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Junior Achievement: As Ken Griffey Jr. prepares to return, the upstart Reds, with a trio of young outfielders, are holding their own The plan is for Griffey to return to the lineup full time instead of easing back in as a pinch hitter or spot starter. There's no reason to rush him, because Cincinnati is not the same team that blanched when he went down six games into the season. The 11-time All-Star is in the unaccustomed position of needing a lineup more than it needs him. At week's end the Reds, who had been picked by most observers to be at or near the bottom of their division, were 21-15, 2 1/2 games up on the equally surprising second-place Pittsburgh Pirates. In Griffey's absence a kiddie-corps outfield -- Austin Kearns, 22, in right; Juan Encarnacion, 26, in center; and Adam Dunn, 22, in left -- has been the most productive in the league. The Reds have also developed a harmonious clubhouse atmosphere. "We have one of the best bullpens in the league, we have depth, we have the enthusiasm of a lot of young guys, and we have the best team chemistry I've seen here," says general manager Jim Bowden. "When Junior returns, he'll make us even better." Not according to some Cincinnati fans. Last week TV station WKRC created the latest tempest in the stormy 29 months since Griffey's trade from the Seattle Mariners to his hometown team. The station conducted a call-in poll in which 74% of the 800 voters said that Griffey, and not one of his replacements, should be the one to sit when he comes off the DL. Dunn received 12% of the vote, and Encarnacion and Kearns 7% each. Griffey lashed out at the respondents: "I came here to play baseball. I took less money. I didn't whine or anything. And this is the thanks I get?" Though he made conciliatory statements a few days later, he had fueled the fire. -- Stephen Cannella Issue date: May 20, 2002 Photograph by Ronald C. Modra
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