Sunday, February 28, 1999

Reds sport deep bench

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Veterans battle for reserve roles behind youngsters

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Jeff Branson (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

        SARASOTA, Fla. — Selecting a major league roster is like asking children to sit in a car. Everything's calm in front, but a lot of shoving occurs in the back seats.

        Spring training's innocence ends this week for players seeking jobs, especially reserve roles. The intrasquad games Monday and Tuesday and the exhibition schedule beginning Thursday represent chances for potential backups to make positive impressions.

        Competition will be fierce because the Reds have an excess of proven major leaguers in camp.

        “That's what you're going to have every spring training,” said infielder Jeff Branson, whose career has been filled with such scrambles. “There's not enough room for everybody, and everybody here knows that. But you'd rather have a logjam than not enough players.”

        Forming the Reds' bench looks easy. Of course, looks are deceiving.

        Any team needs at least two spare outfielders, a No. 2 catcher and enough infielders to provide depth at every position.

Hal Morris (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

        Based solely on accomplishments and experience, the Reds' prospective bench would consist of Branson, first baseman Hal Morris, first baseman-outfielder Mark Sweeney, infielder Mark Lewis and outfielders Michael Tucker and Jeffrey Hammonds. The extra catcher will be either Brian Johnson or Eddie Taubensee, whoever isn't playing. This leaves 18 spots on the 25-man roster for the eight starting position players and 10 pitchers.

        Opening the season with 11 pitchers is an option — and would intensify the bench crunch. But since the Reds will use a four-man starting rotation until at least April 24 due to the plethora of early off-days, manager Jack McKeon is leaning toward using a 10-man staff initially.

        “With the depth (of position players) that you have, if you keep all those guys, then you're going to have to go with 10 pitchers,” he said Saturday.

        But the “status” bench listed above excludes three Reds who played considerably last year: Chris Stynes, who manned six positions while spending all of 1998 with the Reds; Jon Nunnally, the Opening Day right fielder a year ago; and outfielder Mike Frank.

        Others who won't disappear without a fight include catcher Brook Fordyce, who spent most of '98 with the Reds, and infielder Ralph Milliard, who has displayed a slick glove in early workouts.

        Another complication: Fordyce, Nunnally and Stynes no longer have minor-league options left, which means the Reds would risk losing them to another team through waivers if they tried to demote them to Triple-A Indianapolis.

        Until obvious misfits among the 56 players in camp are weeded out, McKeon won't say much about his prospective bench. Unforeseen injuries could influence his roster. So can trades. Already, Morris and Sweeney have been cited in trade rumors with the Atlanta Braves, who would need reinforcements at first base if they can't adequately replace cancer-stricken Andres Galarraga.

        Whatever happens, the Reds' pantry appear to be well-stocked. They have enough players to bring off the bench batting left-handed (Branson, Frank, Morris, Nunnally, Swee ney, Tucker) or right-handed (Hammonds, Lewis, Stynes). Pinch runners could include Hammonds or Tucker — or, as McKeon frequently mentions, second baseman Pokey Reese or center fielder Mike Cameron, if they're not starting.

        “Sometimes it doesn't necessarily come out the way you like it,” McKeon said of the bench. “But you like your choices.”

        It's each player's job to make McKeon's choices more difficult. Veterans behind his younger projected starters such as Reese, Cameron, first baseman Sean Casey and third baseman Aaron Boone won't concede anything.

        As Branson said, “Not to say anything (negative) about Pokey or Aaron — they're the future of the Reds — but we're going to go out there and push their (butts). ... You come in here to win a job.”

       

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