Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings February 18, 2016 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1944-The Reds sign 15-year-old Hamilton High School student, Joe Nuxhall, one day after he plays in a high school basketball game MLB.COM 3 questions Reds aim to answer this spring By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | February 17th, 2016 + 46 COMMENTS GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The offseason was certainly a unique one to watch for Reds fans. It's not typical in recent history for the club to trade two popular All-Stars for Minor Leaguers while rumors consistently swirled about other prominent players who might have been moved and weren't. Well, this Reds' offseason will soon have one thing in common with the other clubs -- it will finally be over. On Thursday, Cincinnati's pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. With the arrival of camp, the page will really be turned past departed stars Todd Frazier and Aroldis Chapman. The shroud of mystery about several of the new players on the team will quickly give way to more familiarity as they assimilate with those who return as part of a team in transition. Any rebuilding team will certainly open a Spring Training with a lot of questions. Here are three of the bigger ones facing the Reds as they are set to open another camp: 1. Who will be on the pitching staff? As covered in Part 4, the Reds have Anthony DeSclafani and Raisel Iglesias locked in to lead a young rotation, with veteran Homer Bailey set to rejoin it in May following the completion of elbow surgery rehab. That leaves three open spots with a wide-open competition that could feature up to nine pitchers. The bullpen is an even more fluid situation with no roles decided. J.J. Hoover is the favorite to move from the eighth inning and replace Chapman as closer, but getting between a starter and Hoover will be especially key this year, as young pitchers are prone to racking up high pitch counts earlier in their outings. 2. Can Billy Hamilton find his swing? Hamilton struggled as a leadoff hitter early last season, and then struggled even more after being moved down to the ninth spot in May. While his speed and quality of defense is undisputed, this will be a pivotal year for Hamilton to prove that he can hit consistently and get on base in the Major Leagues. As if that weren't enough to deal with, he will also be trying to come back from arthroscopic surgery that he had on his right throwing shoulder in late September. 3. Can other key veterans return to 100 percent? Catcher Devin Mesoraco was limited to nine starts behind the plate because of a left hip injury that required surgery to repair a torn labrum. Shortstop Zack Cozart's 2015 season ended in June after he required reconstructive right knee surgery. With Frazier's 35- homer output missing, the contributions of both players are required for the Reds' lineup to be competitive. Both reported having strong offseason rehabs and expect to be ready for the start of camp, but exhibition games will provide the best test. Add in Bailey trying to come back from his second major arm surgery in less than a year, and Hamilton's shoulder, and the medical staff will have plenty to monitor in Goodyear. Even on the mend, Bailey essential to Reds Right-hander lends veteran presence to Cincinnati's young pitching staff By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | February 17th, 2016 + 15 COMMENTS GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The one veteran expected to be in the Reds' rotation for 2016 is Homer Bailey, and the team will be counting on his presence. But the right-hander will be on a different program than his fellow pitchers. Bailey, who is rehabilitating from Tommy John surgery, isn't slated to return until early-to-mid May. One of several early arrivals to Spring Training ahead of Thursday's official report date for Reds pitchers and catchers, Bailey already has had two bullpen sessions at home in Texas. His first time working from the mound in Arizona is scheduled for Friday. "The best way I can explain, like I've been saying, is I feel normal," Bailey said on Wednesday. "I don't know that anything ever happened, which is kind of frustrating, because I know my mound progressions will be so much slower. My body and mind says, 'Hey, I can go.' But it's part of coming back from surgery." Bailey, 29, made one Minor League rehab start and two Major League starts last season before he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. That came after he had just finished rehab from flexor tendon surgery that repaired a tear in 2014. "After you've watched a bunch of games for a year straight, it's, 'I want to play.' It's kind of like the kid being in timeout," Bailey said. "You're sitting there, staring at the wall, and everyone else is playing. You want to go to recess." There's not a date yet for when Bailey might pitch in an exhibition game. But he vowed that he wouldn't rush back and risk re- injuring himself. "That's not going to happen," he said. With 168 career starts in the Majors for the Reds since 2007, Bailey isn't just the longest-tenured member of the rotation. He has nearly five times the number of starts than the pitcher with the second-most starts in Anthony DeSclafani (36), a rookie last season. The rest of the rotation -- and much of the pitching staff in general -- are young pitchers and prospects. Bailey, once a high-profile rookie prospect himself and former first-round pick in the 2004 Draft, was ready to embrace the leadership role. "It could be a lot of fun," said Bailey, who is 58-51 lifetime with a 4.19 ERA. "Seeing the young guys we have, there is a lot of talent here, so that's a plus. But there's not a lot of experience. I feel like it's something I can bring a little bit of." In January, the Reds held a "pitching summit" at the team complex and invited only their young pitchers and prospects that either have pitched in the Majors in the past or could pitch at the highest level this season. Even though he didn't have to go, Bailey made it a point to attend. While manager Bryan Price led the summit with his pitching coaches, Bailey led or spoke at a few of the meetings with the pitchers. "When you hear things coming from other players and you know they have already done it, it kind of half validates it," Bailey said. "Hearing something from your parents vs. hearing it from an older brother is a totally different thing." Royal return! KC among 11 reporting today By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com | @castrovince | 12:00 AM ET + 1 COMMENT This pitchers and catchers thing is catching on. A day after Spring Training sprung open at eight camps in Florida and Arizona, 11 more teams -- including the defending champion Kansas City Royals -- are ready to get 2016 started by officially reporting for duty Thursday. Though the usual caveat that a ton of players were early arrivals at the various spring sites applies, pitchers and catchers for the Royals, Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Nationals, Reds, Tigers, Rangers, Astros, Padres and Angels will formally check in, with first workouts soon to follow. That's 11 more fan bases rightly fired up about the dawn of a new season. It's part of what makes baseball so great -- the mere practice of guys showing up for work sets off those warm and fuzzy feelings, especially in places where the winter winds are howling. The Royals are still glowing from a World Series triumph 30 years in the making. And if they needed additional incentive to show up hungry to repeat, they got it earlier this week when PECOTA once again pegged them for a win total in the 70s, good enough for dead last in the American League Central. For the Royals to enjoy another round of projection rejection, they'll need their relief situation to be as strong as ever. A familiar face -- erstwhile closer Joakim Soria -- will arrive in Surprise, Ariz., intent on keeping that bullish bullpen running smooth. Kansas City will also welcome Ian Kennedy, its surprise $70 million man. But the guy with the most on the line in camp might be lefty Danny Duffy, who is trying to nail down a rotation spot. As for the other 10 on tap, well, they're trying to get to where the Royals got in 2015. In the spirit of the occasion, here's a rundown of each of their prime pitcher/catcher storyline as spring dawns. Yankees (Tampa, Fla.): Who will round out the rotation? CC Sabathia or Ivan Nova? There was a time when the question would have sounded silly, but Sabathia has pitched through knee troubles and endured the effects of all those awesome innings he once delivered. We'll see what the big man has left in the tank in 2016. Red Sox (Fort Myers, Fla.): What's the post-David Price pecking order? There's no doubt Price arrives as a central figure on this squad, but who will step up as a worthy No. 2? The enigmatic Clay Buchholz? The bounceback candidate Rick Porcello? The streaky Joe Kelly? Or how about Eduardo Rodriguez, the young lefty who will certainly benefit from Price's guidance? Nationals (Viera, Fla.): Can Stephen Strasburg get through camp healthy? He sustained an ankle injury last spring that got his year off to a rocky start from a mechanical standpoint, and that caused subsequent issues with his back.