The Reds have released outfielder Daryle Ward and lefty reliever Aaron Fultz. Ward played in 14 games this spring for the Reds and he was 7 for 28 (.250 avg, .693 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 3 RBIs. Fultz pitched in 7 games (0 starts) for the Reds this spring and he was 0-0 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. The fact that the Reds released players of this caliber bodes well for the 2009 team.

Signs are pointing to 26-year old righty swinging Edwin Encarnacion having a breakout season for the Reds in 2009. He played in 146 games for the Reds last season in which he was 127 for 506 (.251 avg, .806 OPS) with 75 runs scored, 26 homers and 68 RBIs. I just have a hunch that Encarnacion is going to hit 30+ homers in 2009 for the Reds. He does need to improve on defense as he made 23 errors in 143 games at 3B while showing poor range.

Jeff Keppinger played in 10 games at 3B last season for the Reds making 0 errors while showing average range. Keppinger will likely be playing all over the diamond this season for the Reds.

25-year old switch hitting Wilkin Castillo can literally play every position except pitcher on the baseball field. He played in 18 games for the Reds last season and he was 9 for 32 (.281 avg, .616 OPS) with 6 runs scored and 1 RBI. Castillo also played in 115 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 106 for 428 (.248 avg) with 42 runs scored, 6 homers, 47 RBIs and 5 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: B+

32-year old righty swinging Alex Gonzalez missed all of last season due to a compression fracture. He played in 110 games in 2007 for the Reds in which he was 107 for 393 (.272 avg, .793 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 16 homers and 55 RBIs. Gonzalez is also a ace in the field defensively so that should improve the Reds a lot in the field. Look for him to have a solid 2009 season if he can shake off the rust.

Jeff Keppinger played a lot at shortstop last season for the Reds and he wasn’t too good on defense there. He played in 108 games at shortstop for the Reds last season and he only made 8 errors there but showed very poor range. 26-year old righty swinging Paul Janish is a good defender but he just can’t hit the ball. He played in 36 games at SS last season for the Reds and he only made 3 errors in 36 games there while showing good range. Janish played in 38 games for the Reds last season and he was 15 for 80 (.188 avg, .520 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 1 homer and 6 RBIs. He also played in 92 games in AAA-ball in which he was 80 for 318 (.252 avg, .711 OPS) with 45 runs scored, 7 homers and 42 RBIs. Keppinger will be Gonzalez’ caddy in 2009.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: C

27-year old righty swinging Brandon Phillips missed being a 30/30 man last season after achieving that in 2007. Part of the reason was that Phillips missed the last three weeks due to injury. He played in 141 games for the Reds last season and he was 146 for 559 (.261 avg, .754 OPS) with 80 runs scored, 21 homers, 78 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. Phillips is also a Gold Glove Caliber defender at 2B as he only made 7 errors in 140 games there for the Reds last season. Phillips is essentially the straw that stirs the drink for the Cincinnati Reds.

28-year old righty swinging Jeff Keppinger will be the utility infielder for the Reds in 2009. He played in 121 games for the Reds last season and he was 122 for 459 (.266 avg, .756 OPS) with 45 runs scored, 3 homers, 43 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Keppinger showed poor range in 3 games at 2B for the Reds last season but he didn’t make any errors. Keppinger’s weaknesses get exposed when he gets a lot of playing time so the Reds hope to not need him as much in 2009 as they did in 2008.

25-year old lefty swinging Danny Richar was brought over last July in the Ken Griffey Jr. trade with the White Sox. He played in 16 games for the Reds last season and he was 8 for 36 (.222 avg, .500 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 3 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He showed poor range in 10 games at 2B for the Reds last season but he only made 1 error there. Richar also played in 91 games in AA+AAA ball last season and he was 94 for 362 (.260 avg) with 51 runs scored, 11 homers, 55 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: A