By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Reds immediately declared Felipe Lopez the shortstop of the future when they acquired him in a trade from Toronto in December.

So where does that leave Gookie Dawkins, the heretofore shortstop-in-waiting?

We'll find out by the end of spring training.

"This is an important spring for him," Reds manager Bob Boone said.

Dawkins agrees.

"I can show I have a future here if I play like I know I can," he said.

Dawkins is out of options. That means the Reds would have to expose him to waivers to send him to the minors.

Boone said Dawkins, 23, has a chance to make the club as an extra player. For that to happen, Barry Larkin will have to show he can play almost every day. The Reds may then send Lopez, who has options, to Triple-A where he can play every day.

"That could happen," Boone said. "but (Lopez) looks pretty safe right now."

With Dawkins, Wily Mo Pena, Ruben Mateo and Reggie Taylor all out of options, the Reds face some tough decisions on young players. If they go with 12 pitchers, the decisions become even harder.

Dawkins has made a good early impression.

"He looks good," Boone said. "He's been handling that away pitch that gave him trouble."

"That's something I've worked on," Dawkins said. "I'm trusting my hands and staying back. I know what pitch I can handle and what pitch I can't handed."

Dawkins is a lot like former Red Pokey Reese: He can field with the best, but his offense has held him back.

Dawkins hit .231 at Single-A in 2000 and .226 in 2001. He's also struggled in three short trials with the Reds, batting a combined .167 over 96 at-bats.

Last season, he batted .271 at Double-A Chattanooga in 155 at-bats, then .251 in 167 at-bats at Triple-A Louisville.

The Reds think Lopez's upside offensively is much greater than Dawkins': Lopez hit better in the minors.

That's why this spring may be Dawkins' last chance to prove to the Reds he can hit.

"He looks more confident and relaxed," Boone said. "We'll see how he does in the games."

SWEET 16: The Reds have said all along that Jimmy Haynes, Ryan Dempster, Danny Graves and Paul Wilson will be four of the five starters.

Twelve pitchers are in the running for the fifth spot. Chris Reitsma, Bruce Chen, Lance Davis, Seth Etherton, Jimmy Anderson, Jose Acevedo, Pete Harnisch, Luke Hudson, Jose Rijo, Blake Williams, Brian Reith and Osvaldo Fernandez will be prepared as starters.

Some of them could end up in the bullpen, but they'll be on the starting plan the early portion of the spring.

The Reds plan to use pitchers from the major league camp in games in the Minor League Accelerated Program to keep them on schedule.

SIGNED: The Reds signed Ricardo Aramboles, Chris Booker, Jerome Gamble, Josh Hall, Rainer Olmedo, Stephen Smitherman, Williams, Hudson and Dawkins.

Thirteen players remain unsigned, if you include Luke Prokopec.

Prokopec, a Rule 5 pickup, signed a two-year minor-league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"His situation is unique," assistant general manager Brad Kullman said. "Most Rule 5 picks are players from Single-A with no service time. His contract may still be good. We're checking."

I GOT IT! The Reds looked pretty bad in a pop-up drill Sunday.

"I guess that means we have to do it again," Boone said.

CASEY AT-BAT: Sean Casey, who had offseason shoulder surgery, has been hitting live pitching for the last four days.

"It's getting better and better," he said. "I've had no pain. It's a matter of getting the shoulder muscles used to firing again."