BIG RED MACHINE

Coming off a season that began with high expectations but quickly turned sour, the Cincinnati Reds are just a few weeks from officially putting it behind them when pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Goodyear, Ariz. On Feb. 18.

Friday afternoon, Reds’ All-star second baseman Brandon Phillips and Hall Of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman led a contingent, which also included former Reds pitcher and current television commentator Chris Welch,  catching prospect Tucker Barnhart, Reds’ great Lee May, Assistant General Manager Bob Miller and Nick St.Pierre AKA "Gapper," at the Forcht Broadcasting studios in London where they spoke about the upcoming season to listeners on WANV, WFTG and WWEL.

Brennaman, who is going into his 39th season calling the Reds’ games on the Reds Radio Network, which includes WFTG 1400 AM, said with the additions the Reds have made in the offseason along with the losses division rivals St. Louis and Milwaukee suffered with the departure of Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, respectively, the Reds, on paper, will be in the thick of the race for the National League Central Division crown.

"There is a lot to be optimistic about," Brennaman said, noting the acquisition of starting pitcher John Latos, who is projected to help fill out the front of rotation behind Johnny Cueto, relievers Sean Marshall and Ryan Madson and outfielder Ryan Ludwig. "Every move has been a grand slam homerun."

Brennaman quickly pointed to several things must happen for the Reds to be in the playoff hunt. He said pitcher Bronson Arroyo, who was sidelined at the beginning of the 2011 season with mononucleosis and never returned to form and third baseman Scott Rolen, who only played 65 games due to health problems, must both show some semblence of 2010 when the Reds won the central division. Arroyo when 17-10 in 215 innings of work, while Rolen hit .285 with 20 homeruns and 85 RBI’s in 133 games.

"The worst case scenerio is that Arroyo continues his downward slide, but I have confidence that he will bounce back," Brennaman said.

With Mike Leake taking the fourth spot in the starting rotation, Brennaman said the final spot will come down to Homer Bailey and Aroldis Chapman. Ideally, Baily will get the spot and Chapman, whom the Reds have announced will return to a starting pitcher after two years in the bullpen, will begin the year at triple-A Louisville to continue to develop.

Though the bullpen is stacked, Brennaman said the final "if" will be whether the starters can eat up enough innings to keep manager Dusty Baker from overusing the relievers.

"The bullpen was just worn out," Brennaman said of 2011.

While he has not worries that the Reds will score enough runs, Brennaman said the outfield trio of Matt Heisey, Drew Stubbs and Jay Bruce, must cut down on the number of strikeouts. The trio accounted for 500 strikeouts in 2011, with Stubbs, initially penciled in as the leadoff hitter, posting 205 of them.

"If they can each reduce their strikeouts by 50, that would be a heck of a year," Brennaman said.

With the addition of Ludwig, Brennaman said the Reds now have four starting outfielders, but the fact that Heisey, and Ludwig can play multiple outfield positions gives Baker a lot of flexibility in the lineup.

Brennaman said Rolen will be a key in the offense as well, not only for the potential numbers he puts up, but because he gives Baker a solid cleanup hitter and right-handed bat to slot between left-handed hitters Joey Votto and Jay Bruce.

"He has to stay healthy," Brennaman said of Rolen.

Reds fans will see a new face behind the plate. Joining veteran Ryan Hannigan will be rookie Devin Mesoraco. Brennaman said Mesoraco has the tools to be a big league catcher. It is just a question of whether he can consistently hit major league pitching.

With the moves General Manager Walt Jockety had made in the offseason, Brennaman said Reds fans need to do put the team in position to make a trade deadline move that could put the team over the top. That is showing up at the ballpark. He noted that rivals St. Louis and Milwaukee regularly draw three million fans compared with Cincinnati’s 2.2 million.

"You folks are important to us," Brennaman said of the fans in southeastern Kentucky and the other areas of the tri-state area where the caravan has ventured. "We want your interest."