Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - Now, all they need is a name change, right?

The upstart Cincinnati Reds, having officially jettisoned the three-run homer approach in favor of youth, speed and defense, enter the 2009 season with more than a few observers likening them to the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays, of course, ditched the word "Devil" from their name heading into last year and went on to win a franchise-record 97 games en route to a stirring American League Championship Series win and an appearance in the World Series.

So, following that recipe, Dusty Baker and Co. will simply be going by the name "Cincinnati" this season and will no longer answer to the name "Reds".

Of course, any such nonsense would be welcome if it translated to success for the woebegone Ohio franchise, which has posted a winning record just four times since its last World Series crown in 1990 - and zero times since an 85- win run in 2000.

Baker enters his second season as manager and first under the regime of Walt Jocketty, the former St. Louis Cardinals boss who took over from Wayne Krivsky early last season after initially being hired as a special assistant to owner Bob Castellini.

Below we take a capsule look at the 2009 edition of the Cincinnati Reds, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2008 FINISH (74-88) - Fifth Place (NL Central)

KEY OFFSEASON ADDITIONS: P Micah Owings; OF Willy Taveras; P Arthur Rhodes; C Ramon Hernandez

KEY OFFSEASON SUBTRACTIONS: C Javier Valentin; C David Ross; OF Ryan Freel; OF Corey Patterson

PROJECTED LINEUP: Willy Taveras (CF); Jerry Hairston Jr. (LF); Joey Votto (1B); Brandon Phillips (2B); Jay Bruce (RF); Edwin Encarnacion (3B); Ramon Hernandez (C); Alex Gonzalez (SS)

PROJECTED ROTATION: Aaron Harang (RHP); Edinson Volquez (RHP); Bronson Arroyo (RHP); Johnny Cueto (RHP); Micah Owings (RHP)

PROJECTED CLOSER: Francisco Cordero (RHP)

MANAGER: Dusty Baker

INFIELD

Assuming Alex Gonzalez returns to health after missing all of 2008 with a left knee problem, the Reds are stable in the infield.

First baseman Joey Votto is back after a banner first season in the majors that saw him hit .297 with 27 home runs and 87 RBI and place second in the league's rookie of the year balloting. Defensively, he made 11 errors in 144 games.

At second base in Brandon Phillips, whose offensive production dipped noticeably from 30 home runs to 21 and from 94 RBI to 78. Still, he lashed 24 doubles and stole 23 bases in 33 attempts, while also making just seven errors in 140 games.

Gonzalez remains the biggest question mark at shortstop. He was held back from 100-percent participation at the outset of spring training, then tweaked a hamstring immediately upon going full speed.

Now 32, Gonzalez was a pleasant surprise in 2007 for the Reds, hitting .272 with 16 home runs and 55 RBI to go with a .975 fielding percentage.

Third baseman Edwin Encarnacion takes over in Dunn's absence as the team's biggest enigma. Still just 26, Encarnacion hit a career-best 26 home runs last season, but his average dropped from .289 to .251 and his error total jumped from 16 to 23.

Behind the plate, veteran Ramon Hernandez comes in via trade from Baltimore with a high-end defensive reputation and the ability to handle a young pitching staff. Any offense will be a luxury from the 32-year-old, who hit .257 with 15 homers and 65 RBI for the Orioles in 2008.

OUTFIELD

Gone are the days of Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn, replaced by what Baker and Jocketty expects to be a more dynamic - if not quite as prodigious - trio.

Assuming the starting role in center is speedy Willy Taveras, who signed with the Reds after five seasons in Houston and Colorado. The Dominican stole a career-high 68 bases in 75 attempts in 2008, though his .308 on-base percentage - down from .367 a year earlier - is a concern.

Alongside Taveras in right will be second-year man Jay Bruce, who lit up the National League during his initial month with the Reds before settling to a respectable 21 home runs and 52 RBI by season's end. Only 22 years as of April 3, Bruce played at least 10 games at each outfield position and made 11 errors overall.

A platoon system could be in order in left, featuring second-generation big leaguer Jerry Hairston Jr. and youngster Chris Dickerson.

Hairston played 80 games at six positions for the Reds in 2008, including an error-free 24 games in left. He batted .326 with six home runs and 36 RBI in 261 at-bats. Dickerson, meanwhile, appeared in 31 games in his first taste of the majors last season and hit .304 in 102 at-bats.

STARTING ROTATION

Workhorse right-hander Aaron Harang was the biggest disappointment of 2008 for the Reds, tailspinning from consecutive 16-win seasons to a woeful 6-17 slate and plummeting from 234 innings to 181. The four-time double-digit winner has shown flashes of his former form in the spring and will need to be healthy for the Reds to challenge.

Brought over in a trade that cost the Reds outfielder Josh Hamilton in return, right-hander Edinson Volquez was a season-long phenom en route to a 17-6 mark in his first full big-league season. Just 25 years old, Volquez struck out 206 batters and allowed just 167 hits in 196 innings of work.

Veteran righty Bronson Arroyo returned to past form in 2008, winning 15 games and posting a 4.77 ERA in 34 starts after sliding to 9-15 in 2007. A five-time double-digit winner, Arroyo has logged at least 200 innings in each of his three seasons with the Reds, making a team-high 103 starts over that stretch.

Right-hander Johnny Cueto, 23, was part standout, part aggravation in his rookie season, striking out 158 batters and allowing 178 hits in 174 innings, but managing just nine wins in 23 decisions over 31 starts. The Dominican was too often wild, walking 68 batters and hitting 14 more.

Right-hander Micah Owings will likely open the season in the No. 5 slot after a strong spring season, his first with the Reds after being acquired in the trade that sent Adam Dunn to Arizona. Owings is 14-17 with a 4.97 ERA in 257 1/3 big-league innings whole also wielding a dangerous bat - .319 average, five home runs and 21 RBI in 116 at-bats.

BULLPEN

Hard-throwing right-hander Francisco Cordero was efficient, albeit injured, in his first season with the Reds, saving 34 games in 72 appearances while posting a 3.33 ERA in 70 1/3 innings. The 33-year-old gave up six home runs and walked 38 batters.

Cordero is set up by a pair of 39-year-olds - holdover right-hander David Weathers and southpaw newcomer Arthur Rhodes. Weathers, who saved 33 games in 2007, was 4-6 with a 3.25 ERA in 72 appearances last season, while Rhodes, who signed as a free agent, was 4-1 with a 2.04 ERA over 61 appearances with Seattle and Florida in 2008.

Also providing innings in the relief will be right-handers Jared Burton, Mike Lincoln and Nick Masset and lefty Bill Bray. Former first-round pick Homer Bailey has been discussed as a bullpen option as well, assuming he's not inserted into the rotation as a starter.

BENCH

Catcher Ryan Hanigan backs up Hernandez, while the left-out Dickerson/Hairston platoon member and former Tampa Bay Ray Jonny Gomes are spare parts for the outfield. Jeff Keppinger may get more playing time at short if Gonzalez is hurt, though he's struggled mightily with the bat this spring. Also available for spot infield duty is lefty-swinging Laynce Nix.

OUTLOOK

Improved or not, it's a difficult road for the team formerly known as the Reds. Last year's division champion, the Chicago Cubs, are widely expected to contend for a World Series title, while the Central is also home to the 2008 NL wild card Milwaukee Brewers.

Aside from that, it's the Cardinals, Astros and Pirates in a race for respectability. Truth told, long-suffering fans in Cincinnati will likely term the season a success if the Reds are able to lead the second-tier pack and take third overall in the division.

It's not quite parade worthy, but, if the offense contributes at all, look for 82-85 wins.