Anthony DeSclafani Could Win Rookie of the Year for Cincinnati Reds

By Adam Hughes | Mar 26, 2015

Winning has a funny way of lifting all a team’s boats, from garnering MVP votes for key players to boosting free agent dollars for those who depart after a victorious season. If the Cincinnati Reds find their way back to contention in 2015, one of the individual beneficiaries could well be new starter Anthony DeSclafani, who could receive serious consideration for National League Rookie of the Year honors if he stays in the rotation all season.

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A year ago at this time, DeSclafani was headed to the Double-A Jacksonville Suns, part of the Miami Marlins minor league system, where he had finished 2013. DeSclafani made his second stint in the Southern League a short one and was called up to the Marlins on May 14 after eight starts with Jacksonville.

After two starts in the Major Leagues, it was back down for DeSclafani, this time to Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs

DeSclafani bounced between Miami and New Orleans several more times during the remainder of the summer but stuck with the big club for good in early September. In all, he logged just 33 innings with the Marlins across four different call-ups, scant enough experience that he maintains his rookie status for 2015.

Now, after being traded for veteran Mat Latos during the winter, DeSclafani finds himself in the Opening Day rotation for a team who is just one season removed from a string of post-season appearances, and who expects to be playing in October again in 2015.

If the Reds are to meet that goal, they will need not only a return to health and productivity by their hitters, but solid performances up and down the revamped rotation. DeSclafani, at 25, will go a long way toward determining whether Cincinnati can replace the productive innings that walked out the door with Latos and Alfredo Simon this off-season.

No pressure,

If DeSclafani answers the bell and reels of 10-15 wins to help the Reds make it all the way back to the post-season, he will be one of the frontrunners for the National League Rookie of the Year award next fall.

Can DeSclafani and his new team come through? It’s a tall order, but just about anything seems possible in the final days of Spring Training.

Next: Early Predictions for Cincinnati Reds' 2015 Award Winnners

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