By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

In the early days of spring training last year, the Reds dealt with the chemistry question on a daily basis. First, Pokey Reese, then Dmitri Young, then Ron Oester fired volleys from other camps.

The charges: The team's stars, Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Larkin, were treated differently than the rest of the team and the team chemistry was bad. The Reds spent a lot of time convincing people they had a good clubhouse.

Was it all talk, or do the players really get along? This offseason, there has been some strong evidence it's more than just talk.

Four of the biggest names on the team - Griffey, Larkin, Danny Graves and Adam Dunn - got a jump on spring training, which opens Thursday when pitchers and catchers report to Sarasota, Fla., by training together over the winter in Orlando. Larkin, Graves and Griffey live in Orlando. Dunn came in to join them, living in one of Griffey's guest rooms for a couple of weeks.

"It's been great," Larkin said. "It's definitely a good thing for the team."

"Camaraderie is important," Reds manager Bob Boone said. "It's certainly more of an asset than a hindrance."

Larkin and Graves worked out together with a personal trainer last year. Griffey and Dunn decided to join them this year. From all reports, Griffey has worked out harder this offseason than ever before.

"He looks great," Larkin said.

You couldn't name four players more key to the Reds' success. If Griffey's healthy, he makes the Reds' offense infinitely better and gives the team a Gold Glove presence in center field. Graves, who goes from closer to starter, is the key to the rotation. Larkin is the only logical leadoff hitter. But for him to be effective in the top spot, he needs to raise his average (.245) and on-base percentage (.305) from last year. Last year, Dunn had an All-Star first half, when he hit .300 (17 home runs), and an all-bad second half, when he hit .190 (nine homers).

The Reds think if Griffey's Griffey, if Larkin's Larkin, if Graves makes a seamless switch to starting and if Dunn can put together two good halves, they'll be a contender.

"I'm optimistic," Boone said. "That's the nature of spring training. The whole world is optimistic about what's coming up."

Boone is also realistic.

"We have a lot of key questions we have to answer," he said. "Can Aaron (Boone) make the move to second? We have to see if he can handle it. Can (Brandon) Larson pick up where he left off last year? Can Dunn get it back? Can Austin Kearns stay healthy and do what we think he's capable of? Can Junior stay healthy?"

The Reds expect the offense to be good enough. The lineup is potentially as good as any in the National League. The biggest weakness is the lack of hitters suited for the leadoff and No. 2 spots. Larkin is the best choice for both.

"We have a lot of middle-of-the-lineup hitters," Bob Boone said. "We don't have a lot of high on-base-percentage guys, and we have a lot of guys who strike out more than they walk."

Boone said, despite his comment last week, Dunn probably won't be leading off.

"It was something I said a little bit in jest," Boone said. "I think if Larkin's healthy, he'll be in there."

Health comes up in every other sentence when talking about the Reds. Besides Griffey, first baseman Sean Casey and Kearns are coming off injuries. With a $60 million payroll, the Reds don't have the depth to overcome another spate of injuries. But the Elmer Dessens trade that netted Felipe Lopez did give the Reds a somewhat proven replacement should Larkin miss extended time. Larkin, who turns 39 April 28, played 145 games last year. He played a total of 149 the previous two years.

Lopez struggled in Winter Ball, hitting .202 with 21 strikeouts in 84 at-bats for Santurce in the Puerto Rican League.

Lopez is also the first alternative at second base, if the Aaron Boone move turns into a failed experiment. And Lopez could end up at second and Boone back at third if Larson struggles at third. Larson was impressive in a short trial (51 at-bats) when he hit .275 with four home runs and 13 RBI. That's punched up to 40 homers and 130 RBI over 500 at-bats.

Say the everyday players stay healthy and put up good offensive numbers, is the pitching good enough to win?

Boone thinks so.

"I feel like the pitching is better than most people think it is," Boone said. "We're going to find out if Gravy helps the rotation and if (Scott) Williamson can be the closer. But we've got a whole lot of quality in between (starters and closer)."

The Reds' big free agent signing was Paul Wilson, a 29-year-old right-hander. Wilson was 6-12 with a 4.83 ERA for the Tampa Bay Devils Rays last year. The Reds thought enough of him to pay him $4 million over the next two years.

Jimmy Haynes (15-10, 4.12), Ryan Dempster (10-13, 5.38 ERA with the Marlins and Reds), Graves (7-3, 3.19) and Wilson are virtual locks for the rotation. Last year, the Reds entered spring training with only one sure starter (Elmer Dessens) and had a non-roster free agent (Joey Hamilton) start Opening Day.

The fifth starter could be any of 12 pitchers the Reds plan to get ready to start. The Reds have invited 55 of their top prospects to a Minor League Accelerated Program. That will allow the Ty Howingtons and Dustin Moseleys of the world to pitch enough innings to start for the big-league club.

Boone would not rule out one or two of them being in the rotation.

"That happens every year," Boone said. "Someone is going to surprise you."

The bullpen should be good and deep. John Riedling (2-4, 2.70 ERA) proved he could be a quality setup man last year. Left-hander Gabe White (6-1, 2.98 ERA) was good before a groin strain ended his season Aug. 28. Scott Sullivan struggled with injuries, but he was the team's best pitcher in 2001.

Chris Reitsma and lefty Bruce Chen will be in the mix it if they don't win the fifth starting spot.

"We've got a lot of depth and quality there," Boone said.

BY THE NUMBERS

78-84: The Reds' record in 2002, good for third place in the NL Central, 19 games behind St. Louis.

.330: The Reds' on-base percentage last year, 10th in the National League.

1,188: Number of times the Reds struck out last year, second-most in the NL. It was the second straight season the Reds set a club record for K's.

28: Number of passed balls by the Reds last year, most in the majors.

.231: The Reds' batting average with runners in scoring position last year.

6-17: The Reds' record over a 23-game stretch in August and September, during which 20 of the games were played against contenders.

.320: The Reds' winning percentage against teams with records over .500 last year.