1. RF Emoto Yoon. Yoon has probably been the best leadoff hitter in the NL this year. He has put up a solid .318 average to this point and has been getting on base at a high rate all season. Another 70+ steal season makes him and his leadoff skills very valuable.
2. CF Chris Grimsley. Grimsley has been everything he could possibly be for the Reds. He is second in the league in batting, and has been solid in all aspects of the game. He has probably been the Reds' offensive MVP.
3. LF Marlon Byrd. Byrd has been exactly what the Reds thought he would be when they acquired him. He has put up a .300 average all season and will end up with around 20 HR.
4. SS Angel Aragon. Aragon has had a horrible season filled with slumps and injury. If he had been performing up to the level of his last two years, the Reds would have likely found themselves in playoff contention.
5. 2B Sean Burroughs. Burroughs has put up his second solid season with the Reds at second base. His numbers are eerily similar to Marlon Byrd's, but from the left side.
6. 3B Paul Lewis. Lewis has been the Reds' best power threat all season. Posting a .280 average and approaching 30 HR after spending the first month of this season in the minors, the Reds are looking for big things in the future from Lewis.
7. 1B Oris Graham. Graham has disappointed to an extent. He has put up solid power numbers, but his average has dipped to the mid .260s for the second consecutive year. Look for Dalton Akin to take over 1B full-time next year.
8. Sam Johnson. Johnson struggled badly for the first two months of the season, his average in the .220s. However, he has been one of the Reds' hotter hitters over the course of the last three months, rasing his average to a solid .280. His rise in average can be attributed to a platoon situation as he has been rested more often since the recall of Sheldon Myers, who was an injury sub for Sammy Serrano.
2. RHP Kyle Lohse. The Reds had been looking for a pitcher of Lohse's quality for a few years now. His combination of age and history make him very valuable, and he has done very well since coming over to the Reds, lowering his ERA from nearly 5.00 to close to 4.00.
3. RHP TJ Tucker. Tucker has recently gone on a winning spree that has the Reds very excited about him. He has finally gotten past teh break even point recently, and has a fine 3.5 ERA at this point.
4. RHP Tom Dickson. Dickson has been a bit erratic, but has shown signs of being a very solid pitcher, and at times has been spectacular. His sub 4 ERA should give this Rule 5 pick a chance to compete next year.
5. RHP Juan O'Neill. After spending a half season in AAA in which he went 3-1 with a 3 ERA, O'neill has shown signs of becomig a solid pitcher, much in the footsteps of Jack Saunders. Should be good quality for many years.
RHP Geno Autry. Autry was taken from the rotation because of the horrible job the pen had done this season. He has been stellar in his new role, as well as his earlier starting role for a sub 3.5 ERA on the year. If there are many struggles next year in the rotation, look for Autry to step in.
LHP Randy Flores. For teh second year, Flores has been excellent out of the Reds' pen, and for much of the season led the team in victories. He's a valuable contributor that can get teh tough lefty hitters out.
Every single other member of the Reds' bullpen has either been sent down, released or pitched poorly throughout the season. A good bullpen might not put you over the top, but a bad one can devastate your season. Doug Young was sent through waivers, Martire Franco (8-0, 2.90 last year) and Rookie Don Coles were sent to AAA. Luis Estrella, Reggie Grimes and Joe Nelson have pitched very poorly from the pen, and Ryan Moskau has been slightly above average.
