The information was shocking given the truth that Francona, 65, stepped away from baseball following the 2023 season as supervisor of the Cleveland Guardians for well being causes. A yr eliminated, the Reds had been capable of signal Francona to a three-year deal and a membership choice for the 2028 season.
Talking at his introductory information convention on Monday, Francona shed some mild on his resolution to come back out of retirement to turn into the Reds supervisor.
“I truthfully did not see myself managing once more,” Francona mentioned, through ESPN. “I had a extremely good yr away from the sport. The Reds got here out to go to and it simply felt proper.”
One among Francona’s focal factors is placing emphasis on accountability, per MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon.
“I firmly imagine that gamers get pleasure from being coached, so long as there’s all the time a stable cause and also you’re extremely organized. And that we are going to be,” Francona mentioned. “My promise to the group and to the followers is I’ll spend all my power making certain they spend all of their power making an attempt to play the sport appropriately and with respect.”
The announcement comes on the heels of the Reds firing David Bell on Sept. 22 with only a week left within the common season. Bell compiled a 409-456 (.473) document throughout his six seasons as supervisor of the Reds group.
One issue that will have led to Francona’s resolution is his time as a participant for the Reds in 1987. Francona mentioned the expertise and athletic capacity of that workforce “jogs my memory plenty of the group we now have right here now.”
Regardless of the Reds ending the 2024 season with a disappointing 77-85 document, it’s laborious to argue the degree of expertise on the workforce. There’s shortstop Elly De La Cruz, who led the workforce in residence runs (25), hits (160), and recorded a whopping 67 stolen bases, RBI chief Spencer Steer and second baseman Jonathan India, simply to call just a few. The Reds additionally possess plenty of younger pitching expertise, led by strikeout chief Hunter Greene.
In his profession as a supervisor, Francona has put collectively a 1,950-1,672 (.538) document, profitable World Collection titles with the Crimson Sox in 2004 and 2007.
Regardless of a yr away from the sport, Francona appears keen to affix the Reds and maybe make the most of the similarities he sees between the present roster and the 1987 workforce he performed for.
