Forget his championship pedigree, his dedication to fundamental baseball, and his calculated risks. The most important part of Terry Francona’s managerial style is his relationship with his players, and he just leveraged that trust into one of the most exciting weeks in recent Cincinnati Reds history. Three key moves that could have backfired or bruised an ego or two became the rallying points for Cincinnati’s postseason run.
The first daring shakeup actually came several months ago. Noelvi Marte’s bat needed to stay in the lineup, but his glove was becoming a liability at third base. With Reds' president Nick Krall eyeing an upgrade at the hot corner at the trade deadline, Francona and first base coach Collin Cowgill shifted Marte to right field.