Redsfest notes: Homer Bailey targets mid-May for game action

Homer Bailey's throwing program ended on Thanksgiving, and now he's starting his regular offseason program of working out. The Reds' right-hander hopes to be ready for spring training in February and then return to game action in mid-May, a year after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

"Right now it doesn't feel like anything's wrong at all, like nothing's happened," Bailey said Friday at Redsfest. "It just feels natural. I don't think about it. There's no aches."

Bailey said he was throwing 180 feet to complete his program, and now he'll move to normal workouts before throwing again in January. At that point, he'll come into spring training having already thrown off a mound. He expects to be ready for spring training. However, the progression to get ready for the season will be a little slower than usual.

"I'll be ready just like I normally would, but post-surgery your mound progressions are so much longer," Bailey said. "When guys are going two innings, three innings, four innings, I might have to go one-one, two-two, three-three, four-four. That's probably going to be the biggest reason I'm behind."

Bailey is being counted on to be the veteran presence on a team with a young pitching staff, as well as pitch effectively when he returns.

Bailey's not the only one returning from injury and expecting to report with pitchers and catchers fully healthy on Feb. 18. Catcher Devin Mesoraco said he doesn't expect any problems stemming from his June hip surgery.

Mesoraco has begun hitting and throwing and has also caught pitchers, but won't fully start catching drills until January.

"I'm working out as a normal offseason, to be honest," Mesoraco said on Friday. "I have more hip exercises incorporated in, but everything else is normal."

Mesoraco has been "squatting plenty," he noted, but hasn't done blocking drills or throwing to bases.

"I've done a lot squatting, squatting with weights — all sorts of things," he said. "It feels fine."

HAMILTON STILL SWITCH HITTING: Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton said he had approached the Reds about giving up switch-hitting during the season, but the organization told him to stick with it. And that hasn't changed this offseason.

"It's something we looked into, they want me to stick with it, so I'm going to stick with it as long as I can," Hamilton said. "It was decided during the season. I was at a point where I wanted to stop doing it, but they said they think I can do."

Hamilton has hit .253/.284/.370 as a right-handed batter and .239/.289/.316 as a left-handed hitter.

Hamilton had shoulder surgery after the season, but is progressing. He was cleared on Friday to start baseball activities except throwing. He will begin throwing in January.

Hamilton will finish his rehab in Cincinnati, staying here until he leaves for Goodyear in February.

"I'll do baseball stuff in the morning and do therapy and workouts after," Hamilton said. "It's my first time in Cincy in the offseason, so I'm looking forward to it."

Hamilton had planned on working with Rod Carew this offseason, but the Hall of Famer suffered a heart attack in September. He will work with Reds third base coach Billy Hatcher and others while in Cincinnati, he said.

VOTTO MVP: Joey Votto was named the Reds' Most Valuable Player, Aroldis Chapman was the team's Most Outstanding pitcher and Todd Frazier won the Good Guy Award.

Right-hander Tyler Mahle, who was 13-8 with a 2.43 ERA at low Class-A Dayton, won the Chief Bender Award as the team's top minor-league player. Outfielder Jesse Winker was the team's Hitter of the Year, and left-hander Amir Garrett was the Pitcher of the Year. Infielder Avain Rachal won the Affiliate Outreach Award.

Votto also won the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame's Tip O'Neill Award as the top Canadian player in baseball. It is the fifth time in the last six years that Votto has won or shared the award.