Spring Training

The thing I am loving the most about Spring Training starting up, is sports radio is finally starting to talk about the Reds every day. You don't have to wait for the right 30 minute segment in a certain week to hear them talk about the free agent market. Here is my take on Spring Training so far:

-Wily Taveras is hungry. He may be crazy saying that he will steal 100 bases this year, but hearing the guy say that he is willing to bunt every game and try to hit more ground balls really tells me something. He is ready to play his role on the team, and he even sounds zealous about that role.

-Ramon Hernandez is going to be a good thing. I read an article a couple of days ago that talked about all the work that he was going to have to do before the World Baseball Classic. He has been catching a lot of pitchers trying to get acclimated. The article said he was joking around with the pitching staff, and really trying to figure out the pitching personalities. It doesn't sound like the bad blood has carried over from Baltimore. I'm guessing he will give us a lot more numbers all around than Ryan Freel would have been able to put up for us too.

- If you are a starting pitcher or a left fielder Ed Smith Stadium might have a locker for you. Due to our lingering need for a right handed power hitter in left field we have surrounded ourselves with mediocre major league outfielders and just as many minor league prospects. The World Baseball Classic will be taking Volquez and Cueto out on loan for most of the Spring, so nealry every single starting pitcher in the Reds' farm system is going to give it a go for that 5th rotation spot.