Unlike
the disgrace of the MLB, ahem, sorry I mean the reds, the reds of the NIBA are
going after a championship in a very real way. Aaron Boone, Jose Guillen, Gabe
White, Scott Williamson, Danny Graves and Ken Griffey Jr (just wait and see)
will not be sold off for $3 per player. A mix of vets and young guys come
together to form the 2003 Cincinnati Reds, and the motto is "World Series
or Bust" Bring in veteran players like Randy Johnson, Tom Glavine and John
Valentine (woohoo) have raised the stakes in cincy. Heres a position by position
break down of your future NL Central champions :-)
First Base-Sean Casey
"They mayor" is the man at first. Early in the postseason we had
considered trading case and putting Adam Dunn at 1B but we came to our senses.
We expect a big year out of Casey who will either be batting 3rd or 6th. His
backup is Adam Dunn who is right now starting in the OF
Second Base- "Rey Rey" Olmedo
lovingly called "Big man" Rey Rey is the starting second
baseman. He's gonna be batting leadoff. Overlooked by many scouts, Rainer worked
his way up through the Red's system quietly and is now the starting second
baseman at GABP. We expect a solid OBP, average and stolen base total out of
him. If he should falter, D'Angelo Jiminez (brought over by the brilliant Jim
Bowden) will get the nod. Between the two the reds are set.
Shortstop-Barry "The Captain" Larkin
Probably his last Sean in Cincy, The captain will be our starting short
stop and bat #2, the spot in the order where he has had his most success in
life. One of the main reasons for the construction of the reds this year is for
guys like Barry who only have a year left to get back to the series. anything
like then a .290 avg. will be sub par for Barry. His backup is also D'Angelo
Jiminez and also Juan Castro
Third Base-Aaron Boone
Shouts of Booooooooooooooooooooneyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy are heard when
Aaron comes to plate. A fan favorite, Aaron Boone, gets the starting nod at 3rd
base. He's solid defensively, packs a punch and can hit for average. Aaron is
incredibly flexible and will either be batting 2nd, 6th, 7th, or 8th.
Outfield-Ken Griffey Jr, Austin Kearns, Adam Dunn, Jose Guillen, Gabe Kapler
Always the talk of the town in the past 3 years, the OF in cincy. All
capable starters, the reds OF is one of the best in the league. Management
refuses to trade any of the core. uncertainty of the future and injuries make
Guillen and Kapler extremely valuable. Jr will be more then like batting 4th
with Austin behind him in 5th and Adam Dunn batting either 5th, 6th, or 7th.
They all pack a punch and great things are expected out of them. They are the
corner stone of cincy.
Catcher-Jason Larue
Jason, basically in the game for his defense isn't expected to much of. A .250
average with 10 homers would make us happy. He's got a gun and has good defense
so he will help the pitching staff out. Jason will more then likely be batting
#8 all year.
Starting Pitching-Randy Johnson, Tom Glavine, Ryan Dempster, Danny Graves,
John Burket
Once a weak spot for the Reds, the starting pitching this year is the central
focus in southern Ohio. 2 Cy Young winners, another Cy Young finalist, a first
year starter and a recovering crack addict....... err, sorry Ryan, didn't mean
to tell them. The bullpen in off games will be designated as the geriatric ward
and off day pitchers will be given oxygen and their vitamins. 20 wins for RJ and
Glavine are our expectations, 13 for Dempster and Danny and solid performances
from John Burket, we don't need anything except for them to live up to their
ratings.
Pen-Scott Williamson, John Riedling, Seth Etherton, Gabe White, Paul
Wilson and Chris Reitsma
As of opening day, Willy will be out closer, with Riedling and Etherton
setting up. Rietsma and White will be pitching in the 6th, 7th, and 8th most
days and Paul Wilson will be the long reliever. If anything happens to the
starting rotation, Rietsma will move from the pen to the starting rotation and
someone like Kent Merker will be promoted from AAA. the pen is another solid
point of the reds.
2003 prediction: World series participant