63-year old manager Dusty Baker could do no wrong last year until the playoffs and the Reds hope he has his magic touch once again in 2011. Baker led the Reds to the N.L. Central Divison Championship last year with a 91-71 (56.2%) record but in the playoffs they were swept in three games by the Phillies. The Reds are now 243-243 (50%) during the regular season in Baker’s three years with the Reds. Baker has now managed in the majors for 17 years in which he is 1,405-1,284 (52.2%) in the regular season and he is 17-22 (43.6%) in the post-season. Every move Baker made last season deemed to work for the Reds last year and that’s a hard thing to carry over.

35-year old righty closer Francisco Cordero appears to be slowing down a bit for the Reds. He pitched in 75 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 6-5 with 40 saves, a 3.84 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. He whiffed 59 batters and walked 36 batters in 72 2/3 innings last year, which starts to give you and idea of why he is sliding a bit. Cordero has now pitched in 215 games (0 starts) in his first three years with the Reds and he is 13-15 with 113 saves, a 3.13 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. The Reds need Cordero to rebound in 2011.

28-year old righty Nick Masset will serve as one of the Reds’ set-up men once again in 2011. Masset pitched in 82 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 4-4 with 2 saves, a 3.40 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. He gave up only 64 hits in 76 2/3 innings last year while whiffing 85 batters, showing just how nasty he can be. Masset has now pitched in 166 games (0 starts) in his first three years with the Reds and he is 10-5 with 2 saves, a 2.81 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Masset has the arsenal to be a closer for the Reds down the road.

23-year old lefty Aroldis Chapman also has the pure stuff of a future closer, but for now he will have to settle with sharing the set-up role with Nick Masset. Chapman comes into this season as the Reds’ #1 prospect according to Baseball America. He pitched in 15 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 2-2 with a 2.03 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. He whiffed 19 batters and only gave up 9 hits in his first 13 1/3 innings for the Reds, which shows just how nasty he can be. Chapman also pitched in 39 games (13 starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 9-6 with 8 saves, a 3.57 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.

26-year old righty Logan Ondrusek pitched pretty decent for the Reds as a rookie in 2010. He pitched in 60 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 5-0 with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Ondrusek only gave up 49 hits in 58 2/3 innings last year, but 7 of them went out of the park. He will likely be working in the middle innings for the Reds in 2011.

25-year old righty Jordan Smith also pitched decent as a rookie last year for the Reds. Smith pitched in 37 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 3-2 with 1 save, a 3.86 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Smith will likely work in the middle innings just like Ondrusek in 2011.

27-year old lefty Bill Bray will help give the Reds’ bullpen balance in 2011. Bray pitched in 35 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 0-2 with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. He has now pitched in 146 games (0 starts) in his first four years with the Reds and he is 7-8 with 3 saves, a 3.91 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. The Reds will need either Bray or Danny Herrera to step up to help replace Arthur Rhodes who signed on with the Rangers over the winter.

26-year old lefty Danny Herrera is solid when he’s throwing strikes. Herrera pitched in 36 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 1-3 with a 3.91 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP. He has now pitched in 113 games (0 starts) in his first three years with the Reds and he is 5-7 with a 3.62 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. I have a feeling that Herrera will step up in 2011 for the Reds.

29-year old righty Jared Burton didn’t get much action for the Reds in 2010. He pitched in 4 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.00 WHIP. Burton has now pitched in 158 games (0 starts) in his first four seasons with the Reds and he is 10-3 with a 3.40 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Burton pitch good for the Reds in 2011, as he has been solid in the past for them.

27-year old righty Jose Arredondo missed all of 2010 due to surgery. He last pitched in the majors in 2009 with the Angels. Arredondo has pitched in 95 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the majors and he is 12-5 with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. He has whiffed 102 batters and only has given up 89 hits in his first 106 innings in the majors, which shows what kind of stuff he has when his health is right.

