SARASOTA, Fla. -- The home run has supposedly been the Reds' big weapon in recent seasons, but it's been about as successful for them in the standings as a pea shooter doing battle against a Sherman tank.

In the past eight years, Cincinnati has had an average finish of fourth in the Majors in home runs and an average total of 194 homers per season. Guess how many winning seasons the Reds have had in that span?

None. Zip. Nada. Zero.

To improve the bottom line, the Reds are seeking a new direction that's about as drastic a change for them as it was for music lovers to ditch CD players for iPods. As they planned their offseason, general manager Walt Jocketty and manager Dusty Baker believed their club had a need for speed.

Baker is planning on having his team run much more this season, and he hopes using that aggressiveness will create more scoring opportunities.

"No. 1, you manage to your personnel. The personnel we have has more speed," Baker said. "Plus, nine years of losing the other way, you have to try something. Don't you think?"

Also, part of the revised focus is better pitching and defense -- both weaknesses in the past. Reds pitching staffs have routinely been around the National League's bottom in team ERA the past eight years. Last season's defense was second from the bottom in the NL.

On the first day of camp this spring, Baker told his players he wanted to be the best fundamental team in the Majors, which would be quite a change in Cincinnati.

"We'll try to concentrate on making, hopefully, the [fewest] physical and mental mistakes and errors around," Baker said.

"I think complete teams win."

-- Reds outfielder Jay Bruce

When Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. were traded last summer, the Reds didn't bring in any power hitters as replacements. Instead, speedy leadoff hitter Willy Taveras was signed as a free agent. Jerry Hairston Jr., who swiped 15 bases in 2008, was re-signed after he hit the open market and will compete for the vacant left-field spot. Both will join Brandon Phillips, who stole 32 bases in '07 and 23 bags last season, and five-tool player Jay Bruce. Another left-field candidate, Chris Dickerson, is one of the organization's fastest players.

It all starts at the top of the order with Taveras, who stole a Major League-leading 68 bases for the Rockies last season. He will be expected to improve his on-base percentage while bunting more and beating the ball on the ground to create havoc for opposing infields.

"If you don't have much power but you can have a fast game, you should win some games," said Taveras, who signed a two-year, $6.25 million contract. "If you can't hit home runs, guys can still drive you in. Especially a guy like me."

It's clear that waiting for the three-run homer and 12-11 final score won't be en vogue at Great American Ball Park. The players have bought into the strategy.

"I think complete teams win," Bruce said. "The three-run homer is nice, but there are plenty of other ways to score runs. We can score runs in all of those ways. We can manufacture runs. We can get them on and get them in."

However, it's not like anyone was offered a choice.

"It doesn't really matter if they like it or not," Baker said. "You hope they like it, as a manager. If they don't, guess what?"

The core of Cincinnati's rotation was left alone in the offseason, as Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo and young phenoms Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto form the top four. The fifth spot features a competition between young players such as Micah Owings and Homer Bailey that offers the prospect of a deep staff.

Defensively, shortstop Alex Gonzalez is back after missing all of 2008 with a fractured left knee. Gonzalez is one of the best defensive players in the league at his position. Besides reuniting Gonzalez with Phillips, Jocketty wanted to be stronger up the middle and hopes he found the right players by adding Taveras in center field and trading for catcher Ramon Hernandez. The expectation is that pitchers will be under less pressure with better defense backing them up.

There is a recent precedent of teams going far without always hitting the ball far. The Red Sox and Rockies, who faced off in the 2007 World Series, were both ranked in the middle of the pack in homers, but both were ranked in the top five in runs scored. Being well rounded clearly has its perks.

Of course, the Reds aren't entirely abandoning the homer -- even without Dunn and his perennial 40 homers. With Joey Votto, Edwin Encarnacion, Bruce, Phillips, Hernandez, Gonzalez and possibly Jonny Gomes and Jacque Jones, there will be several players capable of hitting at least 20 homers.

"We don't have the one guy that will hit 40 home runs, but enough guys to hit for power," Jocketty said. "In our ballpark, it makes it a little easier. But you have to find other ways to win in your ballpark."

Do that, and the change the Reds are trying to undertake this season would really be refreshing.