Reds Open Season On The B-Side

Last season, the Reds had 14 players on their roster. This year, with an influx of 16-year olds, the Reds have well over 20 players ready to go, enough to give the Reds enough players to roster an A-Team and a B-Team, with a few players on both rosters.

American Legion rules allow only 18 players on a postseason roster, and that roster must be set on June 1, giving the Reds very little time to come to a conclusion.

The first step towards completing that roster is on Sunday, as the B-team will travel to Sidney for a pair of games starting at 2 p.m.

“It’s just basically a test run,” said Head Coach Jack Sprague, who is starting his second season at the helm of the Reds. “We’ll throw a couple of 16-year olds.”

Sprague noted that about 13 guys are set for the A-team roster and there are five spots up for grabs after that.

“It’s not necessarily the five best guys that will make it,” he said. Someone “might not be a right fit [for our needs as a team.] It’s a nice luxury.”

Last season, it was a battle of attrition for the Reds. Any pitcher went down and the team would be severely short-handed.

This season, they’ll have a full 18-man roster.

“It seems exciting,” said Sprague. “But we’ll see.