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. 

As with every other team ASM has previewed in this series, the Reds won’t go too far without good pitching. Fortunately for the team, their top two starters are as durable as any in baseball. Unfortunately, the rest of their staff is a series of question marks, one less certain than the next.

Aaron Harang isn’t an ace in the traditional sense, but in a day and age when some teams go an entire season without a complete game, it’s nice to see a #1 like Harang who had 6 in 2006. Couple that with his 16 wins (in 35 starts with a shaky bullpen backing him up), 3.76 ERA and 234.1 innings pitched, and Harang is a workhorse that will keep the Reds in his starts at the very least. Another 16 wins isn’t too much of a reach, but he’ll need to last deep into games to prevent Cincinnati’s shaky bullpen from blowing his leads.

Just as durable as Harang, Bronson Arroyo was rewarded for an excellent 2006 with a three-year contract extension. He posted only a 14-11 but also topped 230 innings pitched (240.2), and had a solid 3.29 ERA. With the rest of the rotation and the bullpen shaky at best, the Reds need Arroyo to match his fast start from ’06 (4-0, 2.34 in April) or they might be buried in the standings before May Day.

The horses at the front of the rotation can ill afford to lose 11 games each again this year, mostly because it’s doubtful the arms behind them will be able to pick up the slack. Fifteen wins might be too much to ask from Eric Milton or Kyle Lohse, but if they can’t even reach that number together as they failed to do last season, the Reds will need to find a lot of wins in a dicey 5th starter slot and a mediocre bullpen.

David Weathers and Mike Stanton’s best years are behind them, Gary Majewski struggled after coming over from Washington in the Austin Kearns deal last summer, and Rheal Cormier saw his ERA nearly triple after arriving from the Phillies. Doesn’t exactly instill a lot of confidence if you’re Jerry Narron and your starter is tiring.

Depending on who you talk to, Homer Bailey is either the best pitching prospect in baseball or the second best. Either way, with a staff like the Reds have, the club's plan to let Bailey marinate in Triple-A for a while might go out the window before April is out. And even if Bailey comes up and is better than advertised, he still won't be able to take the ball more than once every five days, so unless he's the next Clemens from Day One of his big-league career, he won't be able to salvage this staff.

Unfortunately for the Reds, a potent lineup won’t be enough to save them from a last-place finish in a division where the Cards are the defending champs, the Cubs retooled with $317 million worth of warm bodies, the Brewers are a year more experienced, the Astros picked up Carlos Lee and Jason Jennings, and the Pirates are building off an encouraging second half last season.

Playing right field may be all right with Griffey, but things are going to go all wrong for the Reds in 2007.

2006: 80-82 (3rd in NL Central)