The Reds enter this offseason on the heels of a playoff berth that ended almost as quickly as it came, having been swept by the eventual World Series champion Dodgers in two games during the NL Wild Card series. There's still reason for optimism headed into next year thanks to a fantastic rotation led by Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott, but Cincinnati's offense could clearly use some help.
Despite having not being ranked among the top 30 prospects in the Tigers' farm system during the past few years, Mendoza has always been an interesting prospect with high upside due to his ability to play multiple positions in the field. The 25-year-old utilityman has seen action at second base, third base, and all three outfield positions to date in his six-year professional baseball career, all with the Detroit organization.
Patrick finished the week with a 2-for-10 performance across a pair of games. He went 2-for-5 with a triple in his first game, and went 0-for-5 in the Division Series games. On the season, Patrick showed up with a .772 OPS and went 22-for-24 in the stolen base department. He showed a good approach with 13 walks and just 12 strikeouts, continuing a trend from the season. For the full year Patrick had 101 stolen bases on 120 attempts (84%)
But Pavel Zacha, drafted by the Devils sixth overall in 2015 as a centerman but has bounced between pivot and wing throughout his career, looks at his versatility more as a blessing than a curse. He just wants a little heads-up for what's expected of him. That has been the case for Zacha in his first three seasons as a Bruin.
When Liverpool broke the bank this summer to sign Florian Wirtz, many wondered whether Dominik Szoboszlai's starting spot was suddenly under threat. After all, Wirtz is a high-profile No. 10, a position that Szoboszlai often occupied. Yet, the Hungarian international, who scored eight goals and notched eight assists across all categories of matches last season, made it clear he wasn't stepping aside so easily.