A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #23

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The Cincinnati Reds

The Reds were not supposed to be a legitimate contender last year, but the NL Central is such a weak division, that at one point towards the end of the season you couldn't count them out.

Ken Griffey, Jr., is obviously their most recognizable player, and he can mash, but only when he stays healthy, which he seems to have more than a little bit of trouble doing with any regularity.

However, the Reds have a true #1 starter in Aaron Harang, and one of the top rookies in all of baseball in Jay Bruce. Adam Dunn and Brandon Phillips also have some considerable talent. It's not enough to make the team a realistic contender for anything other than the Wild Card, but it is a start after seven losing seasons in a row.

Threat to the Yankees: Green, Proceed Normally

We do play the Reds three times this year, but on the whole they're unlikely to impact our place in the standings. Anyway, when was the last time Griffey stayed healthy through all 162?