Sanders has tough lineup to crack

Deion Sanders works in the batting cage.
(AP photo)
| ZOOM |
SARASOTA, Fla. — Manager Bob Boone took a neutral stance Monday on Deion Sanders' chances of resuming a baseball career, saying he “didn't want to be a roadblock” in the football star's comeback attempt.

Boone added, however, the aspiring outfielder “has to show me a lot of things.”

Sanders' return to the Reds became official as the commissioner's office gave them permission to sign him to a minor-league contract. The Reds technically were prohibited from signing Sanders until May 1, though they tried to do so on Jan.24. Approval of the signing enabled Sanders to join the major-league camp today.

But to realize his goal of making the Opening Day roster, Sanders will have to do better than he ever did while compiling a batting average of .266 in eight seasons.

Not having played in the majors since 1997, when he hit .273 with 56 stolen bases for the Reds, increases his challenge. Sanders hit .200 in 25 games last year for Triple-A Louisville after another spring-training bid.

“What we're asking him to do for a normal human being is fairly impossible,” Boone said. “He's probably the one guy on the planet who could do what he needs to do to get back to world-class status in baseball.”

The Reds' search for speed at the top of the batting order, particularly at the leadoff spot, provides Sanders with a conceivable opening. But he faces the tough task of trying to crack an outfield that includes left fielder Dmitri Young, center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. and right fielders Alex Ochoa and Michael Tucker. The projected fifth outfielder, Michael Coleman, is a legitimate prospect.

But, said Boone of Sanders, “His speed, compared to baseball speed, is still going to be at the top. That's something you can't teach and something you're always looking for. I thought last year, at the start of spring training, his swing was better.”

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