Spencer Steer is the Reds’ walk-off hitting Swiss army knife

After the Cincinnati Reds acquired infield prospect Spencer Steer in a trade deadline deal last August, he told the Reds’ player development staff that he’d be excited to learn how to play the outfield.

At the time, Steer wasn’t a highly-touted prospect who looked destined to be a cornerstone of the next contending Reds team. He looked like a future utility player, and Steer wanted to do everything he could to reach the big leagues as soon as possible.

Now, Steer is one of the best rookies in MLB. He’s hitting .283 and ranks third in MLB among qualified rookies with a .871 OPS. Steer delivered the walk-off homer in Friday’s 7-5 win over the San Diego Padres, providing another example of why he’s a player that the Reds expect to have in the middle of their order for a long time.

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Last month, Steer approached Reds manager David Bell and told him that his offer from 2022 still stood. He was still interested in learning a brand new position if it would help Bell navigate the Reds’ logjam in the infield.

“It’s natural for me to do everything to try to win,” Steer said. “I’ve never been the guy who feels entitled enough to say, ‘This is my position.’ I’ve always enjoyed moving around. It was a no-brainer for me to just go with the flow and do whatever the team needs.”

Steer is a polished hitter with a great approach, and he has a chance to finish his rookie season with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. But his biggest strength is his adaptability.

Steer didn’t take a single ground ball at first base during spring training, but he filled that position for two months until Joey Votto returned from the injured list in June. After the Reds called up prospect Elly De La Cruz, Steer began making regular starts in left field and immediately made highlight plays.

Steer only played the outfield once during his entire college and minor league career, but he knew that playing the outfield would help keep De La Cruz, Matt McLain and Jonathan India all in the infield. Steer volunteered to be the player who changed positions.

Reds manager David Bell’s lineup is a difficult balancing act with a deep group of talented hitters. Steer is the guy that Bell knows can hit anywhere between first and seventh depending on what’s best for the team that day.

“That’s what you get from a young kid who doesn’t care about anything other than playing ball and helping the team,” Reds infielder Nick Senzel said. “He’s selfless, man. We need him in the lineup. He’s another young kid who has made it easy to fall in love with. He plays the game hard. That’s all you should know about Spencer.”

Steer’s walk-off homer on Friday was another example where he adapted to the situation. Before his homer, the Reds nearly had a walk-off RBI single from Senzel. De La Cruz beat the throw to the plate, but the umpires concluded after a long replay review that Padres catcher Gary Sánchez got the tag down without blocking the plate.

Steer said that this review was a unique situation for him. He hadn’t waited that long and had to stay so patient before stepping up to the plate for a potential game-winning at-bat.

During the review, Steer struck up a conversation with Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson.

Steer said, “If this call gets overturned (with De La Cruz called safe), it will probably be the weirdest walk-off I’ve ever been a part of. If it doesn’t, so what? Let’s go try to get another run.”

When De La Cruz was called out, Steer simply stepped up to the plate and blasted a homer over the left field fence.

“He’s a very good baseball player,” Bell said. “It’s really an attitude of doing whatever it takes and not overthinking it. He has the ability to simplify it. At the plate, he’s a really intelligent player. When he’s in the moment and competing, he’s able to really simplify it. That helps him move around and play different positions. And it helps him be the player he is.”

Steer’s consistency while adjusting to new situations has been a season-changing development for the Reds.

In the middle of May, Steer put himself in Bell’s shoes and looked at the direction that the roster was trending in. He knew that De La Cruz was on the verge of becoming an everyday starter in the infield, including starts at third base. Steer recognized that Votto was getting closer to coming off the injured list and taking that starting spot back at first base.

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Prospect Christian Encarnacion-Strand is a corner infielder who should get called up this summer, and Noelvi Marte is a top-50 prospect in MLB who could very likely become the Reds’ third baseman of the future.

Steer’s long-term spot in the starting lineup is now safe because of his production and his potential. He also knew that making the lineup would be a lot easier for Bell if one of the Reds’ infielders moved to the outfield.

Steer stepped up to be that guy.

“I’m just trying to do everything I can to be in the lineup every day,” Steer said. “We’ve got a lot of really talented infielders. There aren’t always enough at-bats to go around for everyone in the infield. If I’m hitting well enough to be in the lineup, I’m willing to play anywhere.”

As Steer spoke about his versatility to play the outfield recently, Reds outfield coach Collin Cowgill walked by and reminded Steer that there’s a Gold Glove award for a super utility player.

That’s now something in the back of Steer’s mind.

“He’s up for anything,” Bell said. “He really doesn’t have a lot of fear. He just wants to do what’s best for the team.”

Through 79 games this year, Steer has 13 homers, 19 doubles and nine stolen bases while playing standout defense at three different positions.

If he played first base full time, then Steer would rank seventh in OPS among players who have spent at least half of the season at first base. If he played third base full time, he’d have the third-best OPS among players who play that position full time. He’s one of three players in MLB this year to make at least five starts at first base, third base and in left field.

In his rookie season, Steer is already one of the most important players on a first-place team.

“It means everything,” Steer said. “This is the organization that gave me my first opportunity in the big leagues. It’s just humbling to know the coaching staff and the organization believes in me to have this role. I just don’t want to take it for granted. I want to keep going out there producing. There’s no one I’d rather do that for than this group of guys.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Spencer Steer is the Reds’ walk-off hitting Swiss army knife