28-year old righty Carlos Fisher will be looking to rebound in 2011. He pitched in 18 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 1-1 with a 5.64 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. Fisher has now pitched in 57 games (0 starts) in his first two years with the Reds and he is 2-2 with a 4.82 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE REDS BULLPEN IN 2011: B

Johnny Cueto (shoulder) and Homer Bailey (right shoulder impingement) will both be starting the season on the 15-day disabled list. The Reds are lucky that they are very deep in talented young starting pitchers. Righties Mike Leake and Sam LeCure will both start out the 2011 season in the Reds’ starting rotation and they are both capable of pitching very well. That said, the Reds were hoping for big things out of Cueto and Bailey in 2011, so they hope they will return to action soon.

The Reds have acquired 26-year old righty starter/reliever Kyle McCulloch from the White Sox for cash considerations. McCulloch pitched in 36 games (11 starts) in AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 5-5 with a 5.77 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. He has pitched in 133 games (102 starts) in his first five years in the minors and he is 33-40 with 1 save, a 4.54 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. I don’t see what the Reds see in him but at least they didn’t probably give up much for him.

34-year old righty Bronson Arroyo will likely be only starter over 28-years old for the Reds in 2011. Arroyo started 33 games for the Reds last season and he was 17-10 with a 3.88 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He has now pitched in 169 games (all starts) in his first five years with the Reds and he is 70-60 with a 3.97 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Arroyo has averaged 217 1/3 innings per year with the Reds as he is a horse. He is by far the most dependable starter the Reds will have in 2011.

25-year old righty Johnny Cueto finally learned who to pitch instead of just throw last season and the results were good. Cueto started 31 games for the Reds last season and he was 12-7 with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He has now pitched in 92 games (all starts) in his first three years with the Reds and he is 32-32 with a 4.27 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Of the righty pitchers the Reds will have in the starting rotation, Cueto has the highest upside.

27-year old righty Edison Volquez will always be known in Cincy as the guy the Reds got back from the Rangers for Josh Hamilton. Volquez started 12 games for the Reds last season and he was 4-3 with a 4.31 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He has now pitched in 54 games (53 starts) in his first three years with the Reds and he is 25-11 with a 3.62 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Volquez is one of the best pitchers the Reds have to offer when he’s healthy, so they need him to stay in one piece in 2011.

24-year old righty Homer Bailey finally started to show something positive for the Reds last season. He started 19 games for the Reds in 2010 and he was 4-3 with a 4.46 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Bailey has now started 56 games in his first four years with the Reds and he is 16-16 with a 5.09 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. Hopefully, Bailey has started to turn the corner because he has much better stuff than his record indicates.

24-year old lefty Travis Wood really made a splash with the Reds in 2010. He started 17 games for the Reds last season and he was 5-4 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. He only gave up 85 hits in 102 2/3 innings for the Reds last year, and he had 86 whiffs and only 26 walks which is pretty impressive. Wood also pitched in 16 games (all starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 5-6 with a 3.06 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He is the favorite to land the #5 job in the starting rotation right now as they would like to have a lefty in the rotation.

23-year old righty Mike Leake skipped the minors and went right to the majors. He was the Reds’ first round pick (#8 overall) in the 2009 Amateur Draft. Leake pitched in 24 games (22 starts) for the Reds last season and he was 8-4 with a 4.23 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. If Leake doesn’t win a job in the rotation, it will be interesting to see if they use him out of the pen or send him to AAA.

27-year old lefty Matt Maloney is too talented to rot in the minors again in 2011. He pitched in 7 games (2 starts) for the Reds last season and he was 2-2 with a 3.05 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Maloney has now pitched in 14 games (9 starts) in his first two years with the Reds and he is 4-6 with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. He has only walked 13 batters in his first 61 1/3 innings in the majors, so he’s not intimidated at all by big league hitters. Look for him to win a job in the pen if he doesn’t win a job in the rotation in 2011.

26-year old righty Sam LeCure comes into this season as the Reds’ #25 prospect according to Baseball America. LeCure pitched in 15 games (6 starts) for the Reds last season and he was 2-5 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. He also started 15 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 8-3 with a 3.67 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. He will likely start the year in AAA-ball again in 2011.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE REDS STARTING ROTATION IN 2011: B