Twenty games is not a valid results to make any long term conclusions about the 2022 season. It is the equivalent of predicting football result after 2 games.
Having said that, the first 20 games of the season has given Swing Badder some interesting stories. The Yankees have won over 70% of their games and other good starts have been enjoyed by the Brewers, Mets, Giants, Dodgers, Angels, Blue Jays and Padres. Of course this early in the season a three game winning or losing steak can change all of this.
However, Swing Badder would like to draw attention to the start of the Cincinnati Reds. As of this writing they have a record of 3 wins and 18 losses for a winning percentage of .143. The worst in modern history is the 1962 Mets who had a winning percentage of .250 fro the season.
Let’s look at the payroll of this “small Red Machine”. They stand at $116 million. This is number 21 in the league. It is in the lower half but nine teams pay their players less. Two players receive $41 million of the payroll. Looking more closely, we see injured players who receive $30 million of this money. They are even paying Ken Griffey, Jr. $3.5 million.
For Swing Badder purposes let’s look at the two players receiving the $41 million. Joey Votto is getting paid $25 million this year. Mike Moustakas is receiving $16 million. Through the first 21 games here are their results.
Joey Votto is batting .129 with no home runs and 3 RBIs. Moustakas is batting .200 with no home runs and 2 RBIs. Swing Badder is watching these two players and this whole team with grave interest.