Bryan Price Coming Back As Manager

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The Cincinnati Reds picked up the option on manager Bryan Price’s contract.  Price and his entire staff will be back for 2018.

“Management picking up the option is good for all of us. We talked about in in the summer. We’d like to see this through to the other side.”

The Reds have owned the cellar of the National League Central Division but it was widely known the team was in rebuilding mode, stocking young pitching arms and loading its farm system with top draft choices.  Cincinnati had the second pick in the draft the last two seasons. When they traded veterans, they got prospects, mostly pitching in return.

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“It’s great for the staff. The players have stayed together. The clubhouse is a good place. The work is outstanding.  The young guys have turned the corner in the rotation.  We have a good foundation to do a lot of really good things here.”

Price was one of the top pitching coaches when he arrived on Dusty Baker’s staff in 2010. Price coached a pitching staff of Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Homer Bailey and Bronson Arroyo.  When he took the manager’s job, Mack Jenkins, who coached the pitchers in the Reds minor league system became the Major League pitching coach.

‘More than anything, it’s seeing how these guys play and play together.  That’s a good sign of the sense of community that we have going on here.  The amount of work the guys on our staff does with these guys, is outstanding.  We are seeing the ability to take the young guys and stay with the program.  One of the things Dick Williams wanted from me is to stay the course in lock step for how we promote guys and utilize players.  This was definitely going to be a challenging step for the Reds in regards to managing the roster, trying to be competitive but also trying to let these guys get their footing in the big leagues.  That relationship between Dick and myself is really important.”

Price’s record isn’t great but greatness wasn’t expected in the building process.  The first three seasons under Price the Reds were, 76-86, 64-98, and 68-94.  On Labor Day the Reds are 58-79 with 25 games to go.  The Reds need to win 15 games to avoid its third straight 90-loss season.

“You should get what you earn.  Since, I’ve been the manager here we haven’t been real competitive. That shouldn’t put me on sound footing as the manager.  What is significant is from 2017 - 2018 we have to make improvements.  We will look and see the direction of the club.  One thing we do is play hard.  I don’t think I’m getting questioned a ton about managerial decisions, the bullpen issues, the lineups, etc.  The All-Star break 2015 the baseball community had me out of here.  I’m still here.  That’s a credit to the ownership and management to understand what we’re doing.  I think you get what you earn.  Until we make significant improvements, I’m exactly in the situation I should be in.”

Price knows that he has to produce results but isn’t disparate to do so.  He won’t change his focus but expects with improvement, he can turn the ship around.

“I’ve learned to take my own advice.  All the time I’ve preach to pitchers to work to control what you can control. I tell them, they can’t control where the ball’s hit, how much run support you get, whether the calls will go your way.  I have to take my own medicine.  I have to just do my job.  If I keep it or not, it is up to someone else.”

NOTES:

On Wandy Peralta

“Wandy was getting examined this morning.  I don’t have the results.”

On Jesse Winker

“Jesse has increased his work load. I don’t think we’re two or three days away.  It will be a bit longer. He has to do more agility, side to side work.  He has to run the bases a couple of times.  He is a couple days away from being cleared to do that.”