To provide speed, the Reds signed free agent center fielder Willy Taveras to bat leadoff, and they hope he'll come close to the 68 bases he stole last year.

Great American Ball Park is a homer haven, so the club won't be completely devoid of power -- hoping that first baseman Joey Votto and right fielder Jay Bruce can better their rookie numbers of 24 and 21 home runs, respectively. And second baseman Brandon Phillips chipped in with 22, while third baseman Edwin Encarnacion had 26.

The pitching staff is almost set. Right-hander Aaron Harang, the Opening Day pitcher two years in a row, slumped to 6-17 last year, but he hopes to regain the form he displayed as a 16-game winner in each of the previous two seasons.

Right-hander Edinson Volquez was 17-6 with a 3.21 ERA and made the All-Star Game. The club would gladly take those same numbers, as well as the 15-11 put together by righty Bronson Arroyo.

Right-hander Johnny Cueto is said to have the best stuff on the team and throws the hardest, but he struggled at 9-14 and 4.81 last year, numbers the team believes will greatly improve with the experience and tutelage of fellow Latin American pitchers on the staff -- Volquez and closer Francisco Cordero.

The bullpen is solid with Cordero closing and 39-year-old veterans David Weathers and Arthur Rhodes in setup roles.

WHERE, WHEN: Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota, Fla. First exhibition game is Feb. 26 against Minnesota.

TOP CANDIDATE TO SURPRISE: SS Alex Gonzalez missed all of last season after fracturing his knee early in spring training. The club used stopgaps all of last season, but team physician Tim Kremchek recently gave Gonzalez a clean bill of health and pronounced him 100 percent ready for spring training. Manager Dusty Baker said Gonzalez is "one of the finest shortstops in the game, and we expect him to return and have a great season."

TOP CANDIDATE TO DISAPPOINT: 3B Edwin Encarnacion has been a player the Reds expected to blossom, ever since they traded for him with the Rangers in 2001. The highly talented 26-year-old has never become the star he was expected to become, although every year the manager du jour has predicted big things for him. Encarnacion remains an enigma, showing flashes of brilliance that usually quickly flame out. He hit only .251 last year and made 23 errors, and he shows no signs of finding the consistency he needs.

AUTHORITY FIGURES: Manager Dusty Baker returns after going 74-88 in his first season, guiding the Reds to a fifth-place finish. Baker, with a career mark of 1,236-1,129, said last season was a process of learning his personnel, and he feels he can now better utilize the players' various abilities. Despite talk there might be some changes in the coaching staff, every coach was retained, including pitching coach Dick Pole, a long-time Baker associate, and hitting coach Brook Jacoby.