3 Bold Predictions for the Reds 2022 Season

The Cincinnati Reds haven't seen much success in recent seasons, qualifying for the MLB Playoffs just once in the last eight years. With the club posting back-to-back winning seasons, the Reds hope to take one step closer to the postseason in 2022.

The Reds face adversity this offseason, from losing All-Star third baseman Nick Castellanos to the Philadelphia Phillies to their ace Luis Castilo missing the beginning of the year due to injury. Nevertheless, Cincinnati will still do what it can to persevere against the odds.

In the meantime, here's a look at three bold predictions for the Reds' 2022 MLB season.

Reds Bold Predictions

1. Jonathan India Makes a Push for All-Star Nod

Jonathan India was one of the most exciting young players to watch during his 2021 NL Rookie of the Year campaign. Most of his production came after the Reds move him to the lead-off spot, which is where he'll start this season. He recorded 17 home runs and 46 RBIs in 103 games for the top spot in the batting order, which translates to 27 HRs and 73 RBIs in 162 contests. Add in the fact that he's solid at stealing bases (12-for-15 in 2021) and the fact that he batted .269 as a rookie, it wouldn't be that shocking to see India challenging for an All-Star spot in 2022.

2. Reds Will Finish At Least Second in NL Central

Although the Reds finished third in the NL Central last season, they actually had decent success against their rivals. Cincinnati finished the year with 43 wins against their NL Central rivals, which only trailed the Milwaukee Brewers (47) in the grand scheme of things. The Brewers are still the superior team on paper, but the Reds' ability to stay competitive within their division should give them an upper hand over most of the other teams. Besides, Cincinnati did go 9-10 against Milwaukee in 2021, so never say never when it comes to the Reds potentially challenging for the 2022 NL Central crown.

3. Luis Castillo Has a Winning Season Once Again

The injured Luis Castillo has been one of the Reds' top pitchers since he debuted in 2017. Unfortunately, he's suffered back-to-back losing seasons, going 12-22 in 45 starts since the start of the 2020 season. He led the MLB with 16 losses in 2021 and is in dire need of a bounce-back season. The thing is that we know Castillo is better than that. He's a former All-Star and recorded 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings pitched along with a 3.21 ERA in 2021. That's the version of Castillo that the Reds need to succeed in 2022, If he can use his extra time off to focus and come back better than ever, not only will he finally see another winning season but he'll help the Reds challenge for the NL Central title.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.