When you say the name Johnny Baker to baseball people it may not ring a bell, but when you say Dusty Baker you think of a baseball legend. Baker will always be in baseball lore as he was the man who was in the on-deck circle for The Atlanta Braves when Hank Aaron hit his 715th career home run to surpass Babe Ruth as Major League Baseball’s all-time home run king. Baker has always been associated with winning as well. He was a member of The Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981 when they won The World Series. Baker then parlayed his 19-year career as a MLB player into a successful managerial career.
Baker began managing The San Francisco Giants in 1993 and in his first season the team won 103 regular season games, but were unable to win The National League West as they fell one game short to The Braves. In Baker’s decade long stint with The Giants, the team only had three losing seasons while qualifying for the postseason three times which included a trip to The World Series in 2002. Baker then went to Chicago in 2003 to manage The Cubs. In his first season with The Cubs, Baker had the team one win away from The World Series until the wheels fell off in The National League Championship Series against The Florida Marlins.
Since 2008, Baker has been at the helm of The Cincinnati Reds as he has restored a winning culture. Prior to Baker’s arrival, The Reds did not have a winning record since 2000 and they hadn’t qualified for the playoffs since 1995. By Baker’s third year in Cincy, The Reds were back in the postseason as they were swept by The Philadelphia Phillies in The National League Division Series.
Now in a year when The NL Central was expected to be mediocre, The Reds are the lead team in the division race with The Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals.
Since The Reds moved into The Great American Ball Park in 2003, they have consistently ranked at the top of The National League in home runs as the park has built a reputation as being a “launching pad” on the banks of The Ohio River. The Reds are still hitting the long ball as they are currently fifth in The NL in home runs with 106 entering play today, but they have the second best team earned run average in The NL at 3.28. Reds starting pitcher Johnny Cueto leads a staff that has gone 26-15 so far this season against The NL Central. Cueto currently leads The NL in earned run average at 2.23 while he is eighth in innings pitched at 133.1. The Reds have depth in the rotation in the form of Mat Latos. After coming to Cincinnati in the off-season from The San Diego Paderes, I expected Latos to struggle early as he was now having to deal with pitching in a colder climate early in the season. After losing two decisions in April, Latos has only lost one start since. Baker also has the ability to use a lights out closer in the ninth inning which will be important for The Reds to make the playoffs. 24-year old Aroldis Chapman has an electric fastball as he didn’t allow an earned run this season until June 7. Chapman regularly clocks 100 miles per hour on the radar gun and it was no surprise that the closer made his first All-Star Game appearance this year.
Baker has had a history of having to manage big name players with matching egos. Baker had Barry Bonds in San Francisco and Sammy Sosa in Chicago, but even though The Reds have rising stars such as the former NL Most Valuable Player in first baseman Joey Votto, this is a team that flies under the radar. Cincinnati isn’t a big market like Los Angeles or New York which takes away from the pressure that could be put on a team in a bigger market. Baker has won in big markets before as a player and manager and now he has brought those same winning values to Cincy.
With Baker it as much about the little details as it is about the big things. With an offense like The Reds that has the propensity to hit home runs you would think that they would lead the world in strikeouts. The 2012 Reds are ninth in The National League in strikeouts with 761. This team has the determination of Baker as well. As a player, Baker never struck out 100 times in a season as he had a career batting average of .287 with an on-base percentage of .347. This team is currently maintaining first place in The NL Central without the services of Votto who has been out since July 16 as he had arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
The Reds that made the postseason in 2010 appeared to be happy in just qualifying where this team is looking for something bigger. The Reds might not be the glamour story of The NL Central like The Pirates or the defending World Series Champion Cardinals, but they have staying power. With a team that has won five World Series Championships, The Reds have not made The Fall Classic since 1990. Cincinnati a has rich baseball tradition that ranges from players such as Dave Concepcion to Barry Larkin and managers such as Sparky Anderson and Bill McKechnie. Now Baker and his crew are ready to leave their mark on Cincinnati Reds baseball as well.
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