David Bell Needs to...Stay?

[OGB]

Because the game was on the line right there. Bell had himself a very good night tonight.

I think overall Bell managed a very good game. My issue was based on an assumption.
I assumed if the Reds were still up 4-2, Iglesias would have come in 24 pitches deep to face the top of the lineup.
I wouldn't have done that. Bradley in the 8th, Iglesias in the 9th.
I'm glad it worked out.

[OGB]

Fwiw, I'm glad Bell has used Miley in low leverage situations recently.
If he can be a competent LH out of the pen going forward, it's good to know that.

[NeilHamburger]

God, do I love David Bell. Man, you guys who wanted him gone are such pathetic losers. I'd be embarrassed to ever show my face around here again if anyone ever had any proof of me saying otherwise. Thankfully, you'll never find anything like that from me.

[OGB]

Gotta say something:

I've been very critical of Bell and his micromanaging while the team struggled.

That said, I really hope and want to believe he has that fiery leadership quality that we need right now.
As bad as 2019 was, I'm not sure I've ever respected a manager more than when Bell threw himself into the middle of that fight last year.
Bauer and Moose have gotten a lot of credit for the fire behind this recent surge.
As much as I've maligned Bell in the past, I think he is at the forefront of motivating this current squad.
Whoever is responsible, this team feels different than past Reds teams. I hope they don't prove me wrong.

[foster15]

I think Bell deserves all the credit for this turn around. The first 2/3 of the season was a tryout for relief pitchers. I've got to admit, I didn't think we had the resources and that we would go nowhere with the relief corp we had. But he slowly but surely put one hell of a relief staff together. And man was he patient in doing so. We've got a big 4 in one inning pitchers(Sims, Garrett, Bradley and Iggy) and we got 2,3 or 4 multi-inning/long relievers depending on how he wants to use them going into the playoffs(Lorenzen,Disco, Miley and maybe Mahle depending) with a few others that seem to be semi-reliable.

I also think that the more timely hitting has a lot to do with a team that trusts its relief pitchers. I think hitters tend to be mentally beat when they keep seeing the games being tossed away in the final 3 innings.

Say what you want about the way this team played until the last 12 or so games, but he's certainly got them humming now and actually have one if not the best pitching staff I've seen on this team since 1990.

[malcontent]

Given that the team is two games over .500, I'm not sure what one hot streak means long-term as far as Bell is concerned.

But I was wrong, and never thought the playoffs were possible. So kudos are in order.

[mth123]

I'm still not a fan, though Bell seems to have learned a bit. He's not so spastic with som many changes. The Reds Streak is fantastic and winning breeds more winning IMO. Some things were involved though.

1. They finally stopped experimenting with the pen. As many said, this team was built with a lot of potential in it's pen but very little to actually rely on. They took some time to sort through guys to figure out who was good and who wasn't. Once the figured it out, the pen is pretty good. The complaint was always that there were too many question marks and they'd lose a lot of games sorting through guys. That happened, but it seems like it's over now and the Reds are better.

2. Moose is back and he's hitting. His .833 OPS has certainly added some needed offense. He missed a lot of time early with a lot of issues. His return has been huge.

3. The schedule was favorable. A long home stand with 4 against the Pirates, 3 against a White Sox team that threw a couple of their lesser pitchers and weren't playing with a lot of urgency after having already clinched the play-offs and a collapsing brewers team. It happened at the right time and now the team is not pressing as much and playing better overall.

Hope this winning builds confidence and carries them through, but still not sold on Bell.

[icehole3]

Yes Bell needs to stay. He made the playoffs for crying out loud.

[757690]

I'm still not a fan, though Bell seems to have learned a bit. He's not so spastic with som many changes. The Reds Streak is fantastic and winning breeds more winning IMO. Some things were involved though.

