Reds’ infuriating offensive stat makes an offseason fix impossible to ignore

The Cincinnati Reds increased their home run production to 179 this season, ranking sixth in the majors, but their run-scoring has actually declined to a pace of 670 runs, which would be 46 fewer than last year and rank 23rd in baseball. The real problem is situational hitting: the team ranks last in the majors at driving in runners on third with less than two outs at 42.2%, last in batting average with runners in scoring position at .217, and last in strikeout rate in those situations at 25.6%. Hitting coach Chris Valaika previously emphasized the importance of situational hitting and bunting but has failed to implement these strategies effectively, putting his job security in question heading into the offseason.

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