Reds Mailbag, Part 2: How to assess wear, WAR and pink belts

There may be a lesson here or maybe not that when we asked for your Cincinnati Reds questions just a week ago, things were bleak, the team couldnt score and mistakes in the field erased any margin for error.

The team had lost four straight series and was on its way to dropping another against the lowly Chicago White Sox.

Advertisement A sweep of the Cleveland Guardians and a modest four-game winning streak (which is equal to the longest losing streak the team has had this year) bumped the Reds up to .500 on their way to Pittsburgh.

There are still warts, but the Reds now sit above the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central and have a better overall record than any team in the American League East, save the New York Yankees.

There are worse spots to occupy.

WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON WILL BENSON pic.twitter.com/jR1geua23U Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 18, 2025 As with Part 1 of this mailbag, the questions have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

Although, perhaps I should clarify one of my answers from that mailbag: A reader asked how I like my hot dogs, and I mentioned liking ketchup on mine.

Some people appeared angry, though, thinking Id be going around putting ketchup on other peoples hot dogs without their permission.

I can assure you that was not what I was suggesting.

Should we be concerned with all the soft tissue muscle injuries? Or is this a normal trend throughout the league? It seems these issues could be prevented with better nutrition, strength and stretching and conditioning.

Bill S.

Why so many soft tissue injuries? Kevin P.

Ill start here Dr.

Rosecrans is my sister, not me (and even then, her husband is the orthopedic surgeon, not even her.) From my research, there are studies that show the risk for most soft tissue injuries muscles, tendons, ligaments is highest early in the season.

That makes sense.

According to a 2019 study in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, nearly 40 percent of hamstring injuries in baseball come in April and May.

A 2022 report in the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery noted that Ulnar Collateral Ligament injuries were also more prominent during those months.

Advertisement Other factors include the way front offices utilize the Injured List, and that IL trips are less stigmatized among players nowadays.

MLB shortened the IL period from 15 days to 10 days for position players in the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement, making it less costly for players and teams to utilize.

Plus, the uptick in bullpen usage makes it harder to have a pitcher unavailable for multiple days.

Theres also the shortening of the news cycle and the unlimited space of the internet for news distribution.

There used to just be a game write-up and notes from your local beat writer sitting at your doorstep once a day.

The job of a beat writer is much different now than it was when I started (covers mouth and mumbles) years ago.

There are more micro-scoops, with social media incentivizing minutiae for those with access.

Its impossible to prove these theories without revving up my DeLorean to 88 mph, but its something that makes sense in my head, at least.

Id also push back on the idea that nutrition, strength and stretching and conditioning were better in the old days.

Those categories have greatly improved during my career.

When I first started, I heard stories about the ice cream machine in the Reds clubhouse.

Players now leave with individualized protein shakes after games instead of a six-pack and a pint.

The Reds have a dietician that travels with them, as well as other support staff, including a Pilates instructor and a massage therapist.

Theres never been a time in baseball where strength, conditioning and nutrition have been better or better funded.

Sometimes people get hurt.

Theres also the change in strategy, with pitchers emphasizing velocity and maximum spin two things that take a greater toll on the body and hitters emphasizing power, which does the same.

Advertisement That leaves us with injury rates relative to other teams.

As of Monday morning, the Reds currently have 12 players on the injured list, the second-most in the sport behind that other noted skinflint organization, the Los Angeles Dodgers (14).

The cheapskate New York Mets have 11 players on the IL.

When you take out the players on the 60-day list, the Reds have the most players on the IL with nine, two more than the Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals.

The 420 games the Reds IL players missed are the eighth most in baseball as of Monday morning, according to Baseball Prospectus .

But the teams missing out on 1.488 WARP from hurt players, the 17th most in baseball.

Thats a long way of saying, the Reds have injuries.

Most other teams have injuries, too.

The Reds nearly have the most players on the IL at this moment, but there will be times when they dont.

I have always been curious about MLB uniform rules and how Elly De La Cruzs pink/teal belts, gloves, cleats, etc.

fit within those rules.

I thought players had to stick with the permitted color scheme of the team unless its a designated special weekend (Mothers Day, Players Weekend, etc.).

Love it, but thought it was against the rules.

Robert H.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement that followed the 2018 season loosened the rules regarding the colors of shoes and belts.

Before the 2019 season, there was a rule that a players shoes must contain at least 51 percent of the teams primary color.

The CBA adopted after the 2018 season allowed players to wear shoes with black, white, gray and any colors on their teams uniform.

It also allowed for any other colors, as long as theyre approved by the club.

Most teams are pretty laissez-faire about that requirement.

While the rules still require players to wear belts, the restrictions on the belts color are looser.

Advertisement I wouldnt be surprised if restrictions on the colors and designs of bats and catchers equipment were next.

When it comes to the top 24 bWAR Reds of all time, only three (Barry Larkin, Joey Votto, Jose Rijo) have played a game in the 2000s.

Who from the current roster or pipeline not named Elly De La Cruz or Hunter Greene has the best chance to land on that list? (No.

24 is Paul Derringer at 31.3 bWAR) Daniel H.

I like this question.

That said, 31.3 bWAR is a lot.

Theres a reason you could back that timeline up to 1990 and still have the same three players on that list.

Baseball Reference has photos of the top 24 if you click on the franchise page (which is why I suspect you used the top 24), and exactly half of the photos are black and white.

The CBA allows teams to control players through six years of service time.

Simple math notes that youd have to have a little more than 5 WAR in each of those first six seasons to reach Derringer.

Ill put it another way: Jay Bruce had a very good career and hit 319 home runs over parts of 14 seasons.

His bWAR is 19.7, and only once, in 2013, did he top 5 bWAR.

Brandon Phillips played in 17 big-league seasons and didnt reach 30 WAR (28.9).

Phillips never had a 5 WAR season, topping out at 4.9 in 2011.

Adam Dunn finished with a career 17.9 bWAR, with a 4.7 bWAR in 2004 as his best mark.

In his nine seasons with the Reds, Ken Griffey Jr.

accumulated 12.9 bWAR, only topping 5 in 2000 (5.5.), his first season in his hometown.

In his first seven seasons, including a September call-up, Joey Votto did move onto that list, accumulating 34.3 bWAR from 2007 to 2013, when hed have been eligible for free agency had he not signed an extension before then.

Votto finished with a 63.6 bWAR.

Elly De La Cruz had a 5.2 bWAR last season and a 6.8 bWAR through his first 302 games.

Thats a good mark, but hed have to pick up the pace to challenge Derringer before hes eligible for free agency.

Advertisement That just means its pretty much a crap shoot.

A career with 30 bWAR is one heck of a career, and to do it in one place? Thats even tougher.

The easiest answer may be Chase Burns, just because his service time clock hasnt started, and hes the teams top prospect.

Im a big believer in Matt McLain, and I can see him being the type of player who can reach those heights and may stick around Cincinnati after reaching free agency (or signing some sort of extension before it gets to that point).

That said, I wouldnt bet on anyone, including De La Cruz and Greene, reaching that mark.

Thats not to say they cant do it, its just something I dont see happening.

(Photo of Elly De La Cruz: Alex Slitz / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6368369/2025/05/20/reds-mailbag-injuries-uniforms-stats/