Three Qualities the Next Cincinnati Reds Manager Must Have

Cincinnati Reds fire manager David BellThey’re starting their offseason to-do list early.

There are three qualities the next manager must have:

Responsibility

This might seem like a “no” idea, but it really seemed to be missing from the Reds clubhouse in 2024. Bell was known as a player manager. Another way to describe this type of manager is “hands off.” Do the Reds need a micromanager? No. But they need someone to point out flaws and help coach the player in a different direction if what he’s doing isn’t working. It seems like most of Bell’s messages were along the lines of “keep working on it, it will be fixed.” At least that’s what he said in press conferences. The Reds need a new voice to address the persistent problems with on-field performance.

Transparency

Baseball fans have more information at their fingertips than ever before. There are many ways to consume a game and many angles from which to view it. The average fan may be a much smarter fan than they were last year. The next manager needs to understand this and not try to feed us narratives that ignore the questions surrounding a player/game/performance. Basically, cut out the rudeness and be realistic with the fan base.

adaptability

I mentioned this on the accountability point, but I felt like there were certain philosophies and certain strategies that the Reds implemented and never changed. The baserunning philosophy was dismantled by good teams, but the Reds kept trying. Contact play got them into more trouble than it got them out of. Bell’s response to most of this was: “This is who we are and this is what we do.” There is talent on this team, but for the most part it felt like they were left to their own devices. The Brewers, Royals, Tigers, and Guardians are all midwestern teams in smaller markets that seemingly have much better teams than the Reds. They may be close in terms of ability, but how that ability is used is where the big differences lie.

Ultimately, I felt like Bell wasn’t going to get the best out of the players on this team. That cannot be the ultimate sentiment for the next manager.

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