Cincinnati Reds' manager Bryan Price sounds like a lost soul at the 2016 Winter Meetings
Bryan Price doesn’t sound like a manager who has a clear plan for the Cincinnati Reds’ roster in 2017.
Bryan Price made himself available to the press for the first time since the end of the season at the Winter Meetings outside Washington, D.C. He sounded like a defensive manager of a team doomed to failure. Without definitive answers, all the Reds’ players are left with is questions.
The most decisive comment Price made was that Dilson Herrera needs to be an everyday starter, if he is going to be in Cincinnati. Jose Peraza on the other hand just needs to play four times week wherever he can play. That means that two of the three of Zack Cozart, Brandon Phillips and Billy Hamilton need to be elsewhere for Herrera to be in Cincinnati before September.
Price was effusive towards Herrera. It is obvious that the Reds are excited about seeing Herrera’s power first hand over the course of an entire season. The Reds just need to figure out if had can sustain that power in the big leagues over the course of an entire MLB season.
Referencing competing in the 2018-2021 seasons, Price again returned to the duo of Herrera and Peraza. Despite not committing to either of them for 2017, the Reds seem hell-bent on letting everyone know that they are the future. They need to be the now.
The Cincinnati Reds have more issues on the pitching staff, where they have too many four inning starters.
The Reds transitioned starters Raisel Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen into the bullpen the second half of last year. Iglesias created so much value with his performance that he may move in a selling high scenario this off-season. Lorenzen for his part appears to have the inside track on the closer’s role.
Price, meanwhile, elected to focus on the work of Jumbo Diaz. Diaz has to prove himself in spring training to solidify his role on the team. In the current bullpen make up, Jumbo’s role is low leverage multi-inning reliever. Such stalwarts as Steve Delabar and Caleb Cotham had this role in 2016.
Price also spent a good amount of time talking about pitch selection. What is he getting at? The catching combination of Ramon Cabrera and Tucker Barnhart was young. The duo led a young pitching staff in adequately.
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Bryan Price won’t be able to lead a young, contending team into the playoffs. If the front office thinks that the team is close, they need to find a new manager, like Jim Riggleman. Until then, it will be fun to watch the kids get better.
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