34-year old Ramon Hernandez will likely get around 60% of the P.T. behind the plate this season for the Reds. He played in 97 games for the Reds last season and he was 93 of 313 (.297 avg, .792 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 7 homers and 48 RBIs. Hernandez is a solid hitter and defender but he has had issues staying healthy as of late. The Reds hope be bucks that trend in 2011. Hernandez had 4 errors and 2 passed balls in 91 games behind the plate. He threw out 14 of 53 (26.4%) runners trying to steal against him last season but Reds’ pitchers had a 4.80 ERA with him behind the plate. Hernandez is still the best catcher on the Reds but that gap is starting to close.

30-year old righty swinging Ryan Hanigan will backup Hernandez again in 2011 but he should still get around 40% of the P.T. Hanigan played in 70 games for the Reds last season and he was 61 of 203 (.300 avg, .834 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 5 homers and 40 RBIs. He also showed a fantasic eye at the plate last season as he walked 33 times while only whiffing 21 times. Hanigan had 4 errors and 2 passed balls in 68 games for the Reds last season. He threw out 12 of 41 (29.3%) runners trying to steal against him and Reds’ pitchers had a 3.36 with him behind the plate. Hanigan has really made himself into a much better baseball player as he has gotten older. Look for that trend to continue in 2011.

34-year old righty swinging Corky Miller will be the Reds’ #3 catcher in 2011 likely starting the year in AAA. Miller played in 32 games for the Reds last season and he was 18 of 74 (.243 avg, .674 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 2 homers and 9 RBIs. Those numbers are likely the ceiling for Miller who has been one of the worst hitting players in all of baseball. But, he didn’t make any errors or have any passed balls in 32 games behind the plate for the Reds last season! He also threw out 3 of 11 (27.2%) runners trying to steal on him and Reds’ pitchers had a 2.90 ERA in 195 1/3 innings with him behind the plate.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE REDS CATCHERS IN 2011: B

The Reds have signed 30-year old lefty swinging outfielder Fred Lewis to a 1-year, $900,000 contract. Lewis played in 110 games for the Blue Jays last season and he was 112 of 428 (>262 avg, .745 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 8 homers, 36 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. He has now played in 436 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 370 of 1,359 (.272 avg, .766 OPS) with 239 runs scored, 24 homers, 117 RBIs and 51 stolen bases. Lewis’ ability to handle all three outfield spots defensively had to appeal to the Reds. Lewis also has a lot of speed and he’s a pesky hitter with good doubles power. Lewis could work his way into a platoon in LF with Jonny Gomes if all goes well in spring training. I really like this signing for the Reds as they got Lewis on a bargain basement deal.

The Cincinnati Reds have signed 34-year old righty swinging shortstop Edgar Renteria to a 1-year deal. Renteria played in 72 games for the Giants last season and he was 67 of 243 (.276 avg, .707 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 3 homers, 22 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He was also the MVP of the World Series for the Giants last season which showed that he has a lot of gas left in the tank. Renteria has now played in 2,056 games in his first 16 years in the majors and he is 2,252 of 7,843 (.287 avg, .744 OPS) with 1,166 runs scored, 135 homers, 887 RBIs and 290 stolen bases. I think Renteria will beat out Paul Janish this spring to be the starting shortstop for the Reds in 2011.

The Reds have signed 26-year old lefty swinging LF/RF Jermemy Hermida to a minor league deal. Hermida played in 73 games for the Red Sox & A’s last season in which he was 48 of 222 (.216 avg, .619 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 6 homers, 19 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 589 games over his first six years in the majors and he is 500 of 1,930 (.259 avg, .752 OPS) with 241 runs scored, 63 homers, 239 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. The best case scenario for Hermida is that he wins a platoon job in LF with Jonny Gomes this spring. The worst case scenario would be that the Reds cut him in April. It never hurts to give a former “top prospect” another chance to prove himself.