Reds plan to keep running teams ragged

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- When it came to rule changes instituted in Major League Baseball before the 2023 season, few took greater advantage of the ones about baserunning than the Reds.

"We tried to be prepared, we tried to think ahead," Reds manager David Bell said during the Winter Meetings. "We did know the running game was going to change a lot, like that was going to increase the opportunity for stolen bases and all that. I think there's even more room in that area."

Cincinnati already led MLB last season with 190 stolen bases, well ahead of the D-backs, who were second with 166 steals.

"Our team, I felt, did a good job of trying to be prepared for those. Maybe it played a little bit into our personnel," Bell said. "So we'll continue to try to do that."

The Reds, who stole 58 bases in 2022, carried a much more athletic roster in '23 with the arrival of several young players into the lineup, including rookies Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain, as well as returning players like TJ Friedl, Spencer Steer and Jake Fraley being elevated to playing regularly.

According to Statcast, the Reds' average sprint speed of 28 feet per second was tied with the Phillies and Pirates for the MLB lead.

On the bases, the Reds were ranked middle of the pack in total number of advances, but they were strong at taking extra bases on hits -- such as going from first base to third base or scoring from second base on a single. They did that 47% of the time, which was third best in MLB.

Individually, according to Statcast, De La Cruz ranked first in advance attempts above average at 20%. Friedl was second at 16%.

Reds runners were thrown out a lot, too, including 20 times at home plate. That was second most in MLB, behind the Cubs' 21. But that was also a product of running more often.

Bell has long been an advocate of pressuring opposing defenses to make mistakes on plays, relays or throws.

"It's a big part of our game -- not just base stealing, but [for] our players, [running] was a big part of our identity," Bell said. "Our players really took pride in being great baserunners. It started in Spring Training. It came out a lot in ... the stolen base, but there's a lot of other ways that it was a big part of our game.

"It was one year of learning where you can try to take advantage, and so we've got to try to build on that, for sure."