The hiring of Dusty Baker in October 2007 ranks right up there as one of the Reds’ most memorable decisions.
“I promise you this: We will play better baseball, we will play exciting baseball, fundamental baseball and our guys are going to be proud to play for the Cincinnati Reds,” Baker said at his introductory press conference. “A number of guys already called me, saying they’d like to come to Cincinnati, and I hope we can choose the right guys to win a championship in the near future.”
Baker did guide the Reds to two National League Central Division championships, but like every manager since Piniella in 1990, he failed to win a World Series, and like every manager since Johnson in 1995, he couldn’t advance the team in the playoffs.
With the firing of Bell on Sunday, the Reds are once again looking for a new manager. Here’s a quick glance at the top 10 candidates, according to the odds at BetOnline.ag.
1. Skip Schumaker (2/1): Schumaker, 44, has a previous connection to the Reds in that he played the final two seasons (2014-15) of his 11-year big-league career with the Reds. Six of the last seven managers, not counting interim managers, either coached in the Reds organization prior to managing the Reds, or in the case of Bell and Bob Boone, had family members who played for the Reds.
Bob Nightengale, of USA Today, reported Schumaker would be on the Reds’ radar. He was the National League Manager of the Year in 2023, his first season with the Miami Marlins, but there are reports the Marlins’ new president of baseball operations will seek a new manager after this season. The Marlins were 58-100 through Tuesday.
2. Will Venable (6/1): Venable, 41, the associate manager for the Texas Rangers, also has a Reds connection. His dad Max played for the Reds from 1985-87. Will spent most of his nine-year big-league career (2008-16) with the San Diego Padres.
3. Terry Francona (7/1): Nick Krall, the Reds’ president of baseball operations, was asked specifically about whether he would have Francona on his list in a press conference Monday. At that time, Krall said he did not have a list but planned to get the list started that same day.
Francona, 65, played for the Reds in 1987 but is more famous for his managerial career. He guided the Boston Red Sox to World Series championships in 2004 and 2007 and was the American League Manager of the Year three times in 11 seasons (2013-23) with the Cleveland Guardians.
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
4. Barry Larkin (8/1): There has long been speculation about the Hall of Fame Reds shortstop managing his hometown team, though he has no managing experience. Larkin, 60, is now in his fourth season on the Reds broadcast team for Bally Sports Ohio. Larkin played for the Reds from 1986-2004.
5. Pat Kelly (8/1): Kelly, 61, has coached the Triple-A Louisville Bats the last five seasons. He’s one of seven managers with 2,000 or more victories in Minor League Baseball. He also has spent time with the Reds. In 2007, he served as bench coach for Pete Mackanin after the firing of Jerry Narron. In 2018, he worked as the bench coach for the Reds on Jim Riggleman’s staff after manager Bryan Price was fired 18 games into the season.
6. David Ross (9/1): Ross, 47, spent two of his 15 seasons in the big leagues with the Reds (2006-07). He won a World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 2016, his final season. He managed the Cubs from 2020-23 and had a record of 262-284.
7. Freddie Benavides (9/1): Benavides, 58, is serving as interim manager for the last five games of this season after working as Bell’s bench coach for six seasons. Like Kelly, Benavides has been a longtime coach and manager with the Reds and their minor-league affiliates. He was the first manager of the Dayton Dragons in 2000. Benavides also played for the Reds from 1991-92.
8. Gabe Kapler (9/1): Kapler, 49, is an assistant general manager for the Marlins. He managed the Philadelphia Phillies from 2018-19 and the San Francisco Giants from 2020-23. He was the National League Manager of the Year in 2021 when the Giants won 107 games. He played with six different big-league teams in a 12-year career (1998-2010).
9. Scott Servais (9/1): Servais, 57, managed the Seattle Mariners for nine seasons before being fired in August. He spent 11 seasons in the big leagues (1991-2001) with four different teams.
10. Joey Votto (10/1): Votto, 41, announced his retirement in August after a 17-year big league career. He played all 17 seasons with the Reds before trying to make it back to the big leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays this season.
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