Jonathan India: I Want To Be The Guy

[Ron Madden]

Jonathan India: I Want To Be The Guy

After a sophomore season riddled with injuries, Reds second baseman Jonathan India is ready for a healthy start to 2023.

The former Rookie of the Year struggled to stay in the lineup at the beginning of the 2022 season, placed on the IL twice in just the first month of play.

"It was a tough year, just battling a lot of injuries and playing through stuff," India said. It was just a tough stretch to watch my guys go through what they went through and not be able to help."

That tough stretch was when Cincinnati started 3-18 in the month of April. As his teammate Joey Votto said, the Reds put themselves in a hole that would have been nearly impossible to dig out of.

"It's difficult to offer hope to a fanbase when you start from so far behind, not only a fanbase, but also inside of the clubhouse," Votto said.

India said the team entered training camp knowing they have to get off to a better start. Suddenly a veteran among this team's young roster, the 26-year-old said his goal is to be healthy the entire year and ensure he's there to help his team succeed.

"I want to be the guy ... that everyone looks up to says 'Oh he's out there for 162, he's giving everything he's got,'" India said. "And I'm a winner, I'm a competitor, so that's what I want to be."

As training camp goes along, he's confident in his teammates' abilities.
"They are working hard — and I like that," India said. "It's their first big league camp for some of them. As long as they just buy into our mindset this year, they'll have success. They look good — Elly (De La Cruz) is a hell of an athlete and I'm excited to see what he does."R

While this is his third year with the Reds, this will be India's first true Opening Day. COVID protocols impacted the 2021 season, while Cincinnati's opener in 2022 was delayed due to the lockout. India said he's excited for March 30.

"I'm excited to see the stadium packed, I'm excited for the parade," India said. "I love Reds fans. They're the best in the game and they treat us with such respect and they give us a lot of love, so I've got nothing but love for the city and I'm very excited to see how it turns out.

Story Here:
https://www.wcpo.com/sports/baseball...-in-cincinnati

[Cyclone792]

Dear Jonathan India:

You go put up a nice .375+ OBP and you'll be that guy and more.

Signed,

All of us

[JFLegal]

love hearing those comments from india. he gets it.

[Ron Madden]

Charlie Goldsmith
@CharlieG__

Jonathan India said he wanted to make base running a bigger part of his game in 2023. In the first inning today, he steals third and scores on a close sac fly.

[Roy Tucker]

Read somewhere else where India dropped some weight to get his mojo back. He put on a few pounds last year to get some power but all it did was make him injury prone.

I’ve been as hard as anyone on the Reds but my eternal spring training optimism is getting the better of me. Silly me.

[Cyclone792]

I’ve been as hard as anyone on the Reds but my eternal spring training optimism is getting the better of me. Silly me.

It happens every year. Baseball starts, spring shows up, the days get longer. The hope always lingers in the back of the mind, even when we know better.

What I really want at least is a non-awful start. Heck, even 15-15 after 30 games would be pretty nice. The last thing we need is starting 3-18 again or some similar poor record and just being deflated by the middle of April.

[Ron Madden]

It happens every year. Baseball starts, spring shows up, the days get longer. The hope always lingers in the back of the mind, even when we know better.

What I really want at least is a non-awful start. Heck, even 15-15 after 30 games would be pretty nice. The last thing we need is starting 3-18 again or some similar poor record and just being deflated by the middle of April.

They've got to get off to a better start than last year, after the air was sucked out of the clubhouse by all the trades following the lockout. 3-22 in their first 25 games should be near impossible to duplicate.

[JFLegal]

india had me a bit worried crashing into home plate like that in the spring opener yesterday. i love that he's a gamer to the core though.

[GAC]

"Is this the guy?"

[Ron Madden]

india had me a bit worried crashing into home plate like that in the spring opener yesterday. i love that he's a gamer to the core though.

During Saturday's 4-3 victory over the Guardians, second baseman Jonathan India made two headfirst slides in the first inning -- one while stealing third base and then scoring on Wil Myers' sacrifice fly.
David Bell didn't mind seeing India take risks while hustling in a spring game.

"People don’t like to see it. I 100% understand why," Bell said.

