Not any longer. As of now, Harang can't be considered to be anything but mediocre at best. No longer is he setting the pace. He's clearly fallen back to the pack.  And there is real, legitimate doubt as to whether the one-time Reds' ace will ever again be a go-to guy or an arm that a team can construct a staff around.

As recently as the start of the 2008 season, the 6-7 Harang was arguably one of the top five starters in the National League. Aaron was a workhorse who produced. Harang could pile up wins, eat innings and ring up strikeouts with the best of them. 

He was a gritty competitor who could beat you with his mind and his heart, not to mention his stuff. The Reds hadn't had such a consistent starter since the likes of Mario Soto and Tom Browning were toeing the slab. Harang turned out quality starts like they were routine. And the opposition might as well have phoned it in whenever the Reds staked him to a lead. Harang knew what it meant to be clutch.

But just when you thought Harang was a certainty to continue his run of excellence for the foreseeable future, the bottom fell out. Harang's descent from the penthouse to the ground floor was as speedy as it was surprising, shocking even. Almost overnight, the right-hander went from stud to struggling. No longer the dependable rock the Reds had come to count on, the 31-year old often looked shaky, unsure and lost. If Harang's confidence hadn't dissipated, his mastery over foes had. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Aaron had become imminently hittable and very beatable.

Over the last two years, Harang has been, by his own standards, abysmally sub-par. Twelve wins stacked up against 31 defeats must make Harang blanch. No one, least of all Reds' management, could have imagined such a drastic decline.

To be fair, Harang has had to deal with some arm related issues that probably impacted his effectiveness although nothing was considered to be major. And undergoing an appendectomy didn't help, costly him the final six weeks of '09.

But Harang's health woes were far from the whole story. The truth is that even before he was hurting, Harang was getting cuffed around with some regularity. And the question as to whether Harang was starting to pay the price for being such a workhorse was being actively discussed.

That line of reasoning seemed more than plausible. Aaron had logged some heavy innings over the years. In a sense, his arm had been through the wringer. It was more than logical to conclude that sheer attrition had set-in. That his right wing had worn down and was understandably fatigued. And there seemed substantial proof to support this theory. 

It was obvious to many that Harang had lost some juice off his pitches, particularly the hard stuff. That the pop the Red righty could once rely on was missing. Nor were the strikeouts coming with the same frequency. And no longer could he muscle up when required. The action on his ball simply wasn't as lively. 

Worse yet, and a telltale sign that he wasn't the same, Harang wasn't capable of holding onto leads. Once almost invincible when staked to a margin, Aaron struggled to keep any advantage when presented to him. Once a shutdown guy, Harang was having serious difficulty staying in front. 

And so is it any wonder that as the new season dawns, the questions about Harang are huge if not downright monumental. Is there any way possible he can recapture his former glories and be an ace again? Is it possible for him to retrieve some of the getty-up his pitches once possessed? Or is he a spent warrior who's strictly living on borrowed time? Harang's resurgence or lack thereof will be one of the most compelling stories surrounding the Reds as they prepare to break camp.

There's no disputing that this is a crossroads year for Harang as it relates to his Cincy career. His multi-year deal is winding down and only a strong rebound from the past two disastrous campaigns will keep him in a Reds' uniform. No way Harang stays around if he strings together three straight clunkers. Cincinnati will have seen the last of Harang if he doesn't do something significant to revive his flagging career.

Thus far, Harang's efforts in spring training aren't giving many clues as to how things will shake out. He's been adequate at times but he's been rocked at others. It's dangerous to place much stock in what happens in March but everything surrounding Harang these days is being closely scrutinized. It's obvious he's under a microscope. So no matter how you slice it, given his recent history, seeing Harang getting racked at any time doesn't inspire lots of confidence for a potential revival.

But there's one thing about Harang you can't dismiss or overlook. He's a fighter. He'll battle you for as long as it takes. Lord knows he wants the ball and the chance to do something with it. But, on top of everything else, he'll never quit. As with the countless hitters he's faced, Aaron doesn't plan on giving in.

So when he takes to the mound this upcoming April 5th versus the St. Louis Cardinals, many in Cincinnati will be watching with extreme interest. It will be Harang's fifth go-around as the Reds' Opening Day starter. Whether he makes it a day to remember and begins his climb back to elite status or continues his downward spiral will be fascinating to watch.

There's no two ways about it. This is a make-or-break year for the big right-hander. His tenure as a Red hangs in the balance. If he can't be a reasonable facsimile of what he was, then his time in Cincy is just about done. 

Here's hoping Harang still has something left. He deserves to leave the Queen City, whenever that may be, as a winner.