Reds part ways with 5 members of coaching staff

CINCINNATI -- One day after completing a 100-loss season, the Reds announced Thursday that they have dismissed five coaches on manager David Bell's staff.

First base/baserunning coach Delino DeShields, hitting coach Alan Zinter, bullpen coach Lee Tunnell, advance scouting coach Cristian Perez and assistant coach Rolando Valles will not return with the club in 2023. Bell will remain as manager with one year left on the two-year extension he signed after the '21 season.

"We felt that these are the right changes for new voices in different places," Reds general manager Nick Krall said. "We've struggled in certain areas this year, and we still need to make improvements. And we thought that those were the right changes to make."

All five coaches joined Bell's staff after he was hired as manager ahead of the 2019 season. While finishing 62-100 in Cincinnati's second 100-loss season and its first since 1982, the club ranked poorly in several areas of the game.

A search for replacements will begin soon. The club carried a higher number of coaches -- 12 -- under Bell, and it's possible not all of the roles will be filled.

"I think we're going to do what we can over the next couple of weeks to figure out who the best people we can bring in to supplement the staff we already have, and put people in places. I don't want to put a number on it, whether we add or subtract," Krall said.

After being ranked fifth in OPS and sixth in batting average out of 30 Major League clubs in 2021, the Reds were ranked 26th with a .676 OPS and 21st with a .235 team average in 2022. Of course, the team also endured the offseason losses of key hitters like Nick Castellanos, Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suárez and in-season injuries to Tyler Stephenson and Joey Votto.

Although it showed improvement in the second half, the Reds' bullpen was ranked 28th with a 4.72 ERA while tying Pittsburgh for the league lead with 296 walks.

On the basepaths, the Reds ranked slightly below average by taking an extra base 39 percent of the time, according to Baseball-Reference. FanGraphs ranked the club 28th with -16.1 baserunning runs. But there wasn't a roster full of speedsters to work with, as Statcast also ranked the Reds as the ninth-slowest team by sprint speed.

Also according to Statcast, the Reds were also 28th in infield outs above average.

"Across the board, we need to get better in a lot of different areas. I don’t think it’s just one area here or there," Krall said. "We ended 6-20. That’s not acceptable. Starting 3-22 is not acceptable. We’ve got to be better. We can say we traded players … there are a lot of excuses, but we have to figure out a way around those, get better and be a better team moving forward. We were 62-100, there are a lot of different ways we can get better."

Also let go was senior director of player performance and health Geoff Head after three seasons. The Reds were burdened with lots of injuries all season -- including 37 players who made a combined 57 stints on the injured list. At two points in the season, Cincinnati had 18 players on the IL.

Krall indicated that there could be some restructuring on the medical side of baseball operations during the offseason.

Cincinnati's rebuilding process will be heading into its second year in 2023. Because of the poor outcome of '22, no one position on the field is considered a lock by Krall.

"Coming in with every one of your position players trying to win a spot is first and foremost. Losing is not acceptable," he said. "We’re in a competition business. Our goal is to win games on that field and that’s what we’re here to do."