Reds stress the details on the first day of spring training
GOODYEAR, Arizona ––To start the first full-squad workout of spring training, the Cincinnati Reds worked on being a team again.
They worked on little things like team defense, bunt defense, taking leads off of first base, and running the bases on the practice grounds.
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“They know we have a big picture,” Reds boss David Bell said. “But that’s what happens when you’re in the moment on Day 1.” “Taking those things into account. The players have told us that’s what will get us where we want to go. We have those other things, but it’s more than that. Key points and specifics—being good at those are important parts of this. We get that.
The Reds did very well in those areas last year, and many players said that the team’s success was due in large part to how well they paid attention to details during spring training. Bell talked about that experience in his message to the team as they entered 2024.
It’s all about the process in this game, Bell said. “They really know how important it is to trust it, especially on this team.” Being known for something simple was a big part of who we were last year. They worked hard, played with each other, and never gave up. There are little things that really matter.”
Graham Ashcraft on extension talks
The Cincinnati Reds extended contract offers to all three of their talented 2022 rookie starters about this same time last spring.
After Joey Votto left, they signed right-hander Hunter Greene to a six-year, $53 million contract, which was the largest commitment they had on file. However, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft couldn’t come to an agreement on the terms.
The Reds’ greatest pitcher in the second half until a toe injury ended his final month, Ashcraft stated a year later that he hasn’t been contacted by the front office this time, implying he would be interested (depending, of course, on the offer).
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After this season, he and Lodolo are both anticipated to be eligible for arbitration, which might result in significant pay increases with successful and healthy seasons.
After missing nearly the whole previous season due to a stress fracture in his left leg, Lodolo is resuming his activities under cautious supervision this spring.
Ashcraft would seem to be one of the strongest prospects, given how he looked following a slow start to the season last year and his standing coming into camp, according to team president Nick Krall, who stated during the winter that he intended to look into extensions with some of the young Reds players.
Pitching through the right big toe ailment until it became unmanageable, Ashcraft finished 4-3 with a 2.58 ERA in his final 12 appearances after going 7-9 with a 4.76 ERA in his first 26 starts. In the end, he underwent surgery.
He’s been using cleats again after a lengthy hiatus, but his only issue since camp opened has been a bothersome soreness in the same place from indoor throwing in sneakers over the winter.
“I simply need to adjust to the pressure points caused by the spikes protruding in my feet,” he remarked. “That helps because I have insoles. It’s just like anything, though. This is merely an additional phase in the process of returning to the baseball life.
He said, “The bone is completely healed.” “Only the tiny foot muscles needed to adjust to putting on spikes again, running, and spending a lot more time on my feet.”
He anticipates a typical, punctual Cactus League schedule for the duration of the season and is not subject to workload restrictions. “All right,” he declared.
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