Reds name Jim Riggleman as 3B coach

By my last count, the Cincinnati Reds only had thirteen baserunners in all of 2014, and twelve of them got thrown out trying to score.

Now, I don't count with the best of them, but I do know a trend when I see one, and the Reds and I both thought that rate was a bit excessive.  The club responded by announcing a few weeks back that Steve Smith wouldn't be back as the 3B coach for the 2015 season, and that, of course, left quite a sizable void on the coaching staff.  Well, the Reds announced today that former Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, and Louisville Bats manager Jim Riggleman will have the chance to wave clunky runners around 3B in 2015 should the offense actually get them that far.

It's a decent fit, in some ways.  I mean, the guy doubled as the 3B coach in Louisville the last two years, meaning the club already has his helmet size.

Photo Credit:  Howard Smith, USA Today Sports

Riggleman also previously served as the 3B coach for the 2000 Cleveland Indians on his magical mystery tour through every single team in Major League Baseball, and as Noah Jarosh noted when the Reds were considering him for their managerial opening a year ago, the guy is reportedly a decent fan of advanced statistics, too.  Maybe - just maybe - that'll mean less waving of speedsters like Brayan Pena to their doom and more attentiveness to the fact that each and every baserunner is a supremely valued asset when your team gets on base worse than Charles Barkley hits golf balls.

Being a 3B coach is hard work and a thankless job, but at least the fanbase can rest assured that the guy in charge next season will be someone who has spent his entire life in the game, often calling shots at the highest levels imaginable.  While his tenure and departure from the Nationals has become infamous, he's spent time with Walt Jocketty before and carries a wealth of respect within the game despite his miserable collective record as a manager.  He wasn't given much of anything to work with while in charge of the Bats, either, so I won't lay too much blame on him for being just 137-150 combined over the last two seasons.

Since the club seems content on keeping their own in-house, Delino DeShields will take the reins of the Bats after previously having been the manager of the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos.

Delino DeShields will manage @LouisvilleBats next year #Reds

— ctrent (@ctrent) November 9, 2014