It’s not as easy as some would believe.
On April 19th, 2018, the Cincinnati Reds fired manager Bryan Price after an abysmal 3-15 start to the season. Price, whose record was 279-387, was in his 5th season. Price significantly underperformed compared to his predecessor, Dusty Baker. Price never finished with a winning record, while Dusty, had a record of 509-463 with the club over 6 seasons, including 2 National League Central Division titles and 3 playoff births. Dusty’s main flaw was the lack of success in the postseason having not winning a postseason series.
October 21,2018, Cincinnati hired David Bell, whos previous title was vice president of player development for the San Francisco Giants, as manager. Bell, has his roots deep in the city. His grandfather, father, and brother all played for the organization and his father also served as Vice President and a Senior Advisor until July, 2023 upon his resignation. The Reds have their new manager and are hoping to get back on the path they followed with Dusty Baker as their manager. In 2019, Bell’s first season as manager, the club would go 75-87. The 2019 Reds were an exciting team at times, but were very inconsistent. The team would acquire Trevor Bauer from Cleveland on July 30,2019 adding to their already budding rotation.
2020 was an anomaly. That offseason saw the acquisition of outfielder Nick Castellanos, infielder Mike Moustakas, and the first Japanese born player in team history, Shogo Akiyama. The Covid-19 pandemic would shorten the season to 60 games and add an additional wild card to the playoff bracket, which would benefit Cincinnati. The Reds would finish the shortened season with a record of 31-29, finishing 3rd in the NL Central, but qualifying for a wild card spot. The first playoff appearance under David Bell and first since 2013. Pitching was dominated by the team’s big 3 and capped off by Trevor Bauer winning the team’s 1st ever Cy Young award. The offense was non existent in the post season, as the Braves would sweep the 3 game series, shutting out the offense in both games.
2021 looked like the year the team would take the leap and make a playoff run. 2021 saw the re-emergence of power in Joey Votto, as Votto and Castellanos went back and forth as team leader in home runs and RBI’s. We also saw a glimpse into the future with former 1st round pick Jonathan India winning Rookie of the Year. Luis Castillo, Wade Miley and Tyler Mahle would pitch well for the team all having ERA’s below four. Even though the team finished with a winning record, 83-79, the team would miss the post season.
2022 was not a good season, putting it mildly. The team would finish with 100 loses for 2nd time in team history, finishing 62-100. 2022 was all about rebuilding and establishing culture. Nick Castellanos would leave the team in free agency, landing in Philadelphia. Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker would be traded to Seattle for Jake Fraley, Justin Dunn, Brandon Williamson and what would turn into pitching prospect Connor Phillips. Pitcher Sonny Gray would be traded to Minnesota for the team’s 2021 first round pick Chase Petty. Tyler Mahle would be dealt to Minnesota as well for prospects Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Stevan Hajjar. The final deal would send star pitcher Luis Castillo to Seattle for 3 of their top 5 prospects, headlined by number one prospect Noelvi Marte. Number 3 prospect Edwin Arroyo, number 5 prospect Levi Stoudt, and Matt Moore rounded out the blockbuster trade, as the team was being officially rebuilt.
2023 was one of the most exciting seasons Reds fans have seen in quite some time. Coming off a massive overhaul in the roster, it looked like everything Nick Krall touched turned to gold. 2021 first round pick, Matt McLain, debuted and became an instant impact. McLain would begin his career with a batting average of .361 and an on base percentage of .426. On June 6th, the baseball world was introduced to future superstar Elly De La Cruz. Elly would come out of the gates strong, batting .307, slugging .523 and crushing 3 home runs. The team would go on to have its longest winning streak since 1957 at 12 straight games. Unfortunately, injuries to the starting pitching staff and an over used bullpen would spell doom as the team would finish 3rd in the division and miss the playoffs with a record of 82-80.
Now 2024, this season is not going as planned. Injuries have plagued the club as currently the team has 9 players on the IL, headlined by Matt McLain, Nick Lodolo, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Noelvi Marte was suspended in March for 80 games after testing positive for PED’s. The Reds currently sit at 20-29, last in the division and 4 and 15 in May.
Is David Bell to blame? In my opinion, no, but it’s complicated. The manager isn’t the one going out to bat and not perform to their standards, but he is responsible for who’s on the lineup card every day. 2024 is Bell’s sixth season as manager and success hasn’t been there. His 352-403 record isn’t impressive, but Bell is well liked by his players and by his peers and he was awarded a 3 year contract extension in 2023 that shows that the front office trusts what Bell is doing with the club.
If you are going to move on from a manager, you better hope you have a better replacement available and I don’t see that as the case. David Bell is the right choice for manager for this young Cincinnati Reds team. The future is very bright in the Queen City.
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Photo Credit; Blog Red Machine
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