Dragons manager looking for wins

[redsof72]

Nice to see the baseball stories starting to pop up...

Dayton Daily News

Dragons manager looking for wins

By Marc Katz, Staff Writer

DAYTON — Dragons manager Todd Benzinger knows the parent Reds are all about developing players for the big leagues, but he thinks the organization can do even more.

“Developing players and winning games don’t have to be separate things,” the second-year manager said Wednesday, Feb. 24, at Fifth Third Field.

Benzinger took a glance at patches of snow on the playing field and said he was looking forward to the season, “as long as it doesn’t look that way in April.”

He also doesn’t want his team to look as it did last year, when it went 59-80 and missed the Midwest League playoffs for the fourth time in 10 seasons.

“When you’re a competitor, a big part of your success is going to be your win-loss record,” Benzinger said. “Fans come not just for everything that’s here, but they want to see good baseball, winning baseball. I just feel as (last season) progressed, we were a better team.”

As usual, injuries, call-ups and other factors led to the Dragons’ failures, especially the 1-11 start as the Reds failed to stock the team with enough talent out of spring training.

Benzinger said that shouldn’t have mattered.

“We had the personnel here to squeeze out six to eight more victories,” Benzinger said. “I guess we’ve got to realize what we’re here for (development), but it’s so important for these guys to think of themselves as complete baseball players.

“That includes, I’m a good base-runner. I do my job in the field. I’m a good teammate. All those things come naturally when you have a kid that wants to win in the worst way.

“You’ve seen those kids. There’s one or two on every team. You get eight-10 guys like that, they’ll bring everybody with them. All of the sudden, you’re winning those six-eight games.”

Benzinger begins looking for those kinds of players next week, when he leaves for spring training in Goodyear, Ariz.

He said he won’t be as quiet as he was last year when managers and coaches at other levels of the organization lobbied for certain players.

This year, Benzinger said he’s going to look — and ask for — players he can develop and will win some games.

[11larkin11]

I figured it was about time for a Katz article. Here in a few weeks, there should be another about the lack of talent the Reds supply to Dayton, in particular how Leake won't be going there, and maybe not Boxberger.

[redsmetz]

I figured it was about time for a Katz article. Here in a few weeks, there should be another about the lack of talent the Reds supply to Dayton, in particular how Leake won't be going there, and maybe not Boxberger.

I understand that's the standard response to Katz's articles, but I have to say it's interesting to hear about Benzinger looking to be pro-active going into the season to get quality players to help develop.

[11larkin11]

I understand that's the standard response to Katz's articles, but I have to say it's interesting to hear about Benzinger looking to be pro-active going into the season to get quality players to help develop.

Oh I agree, this is different, but it was just weird that I was thinking its time for Katz to recycle his old article before I logged in, and here was one thats close. It looks like he finally did change it up though

[Scrap Irony]

Dayton has very little talent unless some of those GCL guys come up earlier and more talented than expected. Gregorious may be interesting and Stormin' Yorman Rodriguez and Henry Rodriguez may be there sometime in the year, but, for the most part, the talent cupboard is pretty bare.

Let's hope those GCL pitchers are the real deal.

[redsof72]

Scrap Irony, you make good points. Billings went 24-52 last year and that is where the players funnel in from. From the 2009 draft, Mark Serrano has already passed through Dayton. Josh Fellhauer probably has too. Donnie Joseph might have. But, you never know how a team will take shape. What if Ravin goes back there and goes 10-5, 2.80? What if Sulbaran takes a big step forward? If Hotchkiss goes back there, he should improve on a 2.73 ERA. What if Means goes back and combines with Oliveras to give them back-to-back .300 hitters at the top of the order?

That's a lot of "ifs" but in the low minors, you never know. On paper, the talent looks pretty short for the Reds below the Triple-A level right now. I will be surprised if the Reds let the same thing happen this summer that they did in 2009 when they finished with the 29th combined affiliate record in the minors. You just don't want to be reinforcing that loser mentality with your prospects, as Benzinger points out in Katz's story.

[redsmetz]

Scrap Irony, you make good points. Billings went 24-52 last year and that is where the players funnel in from. From the 2009 draft, Mark Serrano has already passed through Dayton. Josh Fellhauer probably has too. Donnie Joseph might have. But, you never know how a team will take shape. What if Ravin goes back there and goes 10-5, 2.80? What if Sulbaran takes a big step forward? If Hotchkiss goes back there, he should improve on a 2.73 ERA. What if Means goes back and combines with Oliveras to give them back-to-back .300 hitters at the top of the order?

That's a lot of "ifs" but in the low minors, you never know. On paper, the talent looks pretty short for the Reds below the Triple-A level right now. I will be surprised if the Reds let the same thing happen this summer that they did in 2009 when they finished with the 29th combined affiliate record in the minors. You just don't want to be reinforcing that loser mentality with your prospects, as Benzinger points out in Katz's story.

I'm guessing that this is what Benzinger is getting at. For example, last year given some of the players you mention who already put time at Dayton were just assumed to be moving up to High A to start the season. I think Benzinger is suggesting that he may press to keep some of these guys to start the season and let them further develope before moving them up. Now, with these particular players, that might not be the best move developmentally, but maybe it is and a half Low A season would do them some added good and help put winning baseball there at Dayton.