"For me, I get very hesitant to try to limit players and try to plant any doubt in their mind. I just feel like you have to be aggressive playing this game and your instincts have to take over. I slid headfirst into home plate all the time. I’m not saying it’s the right way to do it, the best way or the smartest way, but sometimes you avoid injury the best by not having any fear."

https://www.mlb.com/news/justin-dunn...injury-setback

[JFLegal]

https://www.mlb.com/news/justin-dunn...injury-setback

"all gas no brakes."

seriously, i love that india plays like that. it comes with risk. but give me that every day over someone who is out there playing passive.

[Ron Madden]

When Jonathan India checked his phone after the Reds’ spring training opener, he had a lot of text messages along the lines of “What are you doing?” and “It’s just spring training!”

On Saturday, India did two headfirst slides in the first inning alone. He stole third base, and then India advanced home on a sac fly to short right field. During a game where most players try to ease into the start of the preseason, India was going full-speed.

“I think that was really stupid of me,” India said. Then he took a dramatic pause.

“But… When I’m in game mode, I’m different. I want to win.”

The Reds’ 2023 spring training has been the most intense of David Bell’s five-year tenure with the Reds. Players are taking more at-bats and doing more individual work on defense. Pitchers are preparing to be closer to mid-season form when the regular season starts.

Last year, the Reds didn’t get in the work that the team needed to during spring training. They started the season with a 3-22 record. This year, starting with India, the Reds are trying to set a different tone.

“That’s my mentality when I play,” India said. “You’ve seen it before. I play hard. That was a little unnecessary for me, I won’t do that again, hopefully not, but that’s not my mentality.”

https://postino.gannettdigital.com/P...Q-E-NLETTER31/

[Ron Madden]

Health key to Reds' success in 2023

The Reds spent 2022 beginning the painful first stages of a rebuilding effort. They will spend 2023 looking to see signs of progress and the building blocks of success.

During what was only the second 100-loss season in the franchise's history, Cincinnati got off to a very rough 3-22 start. The club most definitely needs a better performance out of the gate, and it has reasons to believe that can happen.

What needs to go right?
A lot, really. The rebuild is still young, and the Reds are relying on a lot of younger players without much Major League ready depth. The team was shredded by injuries in 2022, which forced Cincinnati to use a team-record 66 players. Keeping everybody healthy will be paramount in '23.

Offensively, the Reds in 2022 were ranked 26th with a .676 OPS and 21st with a .235 team average. Having a lineup that scores more runs and supports the pitching staff will be key.

Greene, Lodolo and Ashcraft must keep improving, and all three have shown signs of progress already in Spring Training. The bullpen, which ranked 29th in ERA last season (6.68), is now anchored by Díaz and has more proven options for manager David Bell. If the starters can go deeper, the bullpen will be set up for a better chance at success.

Great unknown:
Will Joey Votto be fully back and contributing?

Team MVP will be ... Jonathan India

Team Cy Young will be ... Nick Lodolo

Bold prediction: Not only will India top all big league leadoff hitters in home runs in the coming season, he will be the 2023 NL Comeback Player of the Year while showing he's back to the player that came on the scene as a rookie two seasons ago.

Read More Here:
https://www.mlb.com/reds/news/reds-s...tions-for-2023

[Ron Madden]

5-9-23

When Jonathan India lost 10 pounds during the offseason, improved his sprint speed, trained with a Jujutsu fighter and started a diet where he only ate one full meal per day, he had a specific set of goals in mind.

In 2022, India had tried to bulk up and hit more homers. His plan failed, and India wanted to get back to the style of play he thrived with in 2021. He wanted to get on base more, spray line drives all over the field, run the bases better and become the type of player who can be one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball.

Five weeks into the season, all that work has already paid off. India has never looked faster. He has never looked better at the plate. He set out to be the type of player who can set the tone for a young lineup and a rebuilding team, and India looks the part

“It feels good,” India said. “But right now, I don’t think I’m anywhere near where I want to be. I’ve got more to work at. I’m just competing right now. That’s all I can do every night.”

Entering Tuesday's game, India is hitting .306 with a .857 OPS. He only drew 31 walks in 103 games last season, but India already has 17 walks in 34 games this year.

India still needs to improve defensively, but every other aspect of his season has been the type of bounceback that the Reds were hoping for following India’s injury-riddled 2022 campaign. India looks like the Reds’ best player, and he’s succeeding with the style of play he’s confident he can sustain throughout his career.

Story Here:
https://live.emailhero.io/gannett/PC...EQ-E-NLETTER31

[UPRedsFan]

Extend him and flip a young infielder for pitching.