The argument has already been made many times -- the key pieces of the 2012 team were already here before Jocketty took over. It wasn't until 2012 that Jocketty finally took action and added to the strong core that was already in place when he came to town. The only player that Jocketty obtained in his first four seasons as Reds GM who is a key component of the 2012 team and beyond is Aroldis Chapman. Every other move he made was for temporary fixes or roster filler.
Walt Jocketty didn't build this team. It was built for him by his predecessors. It is fair to give Jocketty some real credit for keeping things on course and avoiding screwing things up, but it is not accurate to say he built this team into a contender. Only in the past year has he finally found some ways to bolster the core of the team he inherited.