The Reds are speeding past the rest of MLB

August 30th, 2023

This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon¡¯s Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PHOENIX -- Through steals, taking extra bases and hustling, the Reds have often worn out opponents throughout 2023 by running and running some more.

Teams have to plan for the Reds¡¯ aggressiveness and defend against it. It¡¯s one more thing opponents have to think about.

Manager David Bell set the expectation in Spring Training that the Reds should be more aggressive on the bases. One of the people who helped put the plan into action was first-base coach Collin Cowgill.

"Anything we can do to create an advantage with our legs, we¡¯re going to try to do," Cowgill said. "What¡¯s been the most impressive thing to me about our team is I don¡¯t have to say anything about it. That¡¯s our culture. That¡¯s our identity. [Bell] talked about it starting in Spring Training. All I really have to do is give them information, and they¡¯re already wound up and ready to go at first base anyway."

Cincinnati leads the Major Leagues with 153 stolen bases entering Wednesday, after stealing only 58 bases in 2022.

In Statcast rankings, the Reds lead MLB in adding extra runs on the bases. In 2022, they were tied for the league's worst.

A big reason for the improvement is the presence of more athletic players. Led by Elly De La Cruz, along with Matt McLain, TJ Friedl, Jake Fraley and more, the Reds lead MLB in average sprint speed. In 2022, they were tied for 22nd.

Cowgill joined Bell's coaching staff in November after serving as the manager for the Mariners' Double-A affiliate in Arkansas the previous two seasons. A former outfielder, he played six seasons in the big leagues from 2011-16.

On Sunday in Arizona, I spoke with Cowgill about the club's success on the basepaths this season.

MLB.com: Obviously, there are more athletic players on the team this year. But there is also a lot of study and technique involved in taking bases. What¡¯s your role in the success?

Cowgill: It¡¯s 99 percent on them. We¡¯ve got a group of really fast, really athletic players. What¡¯s shocked me the most about this group is they¡¯re all hungry to steal bases. They all have an aggressive mindset. It makes my job really easy. We have a couple of drills we¡¯ll do on form stuff. But [strength and conditioning director Rob Fumagalli] has done a fantastic job of holding them accountable with their sprint and pregame work. He¡¯ll bring cones out, get them in a straight line, work on their first step and all that. As far as my role goes, I try to do all the work I would do if I was stealing a base. I try to do it for them and present the information. That way, when they get to first, they only have a small amount of time to get any information or message.

MLB.com: What kind of pregame work do you do? Do you look at videos and study scouting reports?

Cowgill: I watch video after video, try to see what I can see. I have all the [pitchers¡¯] times, counts when they throw offspeed. They don¡¯t have to think. They can just go out there, react and play their game. They have enough to worry about defending and hitting and whatnot. If I can help them have a little peace of mind when they get to first, knowing all they have to do is listen and run, it makes it all work pretty well.

MLB.com: What makes the skill of going from first base to third base -- and taking an extra base anywhere -- to overwhelm opponents with running so important?

Cowgill: There¡¯s a number of ways to steal bases. It¡¯s not just stealing a base off a pitcher. An extra base taken is the same as a stolen base. It¡¯s just not credited the same. Since Spring Training, it¡¯s kind of been our rallying cry. We¡¯re going to be aggressive. We¡¯re going to use our speed to our advantage and create some chaos, put the pressure on the defense as many ways as we can. We have a unique skillset a lot of other teams don¡¯t have the luxury to have. We have a lot of green runners. First to third is really important, first to home, second to home, tagging on balls we shouldn¡¯t be tagging on from first to second and second to third.

MLB.com: Your team is not afraid to make outs on the bases by being aggressive. They keep running.

Cowgill: Absolutely. We¡¯re going to encourage them to continue to run. If there¡¯s an opportunity or a situation where we shouldn¡¯t have, that¡¯s my job to come in and teach and coach. For the most part, these guys do such an incredible job. They¡¯re locked in. They know what they want to do and what they¡¯re going to do. When they¡¯re at first, they¡¯re ready to be baserunners, which is really special.

MLB.com: When did the practice of banging helmets with your baserunners like football players begin?

Cowgill: Mike Napoli and Jonny Gomes were doing it in Boston in 2013 when they won the World Series. They¡¯d get to first base and smash the coach¡¯s helmet. I always thought it was great. So I casually said something about it in one of the meetings at Spring Training. [Tyler Stephenson] was the first one to say he wanted to get in on this headbutt thing. It started with Stevo and a couple of guys jumped on board.

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com