3 Reds position battles that will be impacted greatly by abbreviated spring training

Not every spot on the Cincinnati Reds roster is a sure thing. Several positions will be up for grabs during spring training once the owners and the Players' Association have a new collective bargaining agreement in place.

Joey Votto and Jonathan India are sure to be in the starting lineup on Opening Day. Jesse Winker, if fully recovered from his intercostal injury, will be the Reds starting left fielder once the season gets underway. But there are other spots in the starting lineup that aren't as clear cut.

1. The position battle for the Reds starting shortstop.

We've discussed this ad nauseam, but it's likely to be the most hotly contested position battle during spring training. No matter which side of the argument you come down on, every Reds fan will have their eyes fixed on the battle for the starting shortstop position between Kyle Farmer and the Jose Barrero.

Most fans would assume that the delayed start to spring training would favor the incumbent Farmer, but I'm not completely sold on that theory. Yes, you would assume that Farmer's performance last season gives the former Los Angeles Dodgers' catching prospect a leg up on Barrero, but it's not as if the Cuban infielder was inactive all of last season.

Barrero dominated the competition at Double-A Chattanooga last season and was quickly promoted to Triple-A Louisville where he was even better. In all, Barrero hit .303/.380/.539 in the minors last season. Farmer, at the big league level, played fine defense for the Redlegs, but outside of one fantastic month at the plate, he posted rather pedestrian numbers.

Whether Farmer or Barrero hit the cover off the ball in spring training is irrelevant. It's good to see, but that's not the only determining factor when it comes to deciding who'll line up at shortstop on Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds.

The delay to spring training probably favors Kyle Farmer, but Jose Barrero put in enough reps during his time in the minor leagues last season that the postponement of games won't adversely affect the 23-year-old too much. This will be the position battle to watch during spring training this year.