Nick Krall Q&A 3-27-23

[Ron Madden]

Nick Krall Q&A: Reds' GM says 'You never know what their ceilings are'

Heading into Opening Day, Cincinnati Reds general manager Nick Krall participated in a Q&A with The Cincinnati Enquirer.

He spoke about his vision for the Reds, the timeline for the Reds’ top prospects and why the Reds’ young core at the big league level deserves more attention.

Q. How will you decide when Elly De La Cruz, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Matt McLain will be ready for the big leagues?

A. You’ve got Matt McLain, who has played a full season at Double-A. Elly De La Cruz has played two months in Double-A. Christian has roughly 200 plate appearances. They’re all on different timelines. Some guys have got to figure out how to chase out of the zone less. Some guys have got to figure out how to make contact better. Some guys have to play better defense. Some guys are moving to a new position and are learning that.

It’s different for each guy. I really don’t want to put a timeline on it because it’s all about how these players are. We’ll evaluate them every day. We’ll see what that progress is. We’ll look at it from a person-by-person standpoint.

Q. On the major league side, there has been a ton of roster turnover over the last four seasons. Is the goal to have less roster turnover going forward?

A. Yes. I’d love to have players that are on our club and continue on our club. We made some trades over the last couple of years, we’ve had some free agents not come back for one reason or another. We’re continuing to build through our farm system. We can have these young players who can come up through our system and be on our major league team, that’s what we’re trying to do.

Read More Here:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb...mage=AAUjmHe|2

[NebraskaRed]

[westofyou]

Nick Krall Q&A: Reds' GM says 'You never know what their ceilings are'
Read More Here:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb...mage=AAUjmHe|2

Q. If you could be a bird, what bird would you be?

A. Good question, certainly not a Cardinal or Oriole. But more importantly young pitching, timeline, roster turnover and cost efficient bobblehead nights and get-away Sunday day game packages mean that I could only be one bird, a Dodo. Because it could not fly and was easy to catch and plunder the Dodo is definitely the Reds spirit animal in 2023.

[redsfan9988]

Free agents that didn’t come back for one reason or another.

lol

[NebraskaRed]

ChatGPT would honestly give better answers to these questions.

[redsfan9988]

I’ve never actually heard Nick Krall speak, but my mental image of him is the Neutral leader from Futurama

“If I die, tell my wife I said hello.”

[NebraskaRed]

ChatGPT would honestly give better answers to these questions.

Ok, I tried it. If it didn't give a better answer, I'd say it's at least a wash.

Q. How will the Cincinnati Reds decide when Elly De La Cruz, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Matt McLain will be ready for the big leagues?

The decision to promote Elly De La Cruz, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Matt McLain to the big leagues ultimately rests with the Cincinnati Reds' front office, including their general manager, coaching staff, and player development personnel. Here are some factors that they may consider when making this decision:

Performance: As with any player, the Reds' front office will consider the performance of De La Cruz, Encarnacion-Strand, and McLain in the minor leagues. This includes not only their overall statistics, but also their recent performance and any trends or patterns that may be emerging.

Potential: In addition to evaluating past performance, the Reds will also consider the potential of these players. They will look at their physical tools, their skills, and their overall upside to determine whether they have what it takes to be successful at the major league level.

Team Needs: Another key factor that the Reds will consider is whether these players fill a need on the major league roster. If there is a hole in the lineup or a weakness on the team, promoting one of these players could help address that issue.

Development: The Reds will also consider the developmental needs of these players. If they feel that a player would benefit from more time in the minor leagues to work on specific skills or areas of their game, they may choose to keep them in the minors for longer before promoting them to the big leagues.

Injury Status: Finally, the Reds will need to consider the injury status of these players. If they are dealing with any injuries or health concerns, the Reds may choose to be cautious and give them more time to recover before promoting them to the major league roster

[757690]

ChatGPT would honestly give better answers to these questions.

That’s true for nearly every GM interview. However, I would not be surprised to learn that Krall is one of those Westworld “hosts.”

[MoneyInTheBank]

The more I hear Krall talk the more skeptical I get that they will be bringing in any meaningful help through free agency

[Wonderful Monds]

The more I hear Krall talk the more skeptical I get that they will be bringing in any meaningful help through free agency

I could almost resign myself to that reality if I thought they would at least extend their own guys past the middle of arbitration year 2, but I know that won’t happen either.

[Redsfan6272]

of course they dont ask him "do you see the fan base angry with this front office?" "Will you go outside to make trades to fill obvious weak spots that you failed at the draft to get?

[westofyou]

of course they dont ask him "do you see the fan base angry with this front office?" "Will you go outside to make trades to fill obvious weak spots that you failed at the draft to get?

He doesn't make the budget, he works with the money he's given

His job is to sell the approach he does with that money, not defend the budget he did not set

[MikeS21]

He doesn't make the budget, he works with the money he's given

His job is to sell the approach he does with that money, not defend the budget he did not set

Agreed. Krall really isn’t the problem. The poor guy may need to develop some better public speaking skills (as do I and the majority of the population), but he cannot spend money that he has not been given to spend. Nor can he say anything negative about ownership.

[BCubb2003]

Ok, I tried it. If it didn't give a better answer, I'd say it's at least a wash.

Was this the AI that based an answer on RedsZone? Maybe this time it was paraphrasing Krall.

[MoneyInTheBank]

Agreed. Krall really isn’t the problem. The poor guy may need to develop some better public speaking skills (as do I and the majority of the population), but he cannot spend money that he has not been given to spend. Nor can he say anything negative about ownership.

Very much TBD on this point, IMO. Sports history is littered with GMs who have been applauded for masterfully executing the teardown and flamed out spectacularly on the rebuild.