Las Vegas is pretty smart on this number. The Reds have Dusty Baker in the fold to manage the Reds and they made a huge improvement in the bullpen by adding closer Francisco Cordero. They also made solid moves in bringing in Corey Patterson, Josh Fogg, Edison Volquez and Jeremy Affeldt. With those factors in mind and the National League Central not being that strong I would suggest a small play on the over for 2008.

38-year old lefty swinging RF Ken Griffey Jr. is sitting on 593 homers heading into the 2008 season and he should eclipse that easily as long as he stays healthy! Griffey played in 144 games last season for the Reds and he was 146 for 528 (.277 avg, .868 OPS) with 78 runs scored, 30 homers and 93 RBIs. He showed off impressive range in RF last season but he still made 8 errors in 133 games there. Look for Griffey to have another solid season with the bat as he still has a sweet swing.

Norris Hopper played in 13 games in RF last season and he didn’t make any errors while showing off outstanding range. Ryan Freel could also get some playing time in RF this season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B

28-year old lefty swinging Corey Patterson will get most of the playing time in CF at least against righty starters. He played in 132 games for the Orioles last season and he was 124 for 461 (.269 avg, .690 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 8 homers, 45 RBIs and 37 stolen bases. Patterson played in 132 games in CF for the Orioles last season and he made 3 errors while showing below average range. Patterson did hit .310 vs. lefties last season so he might get most of the starts in CF this season.

32-year old righty swinging Ryan Freel was the starting CF last season for the Reds when the season started but he missed a lot of the season due to injury. He played in 75 games for the Reds last season and he was 68 for 277 (.245 avg, .655 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 3 homers, 16 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. He made only 2 errors in CF last season in 59 games there while showing above average range.

29-year old righty swinging Norris Hopper played in 121 games for the Reds last season and he was 101 for 307 (.329 avg, .759 OPS) with 51 runs scored, 0 homers, 14 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. He also is an outstanding fielder as he only made 1 error in 55 games in CF while showing amazing range.

32-year old righty swinging Jerry Hairston is a big-time long shot to make the Reds final roster. He played in 73 games for the Rangers last season and he was 30 for 159 (.189 avg, .538 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 3 homers, 16 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. He played in 22 games in CF last season and he made 1 error while showing outstanding range there.

21-year old lefty swinging Jay Bruce is the CF of the future for the Reds but he wasn’t deemed ready to start this season in CF….yet. He played in 133 games in A+AA+AAA ball last season and he was 166 for 521 (.319 avg, .962 OPS) with 87 runs scored, 26 homers and 89 RBIs. His time is coming soon and Reds fans should be excited about it.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: C+

28-year old lefty swinging Adam Dunn is the main power source of the Cincinnati Reds. He played in 152 games for the Reds last season and he was 138 for 522 (.264 avg, .940 OPS) with 101 runs scored, 40 homers, 106 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. He walked 101 times last season but he also whiffed an amazing 165 times looking at a lot of 3rd strikes. He made 6 errors in 144 games in RF last season while showing below average range. Count on Dunn for 100 runs, 40+ homers and 100 RBIs in 2008 for the Reds.

Norris Hopper played 34-error free games in LF last season while showing outstanding range and he could get some P.T. there. Ryan Freel will be back to his old role of utility man so he could also find playing time in LF. Jerry Hairston played 21 games in LF last season for the Rangers and he made 1 error while showing outstanding range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B+

25-year old righty swinging Edwin Encarnacion will be the starting 3B for the Reds in 2008. He played in 139 games for the Reds last season and he was 145 for 502 (.289 avg, .794 OPS) with 66 runs scored, 16 homers, 76 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Encarnacion played in 137 games at 3B for the Reds last season and he made 21 errors while showing below average range. Look for Encarnacion to respond to the challenge that Ryan Freel and Jeff Keppinger will pose to him this season.

32-year old righty swinging Ryan Freel will likely play his super utility role again this season now that the Reds have signed Corey Patterson to start in CF. Freel played in 75 games last season for the Reds and he was 68 for 277 (.245 avg, .655 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 3 homers, 16 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Freel played in 19 games at 3B last season for the Reds and he only made 2 errors while showing outstanding range.

Jeff Keppinger played in 13 games at the hot corner for the Reds last season and he made only one error while showing outstanding range. Juan Castro played in 17 games at 3B for the Reds and he made only 1 error while showing below average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B-