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CCiinncciinnnnaattii RReeddss MMeeddiiaa CClliippss SSeepptteemmbbeerr 1166tthh,, 22001166 Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings September 16, 2016 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1988-Tom Browning becomes the first and only pitcher in Reds history to throw a perfect game when he retires all 27 Dodgers he faces, winning, 1-0. MLB.COM Inbox: What will be Price's fate with Reds? Beat reporter Mark Sheldon answers questions from Cincinnati fans By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | September 15th, 2016 Where do you place the odds on the Reds bringing back manager Bryan Price next year? -- @SteveBest1 If it were still the first half, I would have said those odds would be slim as Price approaches the end of his three-year contract. But now, I think there is a chance that Price will return in 2017. From some conversations I've had, members of the front office seem pleased with the second-half results (30-26 record since the All-Star break). The team is pitching well, and for the most part, players are giving a good effort all the way to the end of a non-contending season. Billy Hamilton and Eugenio Suarez have taken nice steps forward, and young players like Jose Peraza provide optimism for the future. Let's face it, Price has not been given a full-strength roster to work with in his three seasons. He seems more comfortable at the helm this season than he was during the first two seasons after never having managed previously. We'll see whether all or any of the above helps earn Price a chance to continue. General manager Dick Williams will be the new head of baseball operations as Walt Jocketty steps aside, and he might want his own guy. Right now, they are playing their cards close to the vest. Who do you think will be in the starting rotation next year? I know there are a few locks. -- @ztrain21 Barring injuries and the unforeseen, I envision these four locks: Anthony DeSclafani, Homer Bailey, Brandon Finnegan and Dan Straily. That leaves quite a list of players to compete for the other spot, a group that includes but isn't limited to Michael Lorenzen, Cody Reed, Robert Stephenson, Tim Adleman, John Lamb and perhaps Amir Garrett. If Raisel Iglesias doesn't go back in the bullpen, he could be in there as well. The Reds would have to feel pretty good about what they have going into 2017 if everyone stays healthy. How much does Stephenson need to improve to open next season in the rotation? Do you think he will? -- @elliottm_3 Stephenson frustrated some -- including Triple-A Louisville manager Delino DeShields -- because of his inconsistency, command issues and lack of adjustments. But he often showed better command and kept the walks down once he was in the Majors. If Stephenson shows more maturity, along with better command and development of his secondary pitches, his chances will be improved. How many members of next year's bullpen do you expect back? -- @Jordan_TM Some of this will depend on the makeup of the rotation, as some pitchers competing for a starting spot could wind up as relievers. If they aren't in the rotation, I'd have to think Iglesias and Lorenzen would form the back end of the bullpen. Cingrani also has a chance to return. Blake Wood, Keyvius Sampson and Josh Smith could also contend for spots. The bullpen's struggles were a big first-half talking point, but Iglesias and Lorenzen really helped stabilize things, along with starters like DeSclafani and Straily having deeper starts. Which Reds player, current or former, has been the easiest to get along with? -- @redsmccurdygal The easiest was Bronson Arroyo -- for everyone. Is Arroyo a Reds Hall of Famer? -- @PaulieMiked Definitely. Arroyo was 105-94 with a 4.05 ERA in 265 starts over eight seasons with the Reds from 2006-13. He made at least 32 starts in each of those seasons and reached 200 innings seven of eight seasons (199 innings in the other one). In club history, Arroyo is seventh all time in strikeouts, eighth in starts and 17th in wins and innings. He also won a Gold Glove Award and went to one All-Star Game while also being a clubhouse leader and popular in the city. And don't forget that before Arroyo and Aaron Harang came along, there wasn't much in solid pitching for Cincinnati in about a decade. CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Will Bryan Price return in 2017? C. Trent Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan, [email protected] 3:19 p.m. EDT September 15, 2016 As the close of the Reds’ self-described rebuilding season nears, manager Bryan Price has been asked question after question about the future of the team. Where will Jose Peraza play? Will Raisel Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen be starters or relievers? Which of the team’s ballyhooed pitching prospects will get the first crack in the team’s rotation? Price dutifully has answered each question as if he will be part of the team making those decisions, yet the question of his status is still up in the air. This is the third year of his initial three-year contract and with 17 games remaining, there has been no decision made about his future. “I’m trying to stay in the present, however, I understand that we’re building toward the future,” Price said. “I keep my eye on the future as well. This stuff, it’s not a huge, bothersome concern. I know that eventually, it’s going to be settled. I’ll be back or I won’t. I don’t mind talking about the future at all, I really don’t. The future of the players. I really don’t want to talk about my future until I have a pretty good grasp on what’s going to happen.” Reds management, in its own transition, is still mulling over the decision of whether Price will be part of its continued transformation in 2017. No decision has been made, Reds general manager Dick Williams told The Enquirer on Thursday, and the evaluation process extends well beyond Price’s 202-267 record and 62-83 record this season. Before the season, both Williams and Walt Jocketty, president of baseball operations, said Price would be evaluated on more than his win-loss record. “If they’re progressing and getting better, that’s what his job is to do this year,” Jocketty said in March. In some senses, that progression has happened. The Reds have a winning record in the second half, and, in particular, have pitched better compared to their disastrous start to the season. Young players like Brandon Finnegan, Jose Peraza, Adam Duvall and Billy Hamilton have enjoyed good years. But others have struggled. Cody Reed’s major-league results never matched his prospect pedigree. Conclusions on the viability of Iglesias and Lorenzen as starters were punted after both wound up in the bullpen due to injuries. Pitching prospect Robert Stephenson hasn’t spent enough time in the majors to draw any sort of conclusion whatsoever about his readiness. Quantifying a manager’s effect on a team has always been a fool’s errand. Giving a manager credit or blame for any particular player’s development is close to impossible. But it’s undeniable the Reds are ending the 2016 season with more upward momentum than they began it. “I couldn’t be happier with the coaching staff,” Price said. “I can talk about next year in the sense that this team is, with a couple more right pieces, (heading) in the right direction for next year. I’m very pleased with the way the players have performed, particularly in the second half.” The Reds plan to come to a decision on Price’s fate before the end of the season, although an announcement regarding it could wait until after Oct. 2. They’ll have to weigh several factors. If the Reds dump Price, it’s likely they’ll be attacking the 2017 season with both a first-year manager and a first-year general manager in Williams, at least in the sense that Williams will have the final call on baseball decisions after the semi-retirement of Jocketty. Hiring a veteran manager would certainly be a preference for Cincinnati, but it’s unlikely that many sought-after candidates with managerial experience would be looking to join a team in the middle of a rebuild. The Reds also have a familiarity and a certain comfort level with Price that would have to be cultivated with a new manager. It’s also not tough to argue that given the organization’s depleted roster the last couple seasons, Price hasn’t been given much of a chance to show his skills in the position. The biggest managerial challenge has been finding playing time for Peraza. Price said several times during the season he wouldn’t sacrifice time for Brandon Phillips or Zack Cozart in order to play the young infielder, but also didn’t want him stagnating on the bench. Price eventually won the debate that Peraza should be playing every day in the minors, and the 22-year-old was sent to Triple-A after the trade deadline. On the other hand, declining to bring back Price wouldn’t exactly be a tough sell. When power is transferred within a front office, it’s not uncommon for the new decision-maker to install his own guy in the manager’s office, and Cincinnati’s poor record over the past couple years wouldn’t provide much of an impediment to such a move.