Cincinnati Reds Tickets

2010 Cincinnati Reds Season Preview The Cincinnati Reds actually showed signs of life in 2009, finishing close to the .500 mark, which gives fans even more hope heading into this season.

Cincinnati really has a nice collection of young players, especially when it comes to their starting rotation.

The pitching staff is led by veteran Aaron Harang, who is looking to bounce back from a disappointing season. Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto are two young arms you want to keep a close eye on. Volquez came to the Reds in the Josh Hamilton trade, and both are very close to having breakout seasons. Each certainly has the dominating type of stuff to be a premeire starting pitcher for a long time to come.

Homer Bailey, Bronson Arroyo and Micah Owings figure to compete for the final two spots in the starting rotation. Either way, each of these pitchers will certainly see time as a starter at some point as someone is bound to head to the disabled list at some point.

Many felt that Arroyo would be traded at last year's July 31 deadline, but the Reds couldn't work out a deal to their liking. The team traded for Owings, who was struggling with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Cincinnati is hopeful that a change of scenery might be exactly what Owings needs to blossom into a solid starting pitcher.

The team's biggest offseason splash was signing Domincan defect Aroldis Chapman. A lot of teams were after Chapman, and many figured he would end up in New York or Los Angeles. Chapman has a lot of talent, but adjusting to life in the United State isn't always the easiest thing. It will be fun to track his development if nothing else.

One of the biggest questions entering the season is whether outfielder Jay Bruce will take his game to the next level and become one of the game's budding superstars.

Bruce was once a top prospect and has held his own in his first two years in the major leagues. With that said, Bruce did not progress as much during his sophomore year as the team would have liked. They are counting on him to become a major run producer, and it's time he steps up and shows he can do just that.

First baseman Joey Votto and second baseman Brandon Phillips form a very impressive right side of the infield, one of the best in all of the National League. Those two players combine to produce a significant amount of the team's runs.

It's also worth mentioning that veteran third baseman Scott Rolen bounced back with a solid 2009 performance. He is no longer the home run hitter or run producer he used to be, but he still plays solid defense and hit for a high average.

To fill a hold at shortstop, the Reds picked up former Chicago White Sox veteran Orlando Cabrera. He hasn't played as well in recent years, but he is still slightly above average at the position.

The Cincinnati Reds should be able to hang around in the National League Central and wild card races for much of the year, but they still aren't quite ready to actually make a serious bid at a postseason berth.