From the first game that Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson played in the big leagues, he looked like a player who’d be unfazed by big at-bats throughout his career.
In 2020, Stephenson picked up his first MLB hit in a game where he came off the bench and hit a home run. He barely played that season, but he still earned the opportunity to make a few starts at designated hitter. In 2021, Stephenson started the season as the Reds’ backup catcher and go-to pinch hitter, and he carved out more starts and more consistent playing time as the season went on.
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The idea was always that Stephenson would grow into the Reds’ regular catcher, and that he had All-Star potential down the road. Now, with 160 MLB games under his belt, Stephenson looks like a player who’s entering the prime of his career.
On Wednesday, the Reds beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 14-11, in front of a crowd of 11,851 at Great American Ball Park. Stephenson went 3-for-5 with four RBI, continuing his breakout 2022 season.
“I’ve played with some great catchers,” said Reds third baseman Mike Moustakas, who has been teammates with seven-time All-Star Salvador Perez and two-time All-Star Yasmani Grandal. “He’s definitely up there. He’s young, and no moment is ever too big for him. He steps up in every situation when we need him to. He picked me up about three times today (at the plate). That’s just what he has been doing ever since I’ve been playing with him."
Even though he missed two weeks with a concussion, Stephenson still has 17 RBI, which ranks fourth on the team. He has the highest batting average and the highest OPS on the Reds.
Since the start of the 2020 season, Stephenson is the only active catcher in baseball who's hitting .285-or-higher over at least 300 at-bats.
“Less is more,” Stephenson said. “I’m just trying to simplify and obviously just get a good pitch to hit, and be on time. That’s the biggest thing. I don’t ever try to do too much. When you do, nothing good ever really happens."
Stephenson has always been known for his poise in big at-bats, and both of his RBI doubles on Wednesday came with two outs. In the first inning, Stephenson hit a first pitch curveball to drive in a run. Then in the second inning, Stephenson crushed a line drive down the left-field line with the bases loaded, which gave the Reds a 7-0 lead.
During the season, Stephenson has settled in as the Reds' No. 5 hitter. In that role, he protects the left-handed power hitter in front of him in the lineup, whether it’s been Joey Votto or Moustakas. And in that role, Stephenson has frequently been in position to take some of the biggest at-bats of the game for the Reds.
It's been an ideal role for the 25-year-old who continues to improve.
"I noticed that last year actually when we played the Reds," Reds left fielder Tommy Pham said. "I thought he was a great hitter. He knows the zone pretty well and he makes very good contact. He stays through the ball well. He does a lot of things that elite hitters do. I’m just trying to get on base for him."
On Wednesday, Stephenson served as the Reds’ designated hitter for the first time this season. Stephenson won’t catch every day due to the wear and tear of playing that position. But with Stephenson on a roll, Reds manager David Bell knew the importance of keeping Stephenson in the lineup.
Stephenson delivered two of the biggest hits of the game and helped get the Reds a 7-0 lead.
"It’s nothing that I don’t expect," Reds shortstop Kyle Farmer said. "He’s a great ballplayer who keeps getting hits. You think he has gotten comfortable, but he keeps getting more comfortable and more comfortable. The confidence comes with comfort. That’s what he has."
Since he came off the injured list on May 3, Stephenson entered Wednesday’s game with a .333 batting average, a .968 OPS and four extra-base hits. He has been the Reds best hitter, and he has continued to show the coaches the defensive progress they were hoping to see entering the season.
Stephenson continued his bid for an All-Star appearance against the Brewers, and he helped carry the Reds on a day where they got another up-and-down game from their starting pitcher.
Reds starter Vladimir Gutierrez took a step forward from where he was in his most recent outing against the Brewers. Last week, he struggled with command and allowed seven runs in 4 ⅓ innings. In Wednesday’s win, Gutierrez had six strikeouts and just two walks in 4 ⅔ innings, but he also allowed four runs off of two home runs.
With two outs in the fifth inning, Bell brought reliever Alexis Díaz out of the bullpen, and Díaz escaped the inning with the bases loaded on another strikeout for one of the Reds best young pitchers. Díaz has a fastball that cuts in all four directions, and the pitch has allowed him to make the jump from Double-A to MLB this season.
Díaz has a 0.59 ERA this season through 14 relief appearances, and he has continued to earn more high-leverage opportunities. He showed why in the fifth inning against the Brewers, getting third baseman Luis Urías to whiff on a 97 mph fastball above the strike zone.
"(Díaz) continues to grow," Bell said. "He was probably a bit tired today. He stepped up and went one-plus innings of really important work for us. It was definitely a big part of the game."
The Reds pulled away in the eighth inning, which included RBI singles from Pham and Moustakas and a three-run homer from Colin Moran. Bell said before the game that the middle of the Reds order has started to get into a rhythm, and Pham, Moustakas, Stephenson and Moran picked up the offense. The Reds survived a six-run ninth inning by the Brewers and clinched the series win.
"To win the series is progress and moving forward," Stephenson said. "We can't look too far ahead, but we have to continue to play well and keep this thing going.”
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