Cincinnati Reds: What the Opening Day Lineup Should Be

As much as I love the NFL and March Madness, Opening Day for baseball is my favorite day of the year.  That says a lot, because that day does in fact top my birthday, Christmas, etc.

The Cincinnati Reds are the team I grew up around and every single year around this time, I begin to analyze and breakdown the team to the best of my abilities.  While some of you may feel that my knowledge is limited, I still try!

Now that I've babbled, the Reds are less than two weeks away and I couldn't be more excited.  Here is the way the Reds should begin their season.

1. Brandon Phillips, 2B

Last year, Drew Stubbs basically spent the entire season at the leadoff position, and he did an awful job.  You can say what you want about his speed, but if you aren't on base that won't matter.

Enter Brandon Phillips, arguably the best overall second baseman in Major League Baseball.  In 2011, Phillips batted .300 and slapped 18 home runs, earning himself an All-Star game appearance and an NL Gold Glove award. 

Phillips has a Vladimir Guerrero style to his batting, as he can hit just about any pitch placed at any part of the plate.  That's coupled with great plate discipline and vision.  His .353 on-base percentage is pretty good—a great improvement over Stubbs.

He's also a tremendous threat to steal a few bases, as he racked up 14 last season.  Good power,contact and speed gives Phillips a great reason to bat leadoff.

2. Zack Cozart, SS

For 11 games in 2011, the Reds were looking at a future star in the big leagues.  Zack Cozart, fresh out of Triple-A Louisville, was batting a blistering .324 and had a couple of home runs.

The injury bug struck, and Cozart was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery.

As of right now, he's the potential long-term plan for the Reds at shortstop, and he has had a good spring training.  However, we can't be sure that he'll be 100 percent off such a surgery.  He's not a pitcher, but there's never a guarantee after an injury like that.

Cozart will almost certainly start on Opening Day, and like Phillips, he's got a great bat coupled with a very good glove in the field.

3. Joey Votto, 1B

I shouldn't have to go in too much detail about this.  You don't put a former MVP on the bench, especially fresh off an All-Star season and Gold Glove award. 

As long as he's in Cincy, he won't see the bench.

He'll be the Reds' clutch hitter.

4. Jay Bruce, RF

Only those closest to me know how I feel about Jay Bruce.  Now, I'm going to go public with it—you remember Adam Dunn?

Yeah, he's been a pretty close replica thus far.  Having 32 home runs and 97 RBI—very good.  A .256 batting average, largely fueled by a stellar month of May (he batted .342 in that month)—not so great.

Bruce has a lockdown on the right field position for right now, especially considering he's extremely solid defensively.  For me, though, it's now or never for him.  I'm sick of watching him strikeout consistently (158 in 2011) and leave guys on base.

Consider the ultimate power bat in the Reds' lineup right now is Jay Bruce, and he's earned it given his great spring.  Keep a close eye on him, though.

5. Scott Rolen, 3B

After a stellar 2010 campaign in Cincinnati, Scott Rolen dropped off in 2011, playing in only 65 games and batting .242.

Now back at full health, the third-base position is likely Rolen's to lose.  Todd Frazier, a young guy poised to take the reigns at any moment, is creeping up on Rolen if his performance suffers.

At 37 years old, it's hard to imagine the All-Star having another tremendous season, but tell that to Lance Berkman.  Rolen has always been an incredible fielder, one of the best the game has ever seen.  If he's back at full energy, and that means his bat and glove are back to normal, we may see one more surge from No. 27.

6. Chris Heisey, LF

In the most heated position battle of the spring, Chris Heisey will be competing against veteran Ryan Ludwick to start in left field.  Despite Heisey's down spring, he should finally get the call.

Heisey spent most of last season platooning in left field.  He didn't get many opportunities to start, and I won't judge a .250 batting average based on a million pinch-hitting plate appearances. 

He's got a powerful bat and a ton of potential—let's allow him to finally achieve it.

7. Devin Mesoraco, C

The Major League hasn't been kind to Devin Mesoraco during the beginning of his career, as he batted a lowly .180 in 18 games in 2011, and is hitting only .200 in spring training.

At this point, it's unclear who is going to start Opening Day, and it may actually be better for the team to have the veteran, Ryan Hanigan, start.  He's a decent bat and pretty good defensively, so I don't think anyone would be disappointed to see him out there.

However, Mesoraco is a rookie this year who has pretty high hopes.  Especially now that Yasmani Grandal was traded in the Mat Latos deal, the pressure is on for Mesoraco.

Toss him to the sharks.

8. Drew Stubbs, CF

I don't think anyone is going to be more critical of Drew Stubbs than me.  In the leadoff spot last season, Stubbs batted a lowly .243 and had an abysmal .686 OPS.  He struck out a Major League leading 205 times.

That won't be acceptable in 2012.  It's good that he can steal and it's good that he can hit a few homers.

If you're not on base, that stealing ability doesn't matter.  His power is a constant theme of conversations, but 15 homers and 44 RBI just isn't a quality stat line.

Stubbs is on thin ice in 2012, and he better hope his numbers improve.

9. Johnny Cueto, P

Johnny Cueto has already been named the Opening Day starter.  Naturally, he'll be in the pitcher's slot, No.9.

He's not a great batter, but he has decent speed, so that's good offensively.

Cueto had a 2.31 ERA in 2011 and had a 9-5 record.  That's pretty good for what was a shortened season for Cueto.  He's arguably the best pitcher on the staff, and certainly has the most hype going into 2012.

I look for him to toss a quality start to open the season!