is the lack of leadership and mental toughness. Fraley, as mentioned, was expected to lead the charge, but there have been moments where the team has appeared to lack the mental fortitude needed to win close games. Baseball is a game of momentum, and the Reds have shown little ability to respond to adversity this year.
In key moments, when the team needs a big hit or a timely pitching performance, they have often fallen short. The Reds’ inability to play with a sense of urgency has been frustrating for fans who remember the team’s ability to rise to the occasion in 2023. The lack of fire and focus in key moments has been a major issue in 2024, and it’s something that needs to change if the Reds are to have any hope of turning their season around.
While the team’s youth and inexperience can partly explain some of these struggles, it’s also clear that the Reds need more from their leaders. Jake Fraley, in particular, must step up and take control of the team’s offense. The franchise needs a player who can inspire and lead by example, and while Fraley has shown the potential to be that guy, he has yet to consistently deliver.
### The Long Road Ahead
As the Reds move deeper into 2024, the question becomes whether they can turn things around. The team has shown glimpses of the talent that made them exciting just a year ago, but they have not been able to put it all together. The Reds are not far removed from a team that nearly made the playoffs, and with the right adjustments, they could still find themselves in contention.
However, the clock is ticking. The Reds cannot afford to waste another season of talent development and player growth. The team needs leadership, consistency, and mental toughness if they want to compete in the highly competitive NL Central. If Jake Fraley can find his form and the team can avoid further injuries, there is still hope for this squad. But as it stands, the 2024 season has been a hard watch for fans who were hoping for something more.
The Reds will need to address their issues quickly, or they risk falling further behind in a division that is filled with competitive teams. The 2024 season was supposed to be a year of growth and contention for the Reds, but as the team continues to struggle, fans are left wondering whether this is another year of disappointment or the beginning of something greater that just needs time to develop.
In the meantime, Jake Fraley and the Cincinnati Reds have a lot of work ahead of them if they want to transform their season and return to the exciting team fans thought they were getting. The promise is there, but the execution must improve—and fast. The journey ahead is long, but with leadership, consistency, and some luck, the Reds might still find a way to make their 2024 season a memorable one. For now, though, it’s a hard watch.
