Cincinnati Reds: Defense shining through first month of the season
Apr. 27—Last summer, when the Cincinnati Reds traded for Gold Glove third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes, the organization provided a reminder of how much it's prioritizing infield defense. So far this year, that infield defense has been a key part of the team's success.
"We've talked about it from Day 1," president of baseball operations Nick Krall said. "We want to be a pitching and defense team. We play in a hitter-friendly ballpark.
If you maximize getting outs, it'll help the pitching staff. We want to be a good pitching team. That's something we've talked about for the last few years.
" Hayes has struggled to hit as a Red. After the trade last year, the coaches identified a few tweaks that they believed would help him elevate the ball and hit for some more power. So far, that hasn't translated into results.
However, he has made his impact with his glove. "We know the type of defender he is," Terry Francona said. "It's our responsibility to get a lineup where whatever he hits, we can live with it because the defense is so good.