1. They finally stopped experimenting with the pen. As many said, this team was built with a lot of potential in it's pen but very little to actually rely on. They took some time to sort through guys to figure out who was good and who wasn't. Once the figured it out, the pen is pretty good. The complaint was always that there were too many question marks and they'd lose a lot of games sorting through guys. That happened, but it seems like it's over now and the Reds are better.

2. Moose is back and he's hitting. His .833 OPS has certainly added some needed offense. He missed a lot of time early with a lot of issues. His return has been huge.

3. The schedule was favorable. A long home stand with 4 against the Pirates, 3 against a White Sox team that threw a couple of their lesser pitchers and weren't playing with a lot of urgency after having already clinched the play-offs and a collapsing brewers team. It happened at the right time and now the team is not pressing as much and playing better overall.

Hope this winning builds confidence and carries them through, but still not sold on Bell.

All good points, but I think the main reason for the team’s success and Bell’s success is that the front office took away his toys. They got rid of VanMeter, Davidson, Ervin, Janikowski, and Payton and replaced them with Goodwin, Stephenson and Aquino. That enabled Bell to stick to simpler lineups and stay with his starters longer in games.

My guess is either Bell learned not to overmanage or the front office forced him to stop. Either way, that was the key to the Reds success, imo.

[RedsBrick]

Fwiw, I'm glad Bell has used Miley in low leverage situations recently.
If he can be a competent LH out of the pen going forward, it's good to know that.

Miley did exactly what he was supposed to do in that situation, too. Aside from the BB (almost got him after the 3-2 count), he pumped strikes, worked quickly and didn't give them any hope.

[UKFlounder]

Is the 3-batter rule in effect for the playoffs? That might affect Miley's making the roster or not?

And how big is the postseason roster? 26? 28?

Miley did exactly what he was supposed to do in that situation, too. Aside from the BB (almost got him after the 3-2 count), he pumped strikes, worked quickly and didn't give them any hope.

[RedsBrick]

Given that the team is two games over .500, I'm not sure what one hot streak means long-term as far as Bell is concerned.

But I was wrong, and never thought the playoffs were possible. So kudos are in order.

Coming into the season I was very much hopeful for a playoff push. Then after the revamped COVID set up, I expected the playoffs, especially after the off-season moves and so many teams getting in. So, in essence, the team simply met expectations. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled...and to your point, three weeks ago the playoffs seemed to be a pipe dream!

I feel certain that no matter what happens the rest of this season, Bell will return in 2021. I'm hopeful he'll continue to evolve but I'm also taking a wait-and-see approach.

But for now? Playoff baseball baby!! LET'S GOOOOOO!!

[RedsBrick]

Is the 3-batter rule in effect for the playoffs? That might affect Miley's making the roster or not?

And how big is the postseason roster? 26? 28?

Good questions. I'm not certain.

[Phoenix2]

All good points, but I think the main reason for the team’s success and Bell’s success is that the front office took away his toys. They got rid of VanMeter, Davidson, Ervin, Janikowski, and Payton and replaced them with Goodwin, Stephenson and Aquino. That enabled Bell to stick to simpler lineups and stay with his starters longer in games.

My guess is either Bell learned not to overmanage or the front office forced him to stop. Either way, that was the key to the Reds success, imo.

Yep. Management had to take away bad players for him to stop inexcusably keep playing them. I maintain that this Reds team is a very good team. Look at all the great players they added. Most prognosticators had the Reds winning the division. I also believed they were the best team in the Central. So I will not be celebrating David Bell for squeaking this team to a winning record and into the playoffs. In my view they underperformed in 2020 given the talent level. Now let's hope that whatever was wrong for most of the season is corrected and they are the team we all thought they were.

[foster15]

Is the 3-batter rule in effect for the playoffs? That might affect Miley's making the roster or not?

And how big is the postseason roster? 26? 28?

I'm guessing that it will be a rule in the playoffs. The 3 batter rule was added in the winter, prior to the other rules that were added after to account of a covid affected season.