Five questions that must be answered before opener

[The Entertainer]

[quote][size=3][b]Five questions that must be answered before opener[/b][/size]
By Hal McCoy

Monday, February 12, 2007

An equipment truck carrying baseball gear departed Great American Ball Park over the weekend for Sarasota, Fla., the unofficial indicator that baseball season is upon us, notwithstanding the frost-bitten noses and ears of kids awaiting school buses in southwestern Ohio.

The Cincinnati Reds open camp Saturday for pitchers and catchers, a time for pitchers to work out kinks and catchers to work on their farmer's tans.

So what is ahead during spring training for the Reds? Here are five questions they must consider:

1 Will manager Jerry Narron stick to his mission of switching center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. to right field for his own good and for the good of the team?

Narron is low-keying it, but he wants it. His problem is to convince Griffey that somebody on the team can play center better than he can and that right field is better for his physical well-being. What Narron can't do is show Griffey video of right fielder Ryan Freel crashing over a low railing in Dodger Stadium and landing in the lap of an elderly woman while chasing a foul ball. That hurt.

2 Who will be the fifth starter behind Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Eric Milton and Kyle Lohse?

Candidates abound from Elizardo Ramirez to Matt Belisle to Kirk Saarloos to Bobby Livingston to Phil Dumatrait. But if the Reds don't seriously consider Homer Bailey, then they aren't trying. Yeah, he's only 20, but even last spring at 19 he pitched in camp like a veteran. Didn't Don Gullett, Jose Rijo and Dwight Gooden pitch in the majors before they could vote? The vote here is for Bailey.

3 Is newly acquired shortstop Alex Gonzalez the real deal?

The team thinks his defensive prowess will help the pitchers — if they keep the ball down. Not even Gonzalez can catch fly balls landing in the seats at GABP. Some scouts say Gonzalez isn't as good as he once was defensively, but fellow Venezuelan All-Star shortstop Dave Concepcion said, "This kid is great, and fans are going to love him."

Offensively, Gonzalez has some charge in his bat, when he makes contact. Unfortunately, he tends to strike out a lot.

4 Can new batting instructor Brook Jacoby find a way to cut down Adam Dunn's strikeouts and convince him to cut down his swing, especially with two strikes?

Asked if Dunn's strikeouts are a concern, Jacoby said: "Any time somebody strikes out 195 times, 168 times and 194 times in a three-year span, it's a concern." Narron says: "People tend to concentrate on what a player can't do as to what he can do, and Dunn does a lot for this team."

But not putting the ball in play 194 times a year is way more than once a game. This is not a concern, it's a confirmed habit.

5 Will Narron find a closer until Eddie Guardado (Tommy John elbow surgery) is ready to return in midseason?

There are candidates galore in David Weathers, Mike Stanton, Todd Coffey and Bill Bray, but none are confirmed closers. Weathers tried last year and had periods of success and periods of ugliness. Stanton is better suited to set up, as is Coffey. And Bray is inexperienced. Here's a solution: have a five-run lead going into the ninth inning every game.[/quote]



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