I haven't even been paying attention to the Reds' spring training. All I know is 4 of our 5 starting rotation may be starting the season out on the DL. And those are the guys that filled in last year after all the trades went down, so they weren't even in the rotation for a good part of last year. The first week at least will be mostly backups that I've never heard of. Rasiel Iglesias will be the opening day starter, and we got Alfredo Simon back this season. He was stellar when we traded him away after the '14 season, but he wasn't expected to be a major factor in the rotation when he signed this year. Looks like that's going to change. With DeSclafani, Homer, Lamb and Moscot on the DL, it could be a rough start to the season.
On the hitting side...Votto will be Votto. I think Phillips will have a decent year, maybe not as good as last year, but decent. It looked like he was gone over the winter, but he nixed two trades. I'll say he's loyal to the ball club. He just isn't part of our future, and that could hurt us. Peraza is in the wings waiting. Cozart, if he's healthy and hits like he did at the start of last season before getting injured and not the 2014 Cozart, could be a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully Suarez will continue his hot hitting filling Frazier's spot at 3rd. The only thing that worries me about him is his defense. Bruce...a couple of trades fell through, so we're stuck with him for now. I like the guy. He is great defensively and can blast the ball out of the ballpark no problem. But he loves to strike out and his average suffers for it. He's just never become that elite player that many expected him to be. Way too inconsistent. Not sure what to make of center and left field. For all the speed he has, Hamilton can't hit his way out of a paper bag. I think I heard his on base percentage was something like .216 this preseason. And he's supposed to be our leadoff guy. Bryan Price wisened up and decided that Hamilton would instead hit out of the 9 hole on Opening Day. Left field will probably be a platoon...again. Schebler has been a pleasant surprise, and I wouldn't doubt he may take that job full time. But to start, it looks like a split between him and Duvall. Either way, once Winker makes his way up to the bigs, neither will be over there. By then the Hamilton experiment may be over and one could move to center. That leaves Mesoraco. I certainly hope his hip is good and he can stay healthy. He's shown he's got some power.
Overall, it ain't going to be an easy season to watch. Next year may be tough too. We're probably looking at 2018 before we really start competing again.
