Can Griffey be Griffey? This is the biggest question facing the club. If Ken Griffey Jr. goes back to being the healthy, productive player the Reds traded for, he will cure a host of other problems. His bat will make those around him better. His range in the outfield would make up for Adam Dunn's defensive shortcomings. And 40-plus home runs and 120-plus RBI wouldn't hurt either.
Can Boone play second? If Aaron Boone struggles at his new position, the Reds might have to revamp the lineup during spring training. Boone's range and arm are upgrades over Todd Walker's, but can he do a reasonable imitation of brother Bret, a Gold Glove winner at second, when turning the double play?
Who's on first (in the batting order)? If Barry Larkin's healthy and his .245 average last season was an aberration, this becomes a moot point. But if Larkin struggles with injuries, as he has in the past, the Reds will have to hold open tryouts for leadoff. Boone? Dunn? Austin Kearns? There's no Rickey Henderson in that bunch.
Can Graves switch to starter? The Reds are confident Danny Graves can be an effective starter; he was last year after he moved from closer to the rotation. The real test for Graves will come in the second half of the season when his arm has 100-plus innings on it. He has gone more than 100 innings in a season only once in his career.
Is Robson the answer? Who, you say? Tom Robson is the new hitting coach, replacing Jim Lefebvre. The Reds were awful in situational hitting and in pressure situations last year, and Lefebvre took the fall for that. Robson's methods promise to be simpler than those of Lefebvre, who used a lot of gimmicks. Will they work? We'll know by the numbers.
