The Reds are ready to hand over the starting shortstop job to 26-year old righty swinging Zack Cozart. Cozart comes into this season as the Reds’ #5 prospect according to Baseball America. Cozart played in 11 games for the Reds last year and he was 12 of 37 (.324 avg, .811 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 homers and 3 RBIs. He also played in 77 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 100 of 323 (.310 avg, .825 OPS) with 57 runs scored, 7 homers, 32 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Cozart didn’t have any errors in 11 games at SS for the Reds last year while showing off outstanding range. The Reds are expecting big things out of Cozart in 2012.

33-year old righty swinging Wilson Valdez will likely be the top backup at SS for the Reds in 2012. Valdez played in 99 games for the Phillies last year and he was 68 of 273 (.249 avg, .634 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 1 homer, 30 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He has now played in 362 games in his first six years in the majors and he is 230 of 948 (.243 avg, .621 OPS) with 116 runs scored, 6 homers, 92 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Valdez had 4 errors in 25 games at SS last year for the Phillies but he showed off pretty poor range there.

29-year old righty swinging Paul Janish got his big shot to start at SS for the Reds last year and he dropped the ball. Janish played in 114 games for the Reds last year and he was 72 of 336 (.214 avg, .521 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 0 homers, 23 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He has now played in 324 games in his first four years with the Reds and he is 193 of 872 (.221 avg, .591 OPS) with 91 runs scored, 7 homers, 70 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Janish had 10 errors in 103 games at SS for the Reds last year while showing off pretty good range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SS IN 2012: B-

30-year old righty swinging 2B Brandon Phillips played in 150 games for the Reds last year and he was 183 of 610 (.300 avg, .810 OPS) with 94 runs scored, 18 homers, 82 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Phillips has now played in 906 games in his first six years with the Reds and he is 997 of 3,565 (.280 avg, .779 OPS) with 524 runs scored, 124 homers, 486 RBIs and 135 stolen bases. Phillips has now played in 1,041 games in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 1,086 of 3,997 (.272 avg, .755 OPS) with 567 runs scored, 130 homers, 524 RBIs and 139 stolen bases. Phillips only had 6 errors in 148 games at 2B for the Reds last year while showing off good range. Phillips is one of the best all-around 2B for the Reds.

26-year old righty swinging Chris Valaika comes into this season as the Reds’ #21 prospect according to Baseball America. He played in 14 games for the Reds last year and he was 7 for 25 (.280 avg, .733 OPS) with 3 runs scored. Valaika has now played in 33 games in his first two years with the Reds and he is 17 of 63 (.270 avg, .684 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 1 homer and 2 RBIs. He didn’t make any errors in his 1 game at 2B for the Reds last year.

33-year old Wilson Valdez, 37-year old Miguel Cairo and 29-year old Paul Janish could likely get some P.T. at 2B in 2012. Valdez only had 2 errors in 45 games at 2B for the Phillies last year while showing off good range. Miguel Cairo got most of his P.T. at 3B in 2012 for the Reds. He played in 13 error-free games at 2B for the Reds last year but he showed off awful range. Paul Janish played in 5 games at 2B for the Reds last year and he had 1 error while showing awful range. Shortstop is Janish’ best defensive position.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2B IN 2012: A

28-year old lefty swinging 1B Joey Votto is a hitting machine. Votto played in 161 games for the Reds last year and he was 185 of 599 (.309 avg, .947 OPS) with 101 runs scored, 29 homers, 103 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Votto has now played in 617 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 696 for 2,225 (.313 avg, .955 OPS) with 369 runs scored, 119 homers, 401 RBIs and 36 stolen bases. Votto isn’t just an amazing hitter, but he’s also pretty solid with his mitt. He only had 6 errors in 160 games at 1B for the Reds last year. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Joey Votto add some more hardware to his trophy case in 2012.

24-year old lefty swinging Juan Francisco is a natural 3B, but he will likely be Joey Votto’s backup when he needs a day off in 2012.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 1B IN 2012: A+++++++++

The Reds are going to give 23-year old righty swinging Devin Mesoraco his big chance this spring to win the starting job behind the plate for 2012. He comes into this year as the Reds’ #1 prospect according to Baseball America. Mesoraco played in 18 games for the Reds last year in his first taste of the majors and he was 9 for 50 (.180 avg, .586 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 2 homers and 6 RBIs. He also played in 120 games in AAA-ball last year for the Reds and he was 126 for 436 (.289 avg, .855 OPS) with 60 runs scored, 15 homers, 71 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Mesoraco played in 16 games behind the plate last year for the Reds and he had 3 errors and 0 passed balls. He threw out 2 of 11 (18.2%) runners trying to steal against him and Reds’ pitchers had a 4.78 ERA with him behind the dish. The Reds have high hopes for Mesoraco starting in 2012.

31-year old righty swinging Ryan Hanigan will be the backup if all goes well in spring training with Mesoraco. Hanigan played in 91 games for the Reds last year and he was 71 for 266 (.267 avg, .714 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 6 homers and 31 RBIs. He has now played in 287 games in his first five years with the Reds and he is 224 of 815 (.275 avg, .740 OPS) with 86 runs scored, 16 homers and 93 RBIs. Hanigan caught 89 games for the Reds last year and he had 4 errors and 2 passed balls. He threw out 13 of 52 (25%) runners trying to steal on him last year and Reds’ pitchers had a 3.97 ERA with him behind the plate. Hanigan will be the starting catcher for the Reds in 2012 if they don’t deem Mesoraco ready for the show.

