The Identity of the Reds

It's Spring Training. I call it meaningless, you all call it meaningless, the world screams "Meaningless!" in unison, and then the commercial is over.

But, to be honest, it's not entirely meaningless. Not for the guys making the team, not for the guys rehabbing injuries, not for the youngsters trying to show their skills, not for the old-timers going to prove they have enough left in the tank, not for the manager to see what his problem spots and his strengths are. There is more meaning here than you realize, it's the results that don't amount to anything.

For right now, you have the Reds as you've known them. Their offense has carried them to 5 wins and 0 losses. Their pitching has been suspect and their defense unamazing, though better.

This is in direct contrast to what Narron and Krivsky are all about this year. They wish to sacrifice offense for pitching and defense, they've said it only so many times before you realize that they mean it. What they've been getting on the field is not quite the opposite, but not what they imagined. This gives me more optimism as I look forward to the season.

I know, I know. I am optimistic about the Reds because they are scoring all these dang runs and they are undefeated and that's stupid and I am stupid for doing so. Probably. But it gives me optimism that I wouldn't have had if they were 0-5 and were having problems scoring runs. That's not the case. I think the offense that we all think is going to be missing from this year's team is still around. It won't be anywhere near as good as we have seen thus far, but it will be there. I hope it will be more opportunistic and daring, but I think it will be there. The pitching is still of concern, and these spring training games are proving some of that. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, but the guys in the middle and late innings and doing pretty well so far. They are taking care of business. Our defense is not where anyone wants it, but we know it will be better up the middle because Gonzalez is playing with Phillips and EdE can't be as bad as he has been the past couple of years. If we keep Conine out (stay bad, back!) and can platoon Hatteberg with Bellhorn instead and keep the outfielders young and fast and offensively solid as well as defensively solid, this team could be pretty dang good.

It doesn't take much to write this as the Reds stand atop the Grapefruit League standings. I mean, come on, grapefruits? That's pretty lame. But they do stand up there, and it's not sheer randomness, they are playing well. None of it really translates into seasonal success, but don't you at least feel better that your team is playing well? I do.

While their current identity may not be what Narron and Krivsky visualized, it's working right now. I think it's more important to accentuate the positives and try and fix the mistakes, rather than turning a team in a direction that it's not equipped to turn.