- Barring injury, the starting rotation is set, but there are some unknowns in the bullpen where Norm Charlton, Francisco Cordero, and Lefty James are in contention to make the roster.
- The pitching has been strong, but Tony Mullane has struggled a bit allowing the possibility for one of several contenders to lay claim to the #5 slot. Johnny Cueto, Dolf Luque, and David Price are all yet to allow a run, so we’ll start with those 3.
- Mullane has been sent to AAA, and Eppa Rixey is now questionable to make the rotation, with Bronson Arroyo, Paul Derringer, Dixie Leveret and Luque joining Cueto and Price in the running.
- Charlton, Octavio Dotel, and Cordero have all struggled in relief, while Clay Carroll has excelled.
- Cordero and continues to be on the bubble, and the desire to reduce roster size has sent Charlton to AAA.
- The pitching has been strong, but Tony Mullane has struggled a bit allowing the possibility for one of several contenders to lay claim to the #5 slot. Johnny Cueto, Dolf Luque, and David Price are all yet to allow a run, so we’ll start with those 3.
- It’s clear that Johnny Bench and Jake Stenzel will both make the roster, but it’s not clear who will be the starter at C.
- Both have excelled, so still not clear. Ernie Lombardi has been recalled for depth.
- Lombardi is also hitting very well: at this point, they’d like to keep all 3 on the opening day roster.
- Both have excelled, so still not clear. Ernie Lombardi has been recalled for depth.
- Joe Morgan and Miller Huggins are in competition at 2B, as are Piggy Ward and Ed Charles at 3B.
- Huggins and Morgan are still neck and neck. Given Menke’s ability to fill in at 2B, Lonny Frey is heading back to AAA.
- SS is a mess: Dennis Menke and Jhonny Peralta have the edge to start, but a great Spring by either Barry Larkin or Dave Concepcion could leapfrog them.
- Menke and Concepcion lead this race, but nothing is settled yet.
- Oscar Charleston looks like the real deal, but the OF is crowded. Performances this Spring should shed some light on how the team differentiates between Charlie Hemphill, Edd Roush, Pete Rose, Bob Bescher, George Foster, and Willie Montanez.
- Charleston has yet to show much of anything, and only Edd Roush is performing worse of the OFers. But only Rose has made enough noise to join Dave Henderson as a likely starter.
- Charleston has improved dramatically, but other than Roush continuing to struggle and Rose leading the way, little is clear here.
- Montanez has been moved to AAA to clear some OF room (especially with Hemphill about to return from a few days off), and Chase Headley has been recalled to add some depth at 3B.
- Headley has been very impressive, and is arguing for a roster spot.
- Charleston has yet to show much of anything, and only Edd Roush is performing worse of the OFers. But only Rose has made enough noise to join Dave Henderson as a likely starter.
| Near Definite | Likely | Possible | Long Shot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Pitchers | Virgil Trucks Red Faber Willie Mitchell | Eppa Rixey Johnny Cueto Dolf Luque Paul Derringer David Price Dixie Leveret Bronson Arroyo | ||
| Middle Relievers | Octavio Dotel Lefty James Francisco Cordero | |||
| Setup | Rob Murphy Clay Carroll | |||
| Closer | Rob Dibble | |||
| C | Johnny Bench Jake Stenzel | Ernie Lombardi | ||
| 1B | Joey Votto Hal Morris | |||
| 2B | Joe Morgan Miller Huggins | |||
| 3B | Piggy Ward Ed Charles | Chase Headley | ||
| SS | Dennis Menke Dave Concepcion | Barry Larkin Jhonny Peralta |
||
| OF | Pete Rose | Dave Henderson Bob Bescher Oscar Charleston | Edd Roush George Foster Charlie Hemphill Danny Hoffman |