2009 Cincinnati Reds Predictions

Written by Jason Lowry

Reds Baseball It hasn’t been a very much fun being a Cincinnati Reds fan the last few years, as the team hasn’t been to the postseason since 1995 and hasn’t finished above .500 since 2000. Last year the Reds wound up in 5th place in the NL Central with a 74-88 overall record. While it’s going to be tough for this team to jump to the top in 2009, there is a ton of young talent on this team that should have this team being a pest to the top dogs in this division. The offseason has been relatively quiet for the Reds, as they have got rid of pretty much all of their veterans and are sticking with the young guys to see what they have to offer. The Reds did make a couple key moves that should help this team win games in 2009, as they picked up Willy Taveras to play centerfield, Ramon Hernandez to handle the catching duties, and a veteran relief pitcher in Arthur Rhodes. Here is a look at what the 2009 Cincinnati Reds will look like come opening day.

Offense:

The team no longer has big time superstars like Ken Griffey Jr and Adam Dunn in the middle of their lineup, but the young first baseman Joey Votto looks like he is the real deal and a superstar in the making. In his rookie season last year Votto hit .297 with 24 HR and 84 RBI, and it will be interesting to see if he can avoid the sophomore slump. A few other key pieces to this offense come in the likes of RF Jay Bruce, 3B Edwin Encarnacion, and 2B Brandon Phillips. Bruce is also entering his 2nd year in the big leagues, after hitting 21 home runs in just 108 games last season. Encarnacion was the leading home run hitter on the team with 26 long balls a year ago, but they need him to improve on his .251 batting average. Phillips has the tools to be a star, as his 30 home runs and 94 RBI in 2007 show, and the Reds really need those type of numbers from him again in 2009 if they want to compete. Taveras adds great speed to this lineup, as he led the majors with 68 stolen bases last season. More young bats will get a shot to shine this season, as Chris Dickerson and Norris Hopper will battle to start in left field. The addition of catcher Ramon Hernandez will not only help the pitching staff, but he has a little more power than the Reds are use to coming from the guy behind the plate. The future looks bright, but we expect a lot of streaky play from this team, as we can see them scoring 10 runs one night and then going 2-3 games struggling to score at all.

Pitching:

There is no question that the ace of the future is the very talented Edinson Volquez, who finished the season with a 17-6 record on a team that was not so good. The opening day starter could be Aaron Harang, but the Reds can’t afford to suffer through another 17 losses from Harang in 2009. Bronson Arroyo is a nice No. 3 starter, as the righty posted a career high 15 wins last season, and could be ready for a monster year. Johnny Cueto is the teams No.4 starter, and they hope he can improve on his 9-14 record in his first full year in the majors. The final spot in the rotation will be between Ramon Ramirez, Micah Owings, and Homer Bailey, with Ramirez looking like he holds the early edge. The bullpen might be even better this season, as they have a great mix of young and veteran arms to get the ball into the hands of closer Francisco Cordero. Veterans David Weathers and Arthur Rhodes will be the main setup men, but keep a close eye on the young arms of Jared Burton and Bill Bray.

Prediction: 5th in NL Central

The Reds no longer have the veteran players and have moved to a youth movement that could have this team competing in this division as soon as next season. We have them picked to finish 5th, but if things go right they could finish as high as 3rd.

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Comments

3 Responses to “2009 Cincinnati Reds Predictions”

Reds Fan on February 25th, 2009 3:06 PM

Harang IS the opening day starter, and Arroyo is not left handed
Jack Jones on February 26th, 2009 8:18 AM

Nice catch on Arroyo, don’t know why he had lefty in there.
Matthew Reif on March 5th, 2009 7:04 PM

I just don’t understand all the praise of the talented starting rotation, solid bullpen and spectacular young potential and going right on to saying that the team finishes third in the NL Central IF everything goes right. I understand preseason skeptisism, but if everything goes right with the talent we have here, the Reds are going to be one scary team come September and October.

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