This season marks the ceremonial end of an era that has technically been over for years. That is the era of Ken Griffey Jr. as the greatest centerfield talent in the game of baseball. Why is that ending this year? Well, because Ken Griffey Jr. is no longer playing center field of course. Instead, jack-of-all-trades Ryan Freel will roam the middle of the outfield for the 2007 Reds, sending Griffey out to greener pastures, or right field as it’s commonly called.

The only downside to this move for Cincinnati was that Griffey would reject it. It’s clear that his best years are behind him, that despite still having career numbers that rank him as an all-time great (563 HR, 1608 RBI), he hasn’t been the same player since leaving Seattle and catching the injury bug in the Midwest. Still, players with resumes like Griffey’s tend to have a lot of pride (see: Sheffield, Gary), so it was no sure thing that Griffey would warm up to the switch. To the naked eye he has; then again Griffey was never a player that looked like he could do anything but have fun while on a baseball field.

Maybe this move allows Griffey, 37, to approach his old numbers for a few years before calling it a career. Either way, it was time to make the move and the Reds (and Griffey) will be better off with The Kid playing a slightly less demanding position.

Other than Griff’s position switch, the other big story in Cincy camp has been Josh Hamilton. Having hit rock bottom thanks to drug problems, the former #1 pick has worked his way to the big leagues, and his .400 average this spring gives every indication that he’ll be in the mix in the Reds outfield. He certainly won’t take a starting spot from Griffey, Freel or Adam Dunn, and he’s no guarantee to last all year in the bigs, but the return he has made is impressive, regardless of his performance on the field this season.

Offensively, the Reds lineup has plenty of pop. Dunn is good for 45-50 home runs with his 175+ strikeouts, Griffey might just get back to 35 homers without the grind of playing center everyday, and Freel is an excellent table-setter whose numbers will never reflect his real value.

Second baseman Brandon Phillips may wear his hat a little crooked for my taste, but you can’t argue with 17 HR and 75 RBI from a second baseman. And this is a huge year for third baseman Edwin Encarnacion. At 24, it’s time for him to shed the ‘prospect’ label and prove he can top his Joe Randa-esque 15 HR and 72 RBI from a season ago. Playing in more than 117 games will certainly help, but the Reds need a big year from Encarnacion as they’re counting on his being a big contributor at the plate.

The Scott Hatteberg-Jeff Conine platoon-ish situation at first base can be counted on for 25 home runs and 80 RBI at a minimum, and catcher David Ross came into his own last season at the plate, showing great power (21 HR/52 RBI) in just 247 at-bats. Those numbers project to a fantastic 2007, but bear in mind that Ross is 30, so it’s unlikely he’s going to get any better at this point. Provided last season wasn’t a fluke and he can put up a 25/85 in a full season and stop the ball behind the plate, the Reds should be perfectly happy with their production from the catcher’s spot. Shortstop Alex Gonzalez isn’t going to light up the stat sheet, but he catches the ball, a quality that is too often overlooked in a middle infielder these days.