The Reds have fired manager Bryan Price, who basically everyone in the game knew was going to be the first managed fired in 2018. Cincinnati is just 3-15, so they’ve been awful, but they also weren’t exactly lighting up the standings in 2017, or in 2016, or in 2015: they finished in last place, racking up at least 94 losses, in each of those campaigns. All of them under Price. His top finish as manager was in 2014, when the Reds finished in fourth place with 76 wins.
The Reds fired their manager 3 weeks into 2018 instead of in like, November
Thursday’s Say Hey, Baseball is wondering what the Reds are thinking.
David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
Now, it’s not that Price alone is responsible for those seasons: the Reds have been dismantling their roster for a few years now in an extended rebuild that took its time getting to the “build” part of that word. And, based on their start to this year, where they’ve already been outscored by 46 runs in 18 games, they’re still working on it.
Not all of the young players have developed, but there are more on the way. The rotation is almost always a mess, either through injuries or underperforming, and Joey Votto is just one man, even if he’s one of the best around. This isn’t all Price’s fault, but he also hasn’t done anything that suggests he should be the guy running the team the next time they’re competitive, either.
None of this is new information, though, which is what makes firing him in mid-April so weird. Why didn’t the Reds front office relieve Price of his duties back in October or November following another awful season? They could have spent their late-fall interviewing candidates, recalibrating their expectations and plans for the team, putting together a new coaching staff, and then used spring training to familiarize the players with their new manager.
Instead, the Reds got rid of Price after all of that was no longer an option, and then promoted bench coach Jim Riggleman, who was last seen resigning from the Nationals midseason in 2011, who has three winning seasons out of 12 in his career, to interim manage in Price’s place. The Reds surely have some kind of plan in place to turn things around, it’s just unclear if it’s a good one.
- MLB caused a ton of damage to Puerto Rico’s baseball development by making the island’s players part of the MLB draft, but recognition of that plus the rise of players like Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa are starting to undo all of that.
- There was a hidden ball trick in the minors on Tuesday, and it was hidden so well I didn’t find out until after Wednesday’s newsletter was sent out.
- Fernando Tatis had the greatest half-inning in MLB history, and it’s going to be difficult, if not impossible, to ever top it.
- Russell Carleton talked advanced baseball with his Russian brother-in-law, who did not know basic baseball, and wrote all about it.
- Francisco Lindor felt the need to apologize for the homer he hit in Puerto Rico on Tuesday, but you shouldn’t be upset at the Twins, who never complained about it. Instead, be upset at the system as a whole that forced an overjoyed player to preemptively apologize, just in case, for showing emotion.
- The Twins had their own impressive showing from their Puerto Rican players on Wednesday to secure a win against Cleveland in extras in San Juan.
- While Puerto Rico was able to host a pair of MLB games eight months after Hurricane Maria, it’s worth acknowledging that they’re nowhere close to being back to normal yet: an island-wide blackout hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday, causing the MLB game to be powered by generators.
- Freddie Freeman was hit in the wrist, the one he had previously injured in his career, but the Braves are “optimistic” he’s not facing another major injury.
- It’s the A’s 50th anniversary, so Athletics Nation makes the case for letting Rickey Henderson play baseball again in 2018.
- Michael Wacha has struggled to open the 2018 season, so Viva El Birdos tries to figure out if the Cardinals should be concerned.
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