Reds Fire Manager David Bell
With five games left in the 2024 season, the Cincinnati Reds have dismissed manager David Bell, effective immediately. Bench coach Freddie Benavides will be the interim manager for the final week.
Record of David Bell
The Reds hired David Bell to be their manager in October 2018. Over six seasons, he had a 409–456 record. He led the team to a 31–29 record and a playoff berth in the 60-game 2020 season, where they bowed to the NL East champion Atlanta Braves, 2–0, in the Wild Card round without scoring a run. The Reds also had a winning record in 2021, but their 83–79 record was not good enough for a Wild Card berth in the last season of the Two Wild Cards Per League Era. In 2023, the Reds finished 82–80, missing a Wild Card berth by two games.
The Reds entered the 2024 season with high expectations but have stumbled their way to a disappointing 76–81 record. Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall said in a team press release, “David provided the kind of steadiness that we needed in our clubhouse over the last few seasons. We felt a change was needed to move the Major League team forward. We have not achieved the success we expected, and we need to begin focusing on 2025.”
Krall will hold a news conference at 11 am Eastern Monday at Great American Ball Park.
His Legacy
Baseball fans who did not see much of the Reds might know David Bell for his fiery ejections. During his six-year tenure, he had 32 ejections, including a league-leading eight in his first season. But his true legacy is different. Bell, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, created “a positive clubhouse environment and a team that played hard for him.” In addition to the 2020 playoff berth, a major highlight of Bell’s managerial tenure was his role as a National League coach in the 2024 All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas.
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