Sunday, March 31, 2002
Naehring's Way
By John Fay, jfay@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SARASOTA, Fla. — Here on the backfields of the Ed Smith Stadium complex is Camp Naehring. It is where the future of the Reds rests. It is a place Bob Howsam, architect of the Big Red Machine, would like.
Tim Naehring, the Reds' director of player development, runs a camp with rules straight out of the 1970s: no facial hair; stirrups, not socks; black shoes.
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TOP 10 PROSPECTS
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Here are the 10 prospects Reds director of player development Tim Naehring rates as being closest to the big leagues (in alphabetical order):
• Ricardo Aramboles, 20, RHP: Made it to Triple-A with the Yankees last year. Fastball in upper 90s.
• Ben Broussard, 25, 1B: He'll be up if Sean Casey goes on DL. Had 27 2Bs, 23 HRs last year.
• Gookie Dawkins, 22, SS: Pokey Reese II. Can field, but will he hit enough?
• Ty Howington, 21, LHP: Look for him to be at Cinergy some time this year.
• Luke Hudson, 24, RHP: Good stuff, but Reds would like to see better results. Has 21-31 career record in minors.
• Austin Kearns, 21, RF: Polished player. Needs to overcome thumb injury.
• Ranier Olmedo, 20, SS: Was the best fielder in the major-league camp. Needs to improve as a hitter.
• Dustin Moseley, 20, RHP: Only one of the 10 who wasn't in the big-league camp. Won 10 games at Single-A Dayton last year.
• Wily Mo Pena, 20, RF: Incredible talent. Will he ever put it all together? That's the difference between Sammy Sosa and Ruben Rivera.
• Dane Sardinha, 22, C: Has big-league defensive skills right now. But hit only .235 last year.
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As soon as Naehring got the job in October 2000, he put the rules in place. Naehring grew up on the west side and went to LaSalle High School. His blueprint for the way the game is player come from the Howsam Era Big Red Machine.
“Two major areas of trying to become a team are attitude and appearance,” Naehring said. “It was a piece of cake to come to this organization and try to implement that, because that's what the Reds are.”
Naehring played for eight years in the big leagues with the Boston Red Sox. He knows a lot of the players view his rules the same way they do a foul ball off the foot: a royal pain. But he doesn't run a democracy. His one vote counts more than each of the 233 from the players.
“This is what I think is very important,” he said. “Is every player wearing a black T-shirt under their jersey going to make them a better player? Probably not. Is wearing stirrups, like Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan did, going to make them a better player? Probably not.
“The thought is: We're a team. It's an attitude.”
You can make the argument that the two most important people in the Reds organization are Naehring and scouting director Kasey McKeon. Because no matter how much money Great American Ball Park generates, the Reds are going to successful only if they find talent (McKeon's job) and develop it (Naehring's job).
Naehring ended up with the Reds through a chance meeting with general manager Jim Bowden. Bowden attended an event put on by Naehring's charity, Athletes Reaching Out. Naehring's career was pretty much over. A torn ligament in his right elbow had ended it.
“He said, "Come down to the stadium and we'll talk,' ” Naehring said.
Bowden tried to get Naehring to try another comeback.
“He offered me a minor-league contract,” he said. “He said, "Continue to rehab your elbow and maybe somewhere down the line you'll be a bat we can use.' I slid the contract back to him and said: "No, my elbow's shot. I've been rehabbing a year and a half. I'm done.' ”
Naehring took a job as a scout instead.
The farm director's job opened when Billy Doran was put on the major-league coaching staff. Bowden asked Naehring to apply. Naehring took the job with specification he could implement his rules.
“Jim's been a great person to work with,” Naehring said. “He's given me a great amount of flexibility. He's allowed me to bring in some people I trust who I know are good baseball people. We're trying to move forward.”
The first person Naehring hired was Grant Griesser, a college teammate from Miami University.
Griesser was the general manager of the Vero Beach Dodgers, and part of his job was running the Dodgers' spring training camp.
“I thought we could do a good job together and run this thing the right way,” Griesser said. “It's been awesome. It's been well-received for the most part. You have the veterans who don't want to shave the goatee; they don't want to wear the pants the way we like to see them worn. It's not like it's a boot camp. It's not that type of camp or philosophy. All it is is, "Respect the game; look like a player; be a professional.' We want all these guys to be big-league players. When they are, hey, fire the earring in, put the goatee on.
“We want individuals. We don't want a bunch of clones out here. You want players to have that kind of edge, but by the same token, there's some aspect of team, some aspect of discipline.”
The new discipline and organization haven't gone unnoticed.
“It was very lax when I first got here,” said Al Goldis, a special assistant to the general manager who has worked in similar capacities for the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox and Anaheim Angels. “It's back to our old standards, with dress codes and discipline.”
Naehring's first order of business is developing players, but he wants to develop winners. The Reds' minor-league teams had the second-best record in baseball (behind the Houston Astros) last season, and they won the Pioneer (rookie) and International (Triple-A) titles.
“It's well-documented that over a 162-game season, attitude and makeup are very important,” Naehring said. “Sometimes the residual value is more wins. When the game is on the line, the gamers — the guys with attitude, approach — are the guys who win you a ballgame. That's what we're trying to get these guys to buy into.”
They have for the most part. Naehring is a big part of that. He is the highest-ranking person in the front office who played in the big leagues.
“I respect a lot of what he does,” said Louisville infielder Chris Sexton. “I've known him for a long time, 10, 12 years. He's an honest guy. One of the reasons I came back is he shot it straight with me. I appreciate that. He understands what it's like to be a player. He understands the ups and downs of what being a minor-leaguer can be. That goes a long way. The credibility factor is not an issue with his major-league time.”
Naehring spends a lot of time dealing with mini-crises. He was the man in the middle of the Austin Kearns controversy. Because he is respected, he's usually able to defuse such situation. He is pretty much unwavering on his basic tenet: Respect the game. The statement is on the back of those black T-shirts that are required to be worn.
“I just had a player in this office for a 35-minute discussion,” Naehring said. “There were some guys in camp today who were really upset about what was going to happen with their career, where they were going to be placed. He made some comments. We had to bring him in here and talk about his attitude. There is a certain way you have to go about the game.”
Naehring loves his job. You can see it in his face when he talks about Wily Mo Pena or Olmedo Ranier or the young pitching. He thinks the future of the Reds is bright.
“A lot has been written about our position players,” he said. "And we do have some good ones! If Wily Mo Pena ever puts it together, he has as high a ceiling as I've ever seen,” Naehring said. “He's like an Adam Dunn. He's got the attitude and makeup. He's strong, can run, loves to play the game. We've got Olmedo.
“But, truthfully, we're a year and a half away from having a whole group of arms ready to provide some type of impact at the major-league level. The group that you'll see in (Single-A) Dayton, (Single-A) Stockton and (Double-A) Chattanooga this year is going to be very impressive. Sure, some of those guys will separate themselves, but there is a whole host of players who are going to be coming.”
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Naehring's Way
