Cincinnati Reds star Rece Hinds continues to make history in his first week in the majors as records books continue to be re-written due to his eye-opening performances. In Saturday afternoon's game where the Reds beat the Miami Marlins, 10-6, Hinds had his first multi home run game putting him in the company of nobody but himself.
In the six games Hinds has played in, he has nine extra base hits which are two more than any other player in that span of contests since at least 1901 according to Sarah Langs' post on her X (formerly known as Twitter) account. On top of that record, he also is just the second player in American League/National League history with at least five home runs in his first six outings which Trevor Story did back with the Colorado Rockies in 2016, records that Hinds wasn't even aware of according to MLB.com.
“Honestly, I wasn’t [aware of it] until some people started talking about it,” Hinds said. “I try not to think about it too much. Try to stay humble, stay even keeled, not get too high, not get too low. We have the All-Star break coming up, couple of days off, so [it will] probably sink in a little bit more then, when I'm just relaxing, thinking about the week that just happened.”
Hinds' approach that has led to major success with the Reds
There are no words to describe how well Hinds has been playing as the baseball no doubt looks like a beach ball in the eyes of the 23-year old. He would say after the Reds' win over the Marlins that he is an “aggressive hitter” and has been “trying to hunt something over the hear of the plate.”
“I stuck to my same approach that I’ve been doing the last few weeks, just trying to hunt something over the heart of the plate and capitalize on it when I get it,” Hinds said. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity that’s been given,” Hinds said. “I’m just happy to capitalize on it and be successful and help the team win in any way I can.”
“I think everyone knows I’ve always been an aggressive hitter,” Hinds continued. “And to be able to hone that in to a zone and stay aggressive, that’s all I really want.”
Reds manager David Bell in the reason for Hinds' outstanding outings
Even with the small sample size of six games, Hinds has hit a .500 batting average, five home runs, and 11 runs batted in (RBIs) which has been an insane beginning to a career with the Reds, liken to the start of Aristides Aquino in 2019. He would clobber home run after another during his run, but would falter off and is currently not in the league anymore, but Hinds looks to stay consistent as Cincinnati manager David Bell says he is in a “pure of a state of playing the game of baseball.”
“It’s amazing to watch any athlete or any baseball player that’s that locked in into the zone and not really thinking,” Bell said. “It’s almost like no thought and just playing the game and reacting to every situation. Seeing the ball and using its natural ability.”
“Not that you don’t think in this game, but it has a tendency to get in the way,” Bell continued. “To be able to watch someone in that pure of a state of playing the game of baseball is a lot of fun. I’m happy for Rece. These are big games for us. He’s contributing in a big way.”
Reds teammates love to see Hinds' explosive performances
Other people that have loved to see this production is obviously his Reds teammates as the team is 5-1 since he has made his debut on the main roster. Specifically are the pitchers as Hinds has done a brunt of the run support to help ease the stress as starting pitcher Hunter Greene and reliever Brent Suter sing the praises of Hinds, even the former calling him a “freak of nature” according to Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer.
“He has been an absolute game-changer,” Suter said. “He has won like three games almost single-handedly with his swings and defense. He’s a great kid. Great energy. It’s like a trade deadline acquisition, how much of an impact he has made inside of the clubhouse and out on the field. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.”
“He has always been a freak of nature,” Greene said. “Extremely powerful. Strong. A really good kid. He’s really fun to watch. He has been a huge surge to the team. ”
Hinds' relationship with Elly De La Cruz
Another player who is elated to see the historic performances from Hinds and has also been a major standout for the Reds is star Elly De La Cruz as the two were minor league teammates. Hinds would talk about the relationship between the two saying it started all the way in Single-A ball.
“Elly and I started back in [Single-A] Daytona, actually,” Hinds said. “I came back from a meniscus tear and he was tearing it up. We kind of bonded a little bit. The next year we played in [High-A] Dayton. Our relationship has just gotten closer every year since being able to play with each other. And then, I didn’t get to play with him the last couple of years since he was up here, [so] to be able to play with him and see the excitement — I just feed off it and I think we kind of feed off each other.”
“Just baseball in general,” Hinds continued. “We both love the game. We both like to have fun. We’re both flashy in some way. I think we just feed off that energy that we give off. We’ve definitely had some competitions over the years. In BP (batting practice), home run derbys — just see who can hit the ball the farthest, who can hit it the hardest on exit velo, how many home runs we hit in this round of BP (batting practice).”
At any rate, the Reds look to enter the All-Star break on a high note as they currently have a 47-49 record which puts them third in the NL Central. They look to sweep the Marlins Sunday afternoon and come out out after the break.
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