Cincinnati Reds:

Climbing out of the cellar

The Cincinnati Reds are one of the more successful franchises, as far as winning goes, in all of Major League Baseball. The team has reached the postseason 17 times, won nine NL pennants and five World Series wins. Their last World Series win came in 1990 when they were lead by players like Jack Armstrong, Rob Dibble, Barry Larkin, Randy Myers, and Chris Sabo. Their last playoff appearance came in 1995 where they made it to the NLCS and lost to the Atlanta Braves in four straight games. Last season, the team finished 5th in the NL Central with a 69-93 record.

The Reds have been a team in “rebuilding” mode for the past couple of years and feel that this year they are ready to realize their potential. So during the off-season they didn’t go out and make very many moves. Their one big signing was right handed pitcher Cory Lidle. They’re bringing him in with the hopes that he can help out the starting rotation.

When you think of the Cincinnati Reds most people think of “The Big Red Machine” of the 1980’s that would just manufacture runs at will. This team shouldn’t be too far off from that. At the top of the lineup we find second baseman D’Angelo Jimenez and the immortal Barry Larkin who will be entering his 20th major league season. Larkin, the 11 time all-star, batted .282 last season with a .345 on base percentage. The heart of the lineup is where the Reds really shine. Center fielder Ken Griffey Jr., first baseman Sean Casey, and left fielder Adam Dunn are the heart of this lineup. Through the month of May Casey is batting .394 and flirting with the first .400 season since Ted Williams did it in 1941. Right fielder Austin Kearns, catcher Javier Valentin, utility guy Ryan Freel finishes out the rest of the batting order.

Pitching wasn’t exactly the Reds strength last season. They finished second to last in ERA in the NL with a 5.09 ERA and fourth to last in the entire major leagues. This year the Reds coaching staff came up with this radical concept that pitching more strikes and letting guys put the ball in play would help out their pitching staff. Through May it seems to be working because the team had a 4.48 ERA. The staff consists of Paul Wilson (8-10, 4.64 ERA in 2003), Cory Lidle (12-15, 5.75 ERA), Jose Acevedo (2-0, 2.67 ERA), Aaron Harang (1-3, 5.54 ERA), and Todd Van Poppel (1-0, 8.53 ERA). The bullpen is lead by closer Danny Graves who through the month of May had successfully closed out 24 games.

The Great American Ballpark opened its doors for the first time just in time for the 2003 season. The park features an amazing view of the downtown skyline and the Ohio River. In left field, the park features the longest and third largest score board in the major leagues. The playing surface is a custom grown Kentucky bluegrass with a synthetic carpet in it for durability.

Are you a Cincinnati Reds Fanatics Fanatic? Check out CincinnatiRedsFanatics.com!