GOODYEAR, Ariz.â€”With National League spotlights squarely on the starting rotations in Philadelphia and San Francisco, the one in Cincinnati could get overlooked.

That's not to say the Cincinnati Reds' rotation is being slighted. The Philadelphia Phillies' starting five is ridiculously deep and the San Francisco Giants' starters led them to a World Series last fallâ€”and both rotations had considerably better numbers than the Reds'.

Still, Cincinnati's isn't too shabby. And it's deep.

Righthanders Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez have secured their spots, leaving righthanders Homer Bailey and Mike Leake and lefthander Travis Wood to compete for the final two slots. Leake and Wood were impressive as rookies last season, but each seemed to hit a rookie wall that the Reds don't believe will exist this time around.

Outside of the 33-year-old Arroyo, the rest of the rotation is young. Cueto is 25, Volquez 27, Bailey 24, Leake 23 and Wood 24. In addition, the youngsters are mostly light on innings. Of the six rotation candidates, only Arroyo threw more than 200 innings last season.

That doesn't bother manager Dusty Baker, who said he enjoys coaching young players. And considering each of the Reds' 2011 rotation candidates finished with a winning record last season, age shouldn't matter.

"I'm impressed with what we have, these guys," Cueto said after the club's second day of pitcher-catcher workouts Thursday. "We have a lot of guys. We are young but we have some experience after going to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years."

Part of the reason for the team's new-found success was the rotation, which posted the franchise's lowest team ERA (4.01) since 1999. The 1,130 strikeouts was the third-highest total since 1997.

While those numbers don't cause eyes to pop when compared to rotations like the Phillies' and the Giants', the Reds' depth is strong. Outside of the previously mentioned starters, Cincinnati has options that might not be on the 25-man roster come April but who could be ready to contribute later in the season. Matt Maloney, Daryl Thompson and Sam LeCure are all close to major-league ready and are being groomed as starters who could be used this season.

"It's scouting, development, the minor league system," Baker said.