Breaking out a new calendar means two things in my tiny world: football season is nearly over and spring training is right around the corner.
As an avid Cincinnati Reds fan, I’m counting the days until the opening pitch.
I’m not a stereotypical Cincinnati fan, though. Most fans are depressed individuals who haven’t had an ounce of faith in the club in 10 years.
Around this same time last year I proclaimed in the Clarion that the Reds would become a winning team by using the same tactics the Tampa Bay Rays used to get to the World Series in 2008.
Yet again, Cincinnati failed to reach its potential. The Reds finished 2009 in fourth place in the National League Central with a 78-84 record.
Hope was discovered, though, as the Reds wrapped their season up with a 27-13 mark. It seemed like something clicked toward the end of the year.
Injuries plagued Cincinnati throughout the first half. During the Reds hot finish, players were regaining their health and began producing.
One cannot deny the talent that lies in a lineup that includes Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Scott Rolen and Jay Bruce. Cincinnati also owns one of the most plentiful farm systems in Major League Baseball.
If the Reds are going to make the jump to a playoff berth this season, two things must occur.
Johnny Cueto must figure it out
Pitcher Johnny Cueto is electric. When the right-hander is on, he is untouchable. The problem is the when rarely occurs.
Cueto, 23, posted a 3.62 ERA before the All-Star break and capped off his season with a 5.81 ERA. Cueto threw winter ball in between his ’08 and ’09 seasons and Cincinnati forced the youngster to rest his right arm this winter after the entire National League watched him breakdown in July.
If Cueto can put the puzzle together (like pitcher Homer Bailey seemed to do), he would help the Reds’ chances in competing for a playoff berth.
Rolen must stay healthy
The Reds pulled the trigger on the Rolen acquisition during last summers trade deadline to bring a veteran into a very youthful clubhouse. It just so happens that Rolen plays gold-glove defense and brings a reliable bat to the lineup.
Once Rolen got rolling in a Reds uniform, the team got into a groove and began playing its best baseball in more than a decade.
If Rolen can stay on the field and produce in the middle of the lineup, I like Cincinnati’s chances in 2010.