By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

SARASOTA, Fla. - Austin Kearns was on his way. It looked as if he was about to become a star at age 23.

Austin Kearns in the batting cage. (Michael E. Keating photo)

On May 21, he was hitting .309 with 13 home runs and 44 runs batted in. The 44 RBI were good enough for the National League lead. Those numbers over a full season would compute to 47 homers and 158 RBI.

But that night, Kearns ran into Atlanta's Ray King at the plate. Kearns' season came crashing down as he injured his shoulder in the collision. The Reds won that night to get within 11/2 games of first in the NL Central. They would not get that close again. "I think that's what makes it more frustrating than anything," Kearns said. "When you're doing well and you get hurt, it's tough. It came at a tough time."

So, going into the 2004 season, we're still talking about Kearns' potential rather than his production.

The Reds are still convinced Kearns will fulfill that potential - if he stays healthy. But he's dealt with injuries the last three years - the shoulder last year, a strained hamstring in 2002 and a torn thumb ligament in 2001.

"He's as solid as they come," Reds manager Dave Miley said. "The sky's the limit."

Last year's injury was a result of a split-second baseball decision.

The ball got away on a wild pitch. Kearns was trying to score from third. Kearns was trying to get around King, who was covering. Kearns' mistake was going in headfirst. But with the game on the line and the team in a pennant race, you try to score.

"I'd done it before where I go head-first trying to get my hand on the plate," Kearns said. "That's what I was trying to do. But I hit a roadblock."

That would be King, a solid 6-foot-1, 247 pounds.

Kearns didn't let on at the time, but he knew it was bad.

"When I went out to the outfield the next half inning, I didn't even try to throw," Kearns said. "It was hurting pretty bad. The next day, I couldn't raise my arm up over my head to throw. I was hoping it would go away."

It didn't.

Over the next 37 games, Kearns hit .208 with two home runs and 15 RBI.

Kearns played through the pain - in retrospect an unwise move.

"You want to keep playing," he said. "But it gets worse and worse."

Kearns said it was his decision to keep pushing it.

"I don't think there's pressure," he said. "I think it's part of being a competitor. You want to get out there and play. You don't want to walk in the training room and say something hurts. You don't want to give them a reason to take you out of the lineup. That's part of being a baseball player."

Kearns, a former No. 1 pick, finally had arthroscopic surgery on the shoulder Aug. 14. He's still dealing with rehabilitating his throwing arm. He'll be used only as a designated hitter early in the exhibition season.

"It feels good," he said. "I'm just trying to get stronger."

Kearns' arm is among the best of his tools. It's expected to return to 100 percent.

"I don't know if it will be in two or three weeks," he said. "But it should get there."

Chris Chambliss, the club's new hitting coach, has been impressed with Kearns' hitting so far. "He has a nice compact, stroke," Chambliss said. "He knows what it takes to be a good hitter. He works smart in the cage. He goes about his work. He's quieter than some of the others we have, but he takes care of his business."

Kearns was a polished player from the time the Reds drafted him out of Lafayette High School in Lexington in 1998.

The star of the future tag was stamped on him in 2000 when he hit .306 with 27 home runs and 104 RBI at Single-A Dayton.

He was co-Prospect of the Year in the Midwest League with Albert Pujols.

Pujols has established himself as one of the game's elite players. If not for the injuries, Kearns might be there, too. Remember, he hit .315 with 13 home runs and 56 RBI in 107 games as a rookie before the hamstring injury ended his season. Kearns' goal for 2004 is simply to stay healthy.

"No doubt about it," Kearns said. "The last couple of years have been frustrating. I haven't been able to play a full season. Hopefully, I've gotten that out of the way."

To that end, are his headfirst sliding days over? "I can't promise anything," he said. "But I'm going to try to avoid that."