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Reds begin the 'Kearns Project' By Todd Lorenz / MLB.com October 20, 2004 CINCINNATI -- It's been a little more than a week since the Reds undertook the Austin Kearns project. In an attempt to thin out an overcrowded outfield, the Reds sent the 24-year-old right fielder to the Florida Instructional League to try his hand at third base. So far, so good. "I think so far things have gone as well as we could have hoped for," Reds general manager Dan O'Brien said. "Austin's working hard and we're committed to giving him a legitimate chance to succeed." If he does, it would quickly solve a pair of problems for the Reds as they head into 2005. With Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr., Wily Mo Pena, Ryan Freel and Kearns all needing consistent at-bats, Cincinnati simply doesn't have enough outfield positions for them. Moving Kearns makes that possible, along with filling a gaping hole at third. However, the project is still in the R & D stage. "He seems to be making progress," said O'Brien. "This is going to be his first week for him to actually play in games, so we're moving from phase one to phase two, in a sense." The Reds have been receiving daily reports from Reds minor league infield coordinator Freddie Benavides, who is in Sarasota helping Kearns make the adjustment. "He's in very good hands down there," Reds manager Dave Miley said. According to O'Brien, Benavides and the rest of the Reds' Instructional League staff will have a big say in whether Kearns keeps at it. The Instructional League ends Saturday, and based on the assessment of a small sample of games and footwork drills, the Reds will decide whether or not to continue with the project. "The next step is a bit of an unknown," said O'Brien. "It depends on the opinion of those watching him at the Instructional League. We'll base that on whether they feel he's made enough progress. "Let's put it this way. He's handled step one. This is step two and all of us are hopeful, but we can't anticipate where things will end up." But they can keep their collective fingers crossed. It's fairly safe to assume that the Reds will do everything possible to keep the Kearns project moving along. After all, he already knows how to play in the outfield and moving him back to right will leave them no worse than where they started. "The bottom line is that if he's able to play the position, it makes our lineup all that more productive," O'Brien said. "But again, the thing I keep bringing up is that this is a tremendous transition that we're asking him to embrace. The outcome is very much undetermined." Todd Lorenz is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. |