CINCINNATI — It was an offseason full of change for the Cincinnati Reds, and nowhere will that be more apparent to fans on Opening Day than in the dugout and the coaches’ box.
The Reds have a new manager and 10 new coaches at the major-league level. The new staff is young, energetic, and innovative. The club now has a major-league analyst, a game-planning coach, and even an integrated-movement specialist.
It’s a new era under first-year manager David Bell, a new-age skipper who embraces analytics and leaves no stone unturned to find an edge.
"These guys had choices and they chose to be here,” Bell said of his coaching staff. “It's a good group. A lot of different backgrounds, different experiences. You want different personalities. You want to make it as well-rounded as possible."
To help you get to know them better, here are nine things to know about the revamped Reds coaching staff:
1. He played the game: David Bell
Most fans are aware that David Bell is the son of former Reds third baseman and current front office executive Buddy Bell and the grandson of Reds Hall of Famer Gus Bell. But David was a pretty good player in his own right. He played 12 seasons and more than 1,400 games, batting .257 with more than 1,200 hits for six different teams. In the 2002 World Series for the Giants, Bell batted .304 with one home run, four RBIs and five walks while playing in all seven games of the series. The Giants won 95 games that season under former Reds manager Dusty Baker and Bell was named the team’s "Most Inspirational Player."
2. He’s on Amazon: Derek Johnson
During his three seasons as pitching coach in Milwaukee, Derek Johnson helped the Brewers post a 3.94 ERA, the fourth-best ERA in the National League during that span. Last season under his tutelage, the Brewers set franchise records for strikeouts and lowest opponent’s batting average. But did you know the new Reds pitching coach also is a published author? In 2012, Johnson wrote "The Complete Guide to Pitching," which Book Authority ranked among the eight best pitching eBooks. The 272 pages cover everything from mechanics to strength training to situational strategy.
3. YouTube star: Turner Ward
Turner Ward took over as Reds hitting coach this season after helping the Dodgers increase their run production each year en route to three NL West titles and a pair of World Series appearances. Ward played 12 seasons in the major leagues, but perhaps the highlight of his career came in 1998 with the Pirates when he made a running catch of Mike Piazza’s fly ball before crashing through the outfield wall. Yes, through the wall. The YouTube video of Ward’s catch has more than 250,000 views, and counting. “No matter where I go, people recognize me more for what I did on that play than anything I did in my career,” Ward said in 2008. “And that’s fine with me.”
4. Book smart: Jeff Pickler
The Reds are being innovative this season, and a good example of this is the hiring of Jeff Pickler as an outfield and game-planning coach. Pickler spent the past 12 years working in scouting, player development and game strategy with an extensive background in analytics. While playing at the University of Tennessee, Pickler won Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and was a first-team All-American. He also was named Scholar Athlete of the Year in 1998 before graduating magna cum laude and later earning a master’s degree in teaching from National University.
5. Bionic Man: Donnie Ecker
Donnie Ecker was named Reds assistant hitting coach in November after spending the previous season as hitting coach for the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City. His methods for helping hitters are rather unique. Ecker is a certified Integrated Movement Specialist who uses biomechanics -- the study of the mechanical laws related to the movements of living organisms – to instruct hitters with human movement research and technology-based applications that can be applied to the body and swing. Sounds right up Joey Votto’s alley.
6. Mainstay: Delino DeShields
Amid all the changes this winter on the Reds’ coaching staff, Delino DeShields remained a constant. DeShields will serve as the Reds’ first base coach this season, marking his 11th year in the organization. Before working last season as a roving bunting and base-running coordinator, DeShields managed for eight seasons in the Reds’ minor-league system, including three seasons as skipper at Triple-A Louisville. He played 13 seasons in the major leagues and ranks 31st on baseball’s all-time list with 463 stolen bases.
7. Familiar face: Caleb Cotham
Caleb Cotham appeared in 23 games for the Reds in 2016, posting a 7.40 ERA. But he’s best remembered for being among the players acquired from the Yankees in exchange for Aroldis Chapman in December 2015. Injuries derailed his brief Reds career, but now Cotham is back with the club as an assistant pitching coach. He is leveraging analytics tools such as ball-tracking radar and high-speed cameras to help pitchers refine mechanics. Johnson coached Cotham while at Vanderbilt University.
8. Two-sport star: J.R. House
After playing sparingly at quarterback for West Virginia, Reds third base and catching coach J.R. House decided to forgo his football aspirations and focus on baseball full time. Gridiron stardom seemed assured for House after he set national records with 10 touchdown passes in a state championship game and 14,457 career passing yards for Nitro High School in Kanawha County, West Virginia. House went on to play five seasons in the major leagues for the Pirates, Astros, and Orioles.
9. Right-hand man: Freddie Benavides
After spending two seasons as an infield coach and three years as first base coach, Freddie Benavides will serve as Bell’s bench coach this season. Before joining the Reds' major-league coaching staff in 2014, Benavides spent 15 years in their minor-league system as a manager, player-development field coordinator, and infield coordinator. He managed for four seasons in the minor leagues. Benavides is the only coach returning from last year’s staff.
