MLB: It's Prime Time, Again.

By Chrys Kefalas CPKSports Editor-in-Chief

A 5-1 road trip moves the Cincinnati Reds within a half a game of first place. Starting pitcher Osvaldo Hernandez is 4-1, Danny Graves hasn’t allowed an earn run while saving eight games, and shortstop Barry Larkin finds himself with a .354 batting average as the month of April ends.

Amen.

It’s a nice start for new manager Bob Boone and his Cincinnati Reds, even without any production for centerfielder Ken Griffey Jr. Griffey’s aggravated hamstring injury continues to limit his playing time. He has no hits in 12 at bats this season. After careful consideration the Reds announced on Monday that Griffey will join the disabled list, retroactive to May 14, and the team will promote Deion Sanders from Triple- A Louisville.

It’s official; let’s welcome back the preacher.

Sing Halleluiah! General Manager Jim Bowden gave him another chance to play baseball.

Praise the Lord! The 33-year-old outfielder responded hitting .459 and posting a 13 game hitting streak.

It’s a resurrection! The potential Hall of Fame NFL cornerback returns to Major League Baseball four years since he last faced major-league pitching and 10 months since he abandoned his last comeback attempt with a .200 Triple-A batting average. In 1997 for Cincinnati, Sanders batted .273 with 5 homeruns, 23 runs batted in, and 56 stolen bases. No one disputes his blazing speed but routinely Sanders has swung at too many bad pitches and allowed his larger than life off-field multi-faceted persona to overshadow a rather mediocre baseball career.

At least for the moment, Sanders shows a rededication to baseball, only superceded by his commitment to God, that has tamed his wild swing and guides him towards what might actually be a baseball performance worthy of prime time.

He has 31 hits in 17 games, and leads the International League in triples (five), on-base percentage (.494), and slugging percentage (.689). In addition, he’s shown surprising patience at the plate and an inclination to take pitches the other way, using the entire field, and an adaptation of his offensive style so that he unites his superlative speed with his bat. It’s heavenly.

“He’s letting it happen, not trying to force things to happen. He gets a good pitch to hit and he’s been putting a pretty good swing on it,” said Triple- A hitting coach and former Major leaguer Brook Jacoby.

Importantly, Sanders is healthy in both mind and body. Challenges that hampered his baseball success in previous years don’t exist. “I’ve got the peace of God in my life,” he says. “I don’t have any contract issues or any distractions in my life ... And I’m just hitting the ball where it’s pitched.”

Despite his recent success, though, significant playing time isn’t assured. The Reds’ existing outfielders — Alex Ochoa (.318, 10 RBI), Ruben Rivera (.327), Michael Tucker (.324, 10 RBI) and Dmitri Young (.278, 15 RBI) — all have contributed to the team's early season success.

Sources close to the organization note: the Reds are actively pursuing a trade that would help open some space in the crowded Cincinnati outfield, most talk involving Dmitri Young or Alex Ochoa.

In the end, it seems like Sanders will emerge as more than just a fourth or fifth outfielder. His sizzling start has forced the issue and the way things are coming together for the preacher, can one stand in the way of the divine?

Serious about baseball, the born-again flash is back.

Article provided courtesy of CPKSports