Cincinnati Reds: 5 Burning Questions in Cincinnati in 2012

With the 2012 season fast approaching, the Cincinnati Reds remain a bit of a conundrum.  After an outstanding 2010 run that saw them win the NL Central, the Reds fell off the map in 2011.

Now, this team is preparing for a new season in 2012.  Things are changing in Cincinnati, as the Reds hope to follow up the Bengals' good NFL season with an impressive season of their own.

It's been over 20 years since the Reds have been considered elite, and that's for good reason.  Before the 2010 season, 1994 was the last time the Reds had gone to the playoffs.  For over a decade, they'd been in baseball obscurity.

Now, it appears that GM Walt Jocketty wants this team winning right now.  Here are the five questions that Reds' fans want answered.

Who Will Be in Left Field?

Right now, the left field spot appears to belong to Chris Heisey.  However, it's hard to say that with confidence after so many guys played there last season.

Other players for the Reds in left field in 2011 include Johnny Gomes and Yonder Alonso.  Now, both guys have been traded away, leaving Heisey with no foreseeable competition.

Heisey had a so-so season in 2011, showing signs of being great at times and being dreadful at others.  He batted a mere .254 in 120 games, clubbing 18 home runs and 50 RBI.  Considering that this was Heisey's' first real "full" season at the major league level, it's hard to call him mediocre yet.

For now, it seems that Dave Sappelt is the only guy that could compete with Heisey.  Granted, there's still free agents available, so you never know exactly.  Sappelt has some great speed like fellow outfielder Drew Stubbs, but only batted .243 in 38 games last season.

Look for Chris Heisey to have the job—it's most likely his to lose.

Who Will Make Up What Should Be a Strong Starting Rotation?

While Mat Latos was a great guy to acquire, I can't say I approve of the Reds trading so many top-notch players for a starting pitcher.  Why?

The Reds have starting pitching, and have had it for the last couple seasons.  Johnny Cueto burst onto the scene in 2011, having a 9-5 record with a very good 2.31 ERA.  While those stats don't knock you back too much, you have to remember that he only had 24 starts thanks to injuries.

In addition to Cueto, the Reds have veteran Bronson Arroyo, former first round picks Homer Bailey and Mike Leake, and Travis Wood.  While none of those four had particularly great 2011 numbers, those were probably going to be the five starters in 2012. 

Let's also consider the evolving Aroldis Chapman, who the Reds may move to the starting position, instead of being in relief.  Sam LeCure may also make a case in Spring Training for a starting job.

All of a sudden, enter Mat Latos.  There's no question that he's going to start in 2012, you just have to wonder who will get kicked out to make room for him in the rotation.  Latos had a tremendous 14-win campaign in 2010, being one of the big reasons the Padres made such a surprising push towards the postseason that year (despite falling short).  In 2011, he was a bit of a hard luck loser, being 9-14 with a decent 3.47 ERA.  Batters hit only .233 against him.

No matter who the five men are that start (Cueto, Arroyo and Latos are likely the only locks), expect great performances from Reds' starters this year.

How Will the Reds' Prospects Develop?

It's hard to even start to talk about the young talent who will be playing for Cincinnati in 2012.  However, I'll start with Zack Cozart.

Cozart—the team's projected starting shortstop—underwent Tommy John surgery after playing in only 11 games last season.  In that time, he batted an outstanding .324 with a decent .811 OPS.  He also proved to be a great fielder.  Of all the guys coming in to start their first full major league season, this is most likely the one that Reds' fans are most excited for.

Next, catcher Devin Mesoraco is most likely going to be the Reds' starting catcher.  He was abysmal in 18 games in 2011, batting only .180.  However, we need to give these guys time to get adjusted, so that number doesn't worry me just yet.

Todd Frazier is going to be competing for the third base position.  It's an uphill battle, as his competition is veteran Scott Rolen.  While it's true Rolen is on the downswing, it would be hard for the Reds to tell someone like him to take a seat.  Meanwhile, Frazier was a very streaky player.  He played in 41 games, and seemed to get multiple hits in three straight games, followed up by three consecutive hitless games.  Overall, he batted only .232.  Of all the youngsters, he may have the most to prove.

In addition to these three, watch for Juan Francisco, Dave Sappelt, Kristopher Negron, and Kyle Lotzkar to make an impact.

Who Will Be the Closing Pitcher?

With the Reds declining the $12 million option on Francisco Cordero's contract, the role of closer is now wide open.  There are several guys vying for the position.

I can't say with certainty that Aroldis Chapman wants the job (he came to the states as a starter), but he should definitely be a front-runner.  Chapman was 4-1 in 2011 with a 3.60 ERA.  He's got a sizzling fastball which generally pumps into the plate at around 100 MPH, as well as a slider that drops in around 84 MPH.  The biggest concern with Chapman is his control—he walked 41 batters in 50 innings pitched.  If his control is better in 2012, expect him to be closing ball games.

Bill Bray isn't a bad option here, as he had a very respectable 2011 campaign.  The lefty had a 2.98 ERA and collected 48.1 innings pitched.  Most of his runs came on the back end of the All-Star game, but regardless, it was Bray's best statistical season.  He may be rewarded with the most important job in the bullpen.

Jose Arredondo hasn't been the same pitcher he was with the Angels in 2008.  He won a very impressive 10 games and pitched over 60 innings.  Injury has plagued him ever since, including in 2011.  Despite the injuries, Arredondo racked up a 4-4 record with a 3.23 ERA.  Like Chapman, Arredondo has occasional struggles with control, and in addition to that, will allow a lot of hits.  He'll really have to perform well in spring training to be given the job.

Nick Masset was the setup man behind Cordero last year, but I don't expect him to move up the next rung of the ladder.  He was 3-6 in 2011, and hitters had an average of .273 against him—kind of damning for a reliever to be that easy to hit off of.

Jeremy Horst is a minor league guy who had an outstanding year in Triple-A Louisville.  He tossed over 50 innings and had a very respectable 2.81 ERA.  Though Horst isn't now, nor has he ever been, groomed to be a closer, it's possible that a strong spring training performance could catapult him into position.

How Long Does Drew Stubbs Have?

Drew Stubbs is really fast.  He's one of the top five quickest guys in the major leagues.  Over the last two seasons, he's stolen 70 bases in 86 attempts.  He's capable of tracking down any fly ball in the outfield.

That being said, there's not much positive that you can say about Stubbs.  His batting average has gradually diminished over the last three seasons, culminating in a terrible .243 average in 2011.  On top of terrible hitting, Stubbs led all of baseball with a whopping 205 strikeouts.

This isn't a question of how long Stubbs will be the leadoff man (which is a whole other issue; no leadoff batter should have an on-base percentage of .321), it's a question of how long it will be until he's demoted or cut altogether.

He has shown no signs of improving his horrible plate vision and discipline.  It's nice that he's capable of hitting a few home runs every year, but that's worthless if he's a liability in the lineup.

The clock on Stubbs is ticking.