Sports Today: What’s a manager worth anyway?

I like seeing the future unfold, finding out who is worth the hype and who needs to be replaced with yet another prospect/suspect to also get excited about all over again.

With brief exceptions, the Reds’ 2018 has been anything but fun so far.

HAL MCCOY: Bailey’s gem turns into blowout loss in Philadelphia

Cincinnati is 2-8 because the offense has been a disappointment and the pitching has been as inconsistent as expected.

The latter is in no small part because of the anemic offense. Since the Reds rarely score runs, they rarely have a lead. That means Bryan Price hasn’t really been able to set up his relievers the way he would like in the later innings.

That leads to things like a rookie turning a close game into a rout last night in Philadelphia.

Speaking of Price, what exactly has he done to maintain his job?

I guess we have to assume the Reds brass doesn’t assign anymore blame to him than it does my jinxing powers.

The Bengals confirmed in January they don't care that much about wins or fan support when they retained Marvin Lewis.

How long will the Reds follow suit?

Obviously, Price has been dealt some bad hands since becoming the Reds manager.

No one expects him to have made the playoffs by now, but at the same time, has he done anything to justify keeping this job?

(Dusty Baker had a flawed roster his last time out, too, and in much the same way I felt he failed to come close to maximizing it, but Baker also had a successful track record as a manger whereas Price has none.)

This is starting to feel like the Cleveland Browns and Hue Jackson.

Price and Jackson were exceptional assistants. They possess great minds for their games, and they are also friendly with the media for what that’s worth.

Neither has had much to work with after moving to the top of the food chain, and coaching is probably a little overrated in the pros compared to other levels.

The most talented teams are generally going to win regardless of who is in charge, but certainly there are things a manager or coach can do to make a team more or less likely to reach its potential.

Or so I thought.

Since Price and Lewis continue to be employed by losing teams (I’d still give Jackson more time, but I understand those who feel differently), maybe that’s not true.

Maybe these guys have all been just seat warmers all along and the teams in Cincinnati are the first to figure it out — or at least decide the charade isn’t worth maintaining anymore…

How the call-up of Nick Senzel that might be pending plays into Price’s future is anyone’s guess. 

I am going to assume it assures there won’t be a managerial change for at least a while because they will want some stability around their top prospect as he gets used to a major-league clubhouse.

Senzel started hot Louisville but has gone hitless his past three games.

Guess that means he would fit right in with the current Reds offense if he is in Cincinnati on Friday night…

On the bright side, the Dayton Dragons have won three in a row. 

Miles Gordon played the hero Tuesday night as they beat the Lake County Captains again. His two-run homer in the eighth inning was the difference in a 4-1 victory.

Hunter Greene has generated most of the headlines, but this is a very interesting Dayton roster.

Marc Pendleton notes pitching has driven the Dragons' success the last three games, yielding just five runs after getting crushed in the first three games of the season by Bowling Green.