Cincinnati Reds Remove Manager Bryan Price

Bryan Price in 2017. Photo by John Fisher/CSM/REX/Shutterstock (8991659b)

The Cincinnati Reds became the first Major League Baseball team to change managers in 2018, parting ways with manager Bryan Price following a 3-15 start to the season, which left the Reds in the last place in the National League’s Central Division.

The Reds hired the 55-year-old Price in 2014 with hopes that he would be able to lead them over the playoff hurdle that has plagued baseball’s oldest franchise for nearly a quarter-century. Cincinnati has not won a playoff series since beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995’s NL Division Series, and after three playoff appearances under Dusty Baker proved fruitless, the Reds decided Price was the man to restore the franchise’s former glory.

Instead, the rise of the Chicago Cubs and the continued strength of the St. Louis Cardinals ensured the Reds never played a postseason game under Price. The team’s best season under his leadership was his first season, where the Reds won 76 games. Following his dismissal, Price released a statement thanking the Reds and general manager Walt Jocketty for the chance to manage the club.

Reds Next Move

Cincinnati will turn to Jim Riggleman as its manager for the remainder of the season. Riggleman, 65, was the team’s bench coach under Price and brings a wealth of major league managerial experience to the job. The Reds will be the fifth team Riggleman has led in his career, as he previously served as the manager of the San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals.