I almost posted this in the new series thread, but feel that it may grow pretty lengthy. I decided it would be best served in it's own thread rather than thread-jacking the other.

 

As I've mentioned a few times in prior posts, I'm a firm believer in allowing David Bell to work the kinks out for an entire season before I pass any judgment on if he will ever be a successful manager or not. All managers have a heck of a learning curve, and he deserves the time to learn.

 

With the above being said, I wanted to bring up the point of Roark going public with comments about being unhappy with being pulled yesterday. This is coming about 2 weeks after Iggy went public with comments of being unhappy with how he was used. This gets me to thinking and I remember an interview Votto had earlier this year where he was asked how he felt about the lineup and hitting leadoff, he couldn't have looked less comfortable answering the question. Brian Price had an awful record, but it seemed most frustrations were handled behind closed doors.

 

I bring up all these points to ask, has David Bell lost the clubhouse? Is players being comfortable enough to speak out a good thing?

 

Please share your thoughts.

Way to early to judge Bell, and no he has not lost the clubhouse. The manager and coaches always have the best interest of the players at hand. Heck, this is the best the Reds pitching has performed in years, not complaining about taking a guy out too early late etc. I applaud Bell for at least shaking the lineup around especially early when the offense was miserable. It is going to take time. This team is not ready to compete seriously in the division yet. Hopefully, they continue to improve.

Interesting thread and I do wonder if the way guys like Votto, Peraza and Barnhart have been used is a big reason for their struggles early on. Guys like Dietrich who are used to that are thriving.