MLB Team by Team: 2008 Cincinnati Reds

Despite last year's record (72-90) and how far behind the Chicago Cubs (13 games) the Cincinnati Reds finished, it's hard not to have high hopes for contention in the Queen City this season for the long suffering Reds fans. With a lineup that includes established stars Ken Griffey, Jr. and Adam Dunn, up-and-coming stars Brandon Phillips (recently signed to a four-year extension) and Edwin Encarnacion, the offense, as usual, won't be an issue for the Reds.

What may tamper those hopes is the pitching, which, outside of ace Aaron Harang, wasn't anything to write home about. Did the Reds do enough to address these concerns in the off-season?

OFFENSE: B+

Griffey has been a superstar seemingly since birth, and, now that he's finally been able to give the Reds full seasons, has shown some of the flashes of the time he was considered the best player in the game. He is seven home runs shy of 600 for his career, and one can't help but wonder if he would've been the one chasing Hank Aaron down last year without the injuries. Dunn continues to be all power, all the time (40 homers, 106 RBI), Phillips had a breakout year (.288, 30 homers, 32 steals) and will only be 27 at the end of the season, and everyone outside of Ryan Freel had 10 homers or more in the starting lineup last year. It's a lineup that'll have many a pitching coach up all night in the National League Central.

PROJECTED LINEUP: 1 Gonzalez SS 2 Phillips 2B 3 Griffey RF 4 Dunn LF 5 Hatteberg 1B 6 Encarnacion 3B 7 Ross C 8 Freel CF 9 Pitcher's spot

STARTING PITCHING: D

Their own pitching coach may be up all night as well. Harang had the breakout year of his otherwise fairly solid career (16-6, 3.73 ERA, 218 strikeouts in 231-plus innings), and the Reds are certainly hoping for a repeat of that, because there isn't a whole lot more here. Bronson Arroyo has the potential, but not the numbers, Matt Belisle ate some innings, but also gave up a lot of gopher balls (26 in 177.2 innings), Homer Bailey may still be a year or two away, and Edinson Volquez is rowing that boat along with him. And, yes, they brought in Jeremy Affeldt to contend for the fifth slot, but he spent most of his time in the bullpen in Colorado last season, and wasn't that effective in his brief time as a starter earlier in his career. If potential becomes reality, the Reds become dangerous. If the previous showings were reality, the Reds become dangerous to themselves.

PROJECTED ROTATION: Harang, Arroyo, Belisle, Bailey, Volquez

BULLPEN: C

Potential again rears its changing head in the bullpen. Francisco Cordero comes over from the Milwaukee Brewers to take over closing duties from David Weathers, and both men did pretty well in that capacity last year (Cordero converted 44 of 51, Weathers 33 of 39), so the end of the game may not be in question. It's getting there that could be an adventure. Gary Majewski came over last year in the Austin Kearns trade, and had a rough go of it, Jon Coutlangus did well holding lefties in check, and there's some rookies and near-rookies to round out the rest. See the end of the starting rotation portion for the end of this portion, as, again, it's all about potential.

CONCLUSION

The Reds are going to score bunches of runs, it'll take a load of freak injuries to stop that. The Reds look like they are going to give up bunches of runs, it'll take a load of sudden epiphanies and breakout years for that not to happen. They will improve on force of talent, but the playoffs, especially in a division with the Cubs and Brewers looking like powerhouses, is still at least a year in the future. But it'll be exciting to watch in Cincinnati this year.

PREDICTION: 80-82, fourth in National League Central