Is this the year Terry Francona sprinkles some magic pixie dust on the Reds?
As the ridiculous question-themed title suggests, this one might take the cake. It’s not without reference, however, as last summer, ESPN’s Jeff Passan referenced Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona’s legendary pixie dust as a way for the Reds to move up in the standings, something Tito did while in North Cleveland for the better part of a decade.
While the science behind this pixie dust is questionable at best, the reality is that the Reds currently have one of the greatest baseball managers of all time in their dugout, and he is entering his second year at the helm. He knows the shelter at this point, and the lack of turnover suggests he’s OK with the way it’s been set up. At this point, there’s a familiarity that, in theory, should breed a heightened sense of togetherness in the locker room, something Francona has helped foster at nearly every stage of his career.
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This career is also poised to take on even greater importance.
Tito currently has 2,033 career wins as a manager under his belt, which is enough to rank 12th in Major League Baseball history at present. Of the 11 managers ahead of him on the list, 9 are already Hall of Famers and the other two – Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker – will no doubt be there soon. Joe McCarthy currently sits 10th on the all-time wins list with 2,125, meaning a 93-win season from this Reds club would push Francona into the Top 10 for all-time wins.
Francona also guided teams to the playoffs 12 times. That’s a number that’s good for fifth-most all-time, and returning to the playoffs with this Reds club would give him 13 playoff appearances — a number that would tie Baker for fourth all-time.
Only 11 managers in MLB history have won more than two World Series titles, with Tito currently sitting on the two he won back in the day with the Boston Red Sox. If the Reds went all the way this year and won a title, he would be tied with Tony La Russa, Dave Roberts, John McGraw, Sparky Anderson and Miller Huggins with a trio. Only six managers in MLB history have won more than 3 World Series titles.
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It’s a testament to his character, his longevity to reach these potential milestones. This also testifies to his talent and his sense of the position. Now it’s up to this young Reds club to begin to truly understand what it means to be a Francona-led ball club and take the next step in just being slightly better than average, and if they do that, the future Hall of Famer in the dugout next to them will find themselves in even more rarefied air of all time.
It’s all about the pixie dust.
