Cincinnati Reds All-Star Candidate Power Rankings: See how high red-hot TJ Friedl jumps

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a day ago

DETROIT – TJ Friedl committed two robberies at the wall in the span of seven games to help secure victories in the past week.
He's also been stealing pitchers' lunch money at the plate for the last month.
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If he keeps it up, the rest of the league might have to do something about it. Maybe even take his All-Star break away and sentence him to a few days of baseball labor in Atlanta next month.
TJ Friedl ranks ninth in the National League in hitting (.294), eighth in on-base percentage (.383) and is tied with the Cardinals' Victor Scott for the MLB lead in bunt hits (five).
Can the Cincinnati Reds' center fielder and leadoff catalyst be the team's fourth first-time All-Star in three seasons?
The way he's setting the tone for a lineup that's shown more signs of life in recent weeks, if he keeps up the pace, it would almost be, well, a crime, if he doesn't get a nod.
'I mean, yeah, it'd be great. It'd be an honor to be in the All-Star game,' Friedl said. 'But that's out of my control. All I can do is just go out there and do the best I can for my team every day, and the rest will take care of itself.'
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Compared to last year, this season already has a gold star on it for Friedl, who broke his wrist on a diving catch attempt in spring training, broke his thumb when hit by a pitch soon after returning from the wrist and, in all, missed three months because of three trips to the injured list (also a hamstring).
'Last year was tough, just missing that many games,' he said. 'It was kind of tough for me to get in a groove. And to be able to come back this year and just be able to try to make an impact in whatever way I can – at the end of the day that's my goal. That's the most important thing.'
Friedl ranks ninth in the National League in hitting (.294), eighth in on-base percentage (.383) and is tied with the Cardinals' Victor Scott for the MLB lead in bunt hits (five).
He's also the hottest hitter on a team that has started to play better just as it hits a buzz-saw part of its schedule, starting with this weekend's series against the Detroit Tigers, the top team in the majors this season.
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'It's good. Everybody's rolling,' he said.
It starts at the top – where Friedl is hitting .345 with four of his seven home runs and a .439 on-base percentage (.998 OPS) in his last 22 games as the Tigers series opens Friday, June 13.
Going back further, he's hitting .333 with six homers and a .456 OBP (1.014 OPS) in his last 32.
No wonder he's moved up a spot on the Enquirer's Cincinnati Reds All-Star Candidate Power Rankings.
This week's rankings:
1. CF TJ Friedl (last week: 2)
Not too many guys can claim a walk-off catch like the one that robbed a would-be two-run homer to end a 4-2 win over the Brewers June 3. Not to mention following that a week later with a wall-banger to rob David Fry of extra bases to lead off the fourth inning of a 1-0 Reds win over the Guardians.
Andrew Abbott lowered his season ERA to 1.87 across 11 starts when he earned a complete-game, 1-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians Tuesday, June 10.
2. LHP Andrew Abbott (last week: 1)
Abbott delivered the Reds' first nine-inning, complete-game shutout in four years when he beat Cleveland in that 1-0 game Tuesday, lowering his season ERA to 1.87, to go along with a 6-1 record through 11 starts. He drops one spot, barely, because of his one clunker since April (five runs vs. Brewers last week) — despite a 1.32 ERA since April ended.
3. SS Elly De La Cruz (3)
He needs to clean up the mistakes in the field that have dropped him to the lower part of the league rankings in defensive metrics. But the toolsy dynamo continues to put up offensive numbers since his first All-Star appearance last season and hasn't missed a game this season despite a bothersome hamstring last month and a trip home to the Dominican Republic after learning of his sister's death two weeks ago. Unbelievable.
4. RHP Emilio Pagán (5)
The veteran setup man, who only ascended to the closer role when Alexis Díaz pitched his way out of Cincinnati, is 16-for-18 in save chances — including eight straight converted chances — with a 3.45 ERA. It's one of the brightest surprises of the Reds season and has Pagán just four saves from matching the career high he had with the Rays in 2019 before transitioning to setup work.
5. LHP Brent Suter (NR)
Suter makes the list as a long-shot candidate in large part because early candidates Hunter Greene and Austin Hays have lost precious time to turn their impressive starts to the season into All-Star bids because of multiple trips to the injured list. Suter has been sneaky exceptional in short and multiple-inning roles —including a pair of scoreless three-inning starts. He has a 2.27 ERA and just five walks allowed in 31 2/3 innings as he rejoins the bullpen Friday following two games on the bereavement list for the death of his grandmother.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds top 5 All-Star candidates: You won't believe No. 5