Spencer Steer Will Mash in 2026, but Major Question Remains

The Cincinnati Reds had a very mid year at the plate. Only a few players posted above-average years at the dish, with no one really going off. Spencer Steer faced injury and a very slow start to his 2025 and will look to break out next year.

This is part of the “Will he mash?” series of posts. We will look at the key contributors to the Reds in 2025 and answer the question of whether they will be key contributors to the lineup next year.

Steer got Gold Glove consideration at first base. He has been a solid (if unspectacular) bat in the Reds lineup but we have now seen two years of similar slash lines from him. It is important to define what Steer’s role is next year in order to discern whether he will mash.

If Steer is a first baseman, he will not mash in 2026. If Steer is back to a super utility player, he WILL mash. Let’s break it down.

A total of 18 players saw 450+ plate appearances as first baseman in 2025. Steer ranked 10th in this group in OPS. When just singling out his 465 plate appearances strictly playing first base, he had a .787 OPS. That was 40 points lower than the next first baseman, Willson Contreras from St Louis.

Could Steer add 20 points to his on-base percentage and 20 points to his slugging? Maybe, but that would just get him to the level of Contreras and nowhere near the level of Vinnie Pasquantino (.848 OPS) or Matt Olson (.850). Steer will always be a below-average bat as a first baseman unless he takes a big step next year. Don’t even get me started on whether Steer can reach Nick Kurtz’s level…

The other problem with expecting a breakout for his bat is the peripheral numbers. He is below league average in hard-hit rate, barrel rate, and average exit velocity. He just doesn’t provide enough hard contact to see his numbers spiking, right now.

There’s always hope, but hope is not a strategy.

Small market teams that play with small budgets, like the Reds, must have players cast properly. That is why Steer is MUCH better suited as a super utility player.

Comparing him to the six Gold Glove finalists as utility players this year, Steer has the best OPS of any of them. That list INCLUDES postseason record-setting Ernie Clement.

If you put Steer’s bat at the position where most players are bat-first, glove-second, then he looks overmatched. If the Reds were to instead move him around the infield, with brief cameos in left field, he would be the most valuable to them.

Make Steer a super utility player again, and he WILL mash in 2026.

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Spencer Steer Will Mash in 2026, but Major Question Remains

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