28-year old switch-hitting Dioner Navarro will likely start the 2012 season in AAA-ball unless Devin Mesoraco starts the year in the minors. Navarro played in 64 games for the Dodgers last year and he was 34 for 176 (.193 avg, .600 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 5 homers and 17 RBIs. He has now played in 602 games in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 473 for 1,942 (.244 avg, .660 OPS) with 202 runs scored, 39 homers, 197 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Navarro played in 54 games behind the plate for the Dodgers last year and he had 7 errors and 3 passed balls. He threw out 10 of 55 (18.2%) base stealers last year for the Dodgers and their pitchers had a 3.43 ERA when he was behind the dish.

35-year old righty swinging Corky Miller finally showed some life with the bat for the Reds last year. He played in 32 games for the Reds last year and he was 18 of 74 (.243 avg, .674 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 2 homers and 9 RBIs. Miller has now played in 136 games in his first six years with the Reds and he is 75 for 362 (.207 avg, .629 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 9 homers, 45 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Miller has now played in 199 games in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 95 for 504 (.188 avg, .570 OPS) with 41 runs scored, 11 homers, 59 RBIs and 1 stolen base.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CATCHERS IN 2012: B-

The Reds have added a lot of new talent to the bullpen for 2012. The bullpen will also have lefty Aroldis Chapman if he loses out on a rotation spot this spring. Here is a look at the bullpen as of right now:

Closer: Ryan Madson: 31-year old righty Ryan Madson will be the Reds’ closer this year. He pitched in 62 games (0 starts) for the Phillies last year and he was 4-2 with 32 saves, a 2.37 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Madson has now pitched in 491 games (18 starts) in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 47-30 with 52 saves, a 3.59 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Madson really excelled in his new role as the Phillies’ closer in 2011 and I look for him to have another big year in 2012 for the Reds.

Set-Up Man: Sean Marshall: 29-year old lefty Sean Marshall will be the Reds’ new set-up man in 2012. He pitched in 78 games (0 starts) for the Cubs last year and he was 6-6 with 5 saves, a 2.26 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. Marshall has now pitched in 292 games (59 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 32-40 with 7 saves, a 3.96 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Marshall has been dominating since moving to the bullpen full time and I don’t look for that to change any time soon.

Righties: Nick Masset: 29-year old Nick Masset will look to rebound in 2012 for the Reds. He pitched in 75 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 3-6 with 1 save, a 3.71 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. Masset has now pitched in 241 games (0 starts) in his first four years with the Reds and he is 13-11 with 3 saves, a 3.07 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. He has now pitched in 308 games (2 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 16-14 with 4 saves, a 3.78 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP.

Logan Ondrusek: 27-year old Logan Ondrusek pitched in 66 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 5-5 with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He has now pitched in 126 games (0 starts) in his first two years with the Reds and he is 10-5 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. I look for him to have another solid year for the Reds.

Jose Arredondo: 27-year old Jose Arredondo is my choice for a breakout reliever for the Reds in 2012. He pitched in 53 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 4-4 with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Arredondo has now pitched in 148 games (0 starts) in his first three years in the majors and he is 16-9 with a 3.40 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. Arredondo has nasty stuff when he’s healthy.

Sam LeCure: 27-year old Sam LeCure will likely settle in as the Reds’ long man in the pen this year. He pitched in 43 games (4 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 2-1 with a 3.71 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. LeCure has now pitched in 58 games (10 starts) for the Reds in his first two years with them and he is 4-6 with a 4.01 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.

Carlos Fisher: 28-year old Carlos Fisher is going to try to make the bullpen after getting DFA’d last week by the Reds. Fisher pitched in 17 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Fisher has now pitched in 74 games (0 starts) in his first three years with the Reds and he is 2-5 with a 4.74 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP.

Andrew Brackman: 26-year old Andrew Brackman is looking to take advantage of a change of scenery as he never really panned out for the Yankees. He got his first taste of the majors last September for the Yankees as he worked in 3 games (0 starts) in which he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP. He also pitched in 33 games (13 starts) in AAA-ball for the Yankees last year and he was 3-6 with 1 save, a 6.00 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. He is a big time longshot to make the Reds’ pen this spring.

Josh Judy: 26-year old Josh Judy didn’t look too good in his first taste of the majors last year for the Indians. He pitched in 12 games (0 starts) for the Indians last year and he was 0-0 with a 7.07 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. Judy also pitched in 50 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 6-2 with 23 saves, a 3.12 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Judy will be a longshot to win a job in the Reds’ pen this spring.

Lefties: Bill Bray: 28-year old Bill Bray will be the Reds’ top lefty in the pen this year, unless, Aroldis Chapman loses out on his bid to win a spot in the starting rotation. Bray pitched in 79 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 5-3 with a 2.98 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Bray has now pitched in 225 games (0 starts) in his first five years with the Reds and he is 12-11 with 3 saves, a 3.64 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Bray has now pitched in 244 games (0 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 13-12 with 3 saves, a 3.67 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. Bray is going to have another solid year in 2012 for the Reds.

Ron Mahay: 40-year old Ron Mahay is going to try to make the Reds’ pitching staff this spring. Mahay pitched in 24 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball for the Cardinals & Diamondbacks last year and he was 1-2 with a 5.01 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. He last pitched in the majors back in 2010 for the Twins. Mahay has now pitched in 514 games (3 starts) in his first 14 years in the majors and he is 27-12 with 4 saves, a 3.83 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP.

Clay Zavada: 27-year old Clay Zavada pitched in 44 games (0 starts) in AA-ball for the Diamondbacks last year and he was 3-2 with 2 saves, a 3.43 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. He missed all of the 2010 season as he was recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Zavada last played in the majors back in 2009 with the Diamondbacks. Zavada pitched in 49 games (0 starts) in 2009 for the D-Backs and he was 3-3 with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BULLPEN IN 2012: A