Cincinnati Reds Season Preview

With just four days until Opening Day, it's time to give a breakdown on the Reds' roster and their potential for this season. I won't give my predictions on the season just yet. You'll have to wait a few days for that. 

Starting Pitchers: No, there's not an ace. But no one in baseball, not even the Philadelphia Phillies, can match the kind of quality pitchers that the Reds can run out there every night. There's literally 7 or 8 pitchers in the organization that all deserve to be in the starting rotation. All of these guys could be in any rotation, and the Reds' depth will be tested early with Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey opening on the disabled list. I'm less worried about Homer's injury, since his numbers are replaceable, but if Cueto is gone for any length of time, the Reds could be in trouble. His 32-32 career record doesn't do justice to how important he is to the Reds, as he was 12-7 last year and was the victim of 6 blown saves. So we will see how this rotation does early on, as the Reds will break camp with Edinson Volquez, Travis Wood, Bronson Arroyo, Mike Leake, and Sam LeCure set and ready to go. Matt Maloney would also be prepared to step in if necessary, but might also get the call to work out of the bullpen. Grade: B+

Bullpen: There are still a pair of open spots left in the bullpen, which will be filled by either two from this group: Jose Arredondo, Jared Burton, Logan Ondrusek, and Matt Maloney. My best guess is that Arredondo starts the year on the disabled list, and the Reds will ship Maloney to Louisville to continue to work as a starter, just in case Bronson Arroyo struggles to start the year since he is sick with mono. That leaves Ondrusek and Burton to make the bullpen, joining Francisco Cordero, Aroldis Chapman, Bill Bray, and Nick Masset. The Reds will hope that Burton can duplicate his 2007 and 2008 years where he posted ERAs of 2.51 and 3.22. Dontrelle Willis was cut today and agreed to go to Louisville to continue to work on getting better. Overall the bullpen looks fairly solid, but not terrific. It all depends on that back three of Cordero, Chapman, and Masset. If they're all strong, then the bullpen will be strong. Grade: C+

Catcher: Ryan Hanigan and Ramon Hernandez have essentially become interchangeable both behind and at the plate. Hanigan is a .279 career hitter, and hit .300 exactly last year with 5 homers and 40 RBI. Hernandez, who will likely get the Opening Day start, has hit .278 in his Reds career and hit .297 last year with 7 homers and 48 RBIs. I'm sure the Reds would be please to get a near-.300 batting average and 12 homers with 88 RBIs from their catchers again this year. Veteran Corky Miller, who handles  pitchers extremely well, waits in Louisville in case of injury. Top prospects Devin Mesoraco, who tore it up in Spring Training this year, and Yasmani Grandal await in the wings in the minors. Both are terrific hitters and could both be future all stars. Mesoraco will most likely be up here this year if anything happens to Hanigan or Hernandez. Few teams can boast this kind of depth at the catcher position. Grade: A

Corner Infielders: Joey Votto and Scott Rolen are the heart and soul of this team. They make the team go. We all know how important Votto is, considering he won the MVP. And Rolen is just as important, as he carried the team for stretches in the first half last year. If the Reds are to get back to the playoffs and further, they need Scott Rolen to stay healthy and be productive for about 120 games. Behind them, Miguel Cairo is as solid as they come, hitting .291 in 200 at bats at four different positions. In all likelihood, Juan Francisco will make the team, and will be the primary left handed pinch hitter off the bench. If Rolen were to go down for any length of time, he would fill in, and is likely the third baseman of the future. Yonder Alonso is a career .291 hitter in the minors, blasting 24 homers and 123 RBIs. He primarily plays first, but is blocked by Votto at the majors, so if he is to ever play for the Reds he must learn to play left field. Most likely, however, Alonso will be trade bait for Cincinnati. Grade: A

Middle Infielders: Brandon Phillips has become a staple at second base for Cincinnati and he says he would like to finish his career here. I'm sure every Reds fan would want to see that as well. Brandon saw his RBI total dip to 58 last year, as he spent a lot of time at leadoff or hitting second. But he also hit a very solid .275 with a career high 33 doubles while scoring 100 runs. Phillips won his second gold glove award, committing just 3 errors. I expect the RBI total to rise again this year, and for Phillips' home run total to top 20 once again, after dipping to 18 last year. Paul Janish will be the starting shortstop after hitting .260 in 200 at bats last year. If he can translate that into a full season, the Reds will be please, especially with his stellar defense. World Series MVP Edgar Renteria comes over from the Giants with a career .287 average and over 2000 hits. The Reds will be happy if he plays solid defense and hits about .275, which he did last year for San Francisco.  Grade: B

Outfielders: Jonny Gomes, Drew Stubbs, and Jay Bruce comprise the starting outfield, though I wouldn't expect Gomes to hold onto his job if he struggles at all. Jonny came up with a career high 86 RBIs last year, and the Reds expect that kind of production again this year. He'll need to put up strong numbers again, especially with Chris Heisey and Dave Sappelt breathing down his neck. Sappelt hit .564 this spring and will undoubtedly be in the Reds' plans, as early as this year. Drew Stubbs and Jay Bruce are both candidates to have breakout years this season. Both have the potential to win gold gloves and go to the all star game. I expect Stubbs to hit about 25 homers and steal near 40 bases, while I think this is the year Bruce puts it all together and drills close to 40 homers. Both of these guys will have huge years and are the cornerstones of the Reds' future. Fred Lewis may not make the club out of spring, but will likely be up at some point and will get some time at the top of the lineup. He's a fairly adequate leadoff hitter and could provide some impact on games, though I don't think he should get a call over Sappelt. Grade: A-

Overall View: The Brewers' and Cardinals' top players are probably better than the Reds top players. But 1 through 25 on the roster, the Reds are as strong as anyone in baseball. And I think that's what sets them up for such a great season, because of their unparalleled depth. Milwaukee and St. Louis are built for short series in the playoffs, while the Reds are built to win over 162 games. That depth will come in handy as the season wears on, and it will be tested from the very start. How the Reds handle the adversity of having a target on their back will be key all season. They have gone from the hunters to the hunted. And now they have more competition within the division than they did last year. Team Grade: A-