What else can baseball fans do in January but dream of October? In You May Say I'm a Dreamer, the Outside Corner staff will imagine the route to a World Series in 2013 title for all 30 teams.
The Cincinnati Reds came up short in the 2012 playoffs despite having one of the best teams in baseball. The same thing did not happen in 2013, as the Reds breezed through the NL Central during the regular series, and then laid waste to their opponents in the playoffs, losing just two games during their championship run.
Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto carried the Reds, homering 33 times with an eyepopping 1.069 OPS, winning his second NL MVP award after the tremendous campaign. It wasn't a one man show on offense for the Reds, with Brandon Phillips (24 homers and 21 stolen bases), Shin-Soo Choo (18 homers and 23 steals), and Jay Bruce (37 homers) all playing big supporting roles on the team around Votto.
Cincinnati's pitching staff was once again brilliant. Aroldis Chapman's shift to the rotation was a smashing success, as the Cuban Missile struck out 204 batters in 190 innings, posting a 3.36 ERA and making Dusty Baker look like a genius (for once). Chapman wasn't the only stud in the Reds rotation, though. Johnny Cueto followed up his breakout 2012 by throwing 213 innings of 2.75 ERA baseball, while Mat Latos threw 201 innings and posted a solid 3.54 ERA. With that trio at the top of the rotation, the Reds were a runaway freight train that couldn't be stopped.
The Reds didn't really miss Chapman all that much in the bullpen, either. Jonathan Broxton was shaky at times, but still managed to save 38 games while posting a 2.61 ERA. His main setup man, Sean Marshall, struck out 80 hitters in 71 innings, and miniscule 1.14 ERA, turning the eighth inning into a chore for opposing hitters. The rest of the bullpen was solid as well, and provided excellent support for the Cincinnati rotation.
In the playoffs, the Reds swept the Nationals in three straight games in the NLDS, pummeling their overworked and exhausted pitching staff. The NLCS rolled around, and the Reds knocked off the NL East champion Braves in five games, gaining a measure of revenge for Atlanta sweeping them out of the NLCS in 1995. Finally in the World Series, the Reds prevailed in five games over the Tigers, earning their first World Championship in over 20 years, and just their second since the end of the Big Red Machine.
It was a dominant run for the Reds that ended in the fashon that many expected coming into the year: with a title, and champagne being sprayed all over the clubhouses at the Great American Ballpark.
Reds on TOC
End of Season Postmortem
2013 Season Preview
You May Say I'm a Dreamer
2013 Burning Question (1:30 PM)
This Is My Nightmare (3:00 PM)
2013 X-Factor (4:30 PM)
