C. Trent Rosecrans | Cincinnati Reds Insider, The Athletic: Cincinnati

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That's betterhelp.com slash positive. Trent Rosecrance, who covers the team for the athletic. Well, we'll just start with the easy question, Trent. What has gotten into the Cincinnati Reds? You know, this is what this team and Nick Kral, the general manager, have been trying to build towards the last couple years. And this was supposed to kind of be one of those bridge years and hope to, you know, get the young guys some experience and up here this year and used to being in the big leagues and maybe go for it in 24.

But those guys had different ideas. I mean, Ellie De La Cruz, Matt McLean, Spencer Spear, they're all rookies, but they don't look like rookies. And this is a team that just is entertaining. They run a lot. They're really fast and athletic. And they're just relentless on the bases. And that's been kind of their MO this year. They're a team that is aggressive, plays aggressive and scores some runs. Where do you think they get the wisdom maybe that goes beyond their years, some of these young guys?

You know, I think it's just kinda their makeup. I mean, Matt McLean is just a solid no-nonsense player. Ellie De La Cruz is maybe the, you know, right up there with the world as Chapman is the most talented athletic player I've ever covered. He's also a very smart and unselfish player, which is really exciting. And then Spencer Steir is just steady.

And you don't really notice them, but then you look at his numbers and you're like, oh, this guy can play. Really, it's almost like this entire team plays like Jonathan India. And, you know, one rookie of the year, two years ago, dealt with injuries last year, but India's not the flashiest player, but he's a hard-nosed player. But he's a hard-nosed player. And, you know, they joke that he's the captain of this team. And for good reason, because he plays like that and everybody plays like Jonathan India.

And if everybody plays like Jonathan India, they're going to be playing hard and they may not win every game, but there's going to be no questioning the effort. So with the nine game win streak, they have actually catapulted themselves to the top of the NL Central. I'm not sure how long you've covered the Reds, but it's been a while since anyone could say that. Yeah, like there's longer than 31 games.

I just looked this up. They were after 31 games, I think in 2017, they were in first place, but it has been since 2012 beyond that. And 2012, I was around, that was a really, really good team, won 96 games.

Johnny Quato doesn't get hurt in the playoffs. I really think they had a great chance at winning the World Series that year. The excitement over Joey Votto returning, it's great that he's still playing.

I think he's such a fun, quirky addition to any clubhouse. To have him return to the Reds with the home run and the three RBI, what was the excitement level like there at the ballpark? It was beyond anything I've seen in a long time.

It really was. And even Joey said he was a little surprised. He got a curtain call.

He had several. He had a standing O when he took the field in the top of the first. Another one in the bottom of the second. Give a lot of credit to both Rocky's catcher Elias Diaz and the umpire for recognizing that moment and letting it happen. And then the home run.

It was just ambushed. And the thing is, you're talking to the players, other players in the clubhouse afterwards, they're just like, his swing was there. They could tell that he was locked in early.

And he's a Hall of Fame player. And I've covered Joey since, well, I guess it's the 2006 Futures game in Pittsburgh. And so I've known Joey since then and covered Joey since then. You just never know with Joey. That's the thing. It's like, you could tell me anything about the guy and I believe it.

And every time I start to doubt him, he proves me wrong and he proves a lot of people wrong. Trent Rosecrance is with us from Cincinnati after the Reds extend their win streak to nine games. Now in first place in the NL Central with this surge that they're on.

It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. So I saw a quote from Joey in which he mentioned that it was a long time coming referring to the rehab. Did he ever have any doubts that he'd be able to get back to this point considering that he's nearly 40 years old?

Yeah. I mean, he said he did. He had a lot. I was talking to him after the game and I was like, you know, that first at bat, I smoked it. He did. It's like his first at bat, he lined out on the second pitch and saw it's 104-4 off the bat. And he was just like, yeah, I thought about just giving up.

Like, if that's not going to fall, what's going to happen? Wow. And I was like, and I was just like, Joey, come on. He's like, no, I'm serious.

No. And he's like, yeah. And then the next step out, he hit a home run. So he felt okay.

At 102 and that was the softest hit of the game, batted ball of the game. What about Joey? What would his role be on a day-to-day basis? Like I asked Jonathan India that and I just said, you know, there's such a great vibe with this team and that's such a big part of the team right now. Yeah. There are some of the questions, even myself, like would Joey mess with that?

And he goes, no, man. So he creates this and it is something that he has done since spring. He was in charge of so much of the team bonding experiences, even though he was rehabbing and he wasn't in there every day. He's been here when he's not in Louisville rehabbing. He's been here. And then when he was in Louisville rehabbing, he would keep in touch with players and kind of like text them. He said he was watching every game and he just felt a part of this team. And I don't, I think this team feels like he's part of them too. And it's just, this is the first time he's been able to contribute on the field, but it's not the first time he's contributed to this. Did they call him dad or grandpa?

No. He's just Joe. He's he's a, he's one of a kind. But he is, I think like Kurt Casale is like 34 and he might be the closest player in age. And, you know, we're talking about Ellie de la Cruz is 21.

Yep. I didn't even look at how old Ellie was when, I mean, I guess I could do the math pretty quickly, but when Joey debuted in 2007 which is funny, his, he was his second at bat as a big leaguer, is actually in the second game because he pinch hit in the first game. And his first start, he homered in his first at bat. So his first hit as a big leaguer was a homer. And he talked today about how he felt like he was a rookie again, coming up.

And once again, his first hit was a home run. I feel like every winning team has someone who can offer some experience and, and Joey is so unique. As you point out, he's got a great sense of humor. Doesn't take himself too seriously and really loves the game of baseball. Fits right in with this group then. He also takes some of the pressure off some of these young guys.

Ellie de la Cruz is sitting there waiting. He's expecting to be talked to after every game and he doesn't have to carry that anymore. Matt McLean is the guy that doesn't have to carry that.

There's Joey, you know, Joey can take some of that. He's been there. He is the future hall of famer. So like there is some clout that he has and he can take that off of other players and, and he realizes that more than anybody I've been around. We're excited to talk Reds with Trent Rosecrans, who's covering the Reds for the athletic and is joining us now after their ninth consecutive win.

It's after hours here on CBS sports radio. It's one thing to sweep the Royals. It's entirely another to sweep the Astros in Houston. How significant for the Reds to have that experience?

Yeah, I think it's good. I mean, the heck they're a six and O against teams from Texas. They swept the Rangers earlier this year too.

That's the early part. So I mean, and you're talking to pretty good teams there. They also won two or three in, in St. Louis, which the Cardinals aren't playing well, but this team has struggled. I mean, the Cardinals have kind of been the team that everybody in this division has looked at for many years and to go in there and just beat them up and feel like they even let one go there. Much less, you know, that they didn't perform their best and they still won two or three.

That's a big thing. They've played really well. They've played some good teams, not so good teams, but you should sweep the Royals. And then when you do sweep the Astros, it means a little more. How many people out there can name the starting rotation for the Cincinnati Reds?

Well, quite honestly, with Hunter Green going on the IL today, I'm struggling doing that. But I mean, you know, it's funny because at the start of the year, the prevailing thought was, well, those top three young guys who were rookies last year in Hunter Green, Nick Lidolo and Graham Ashcraft are as good as anybody in the division's top three. And they should have some decent starting pitching, but where's the offense going to come from? And the bullpen's a question.

Well, it's kind of flipped. All three of those guys are currently on the IL. The bullpen has been a strength and the offense has really turned it on. So then what is the atmosphere like at the Great American Ballpark now that they're home to start this stand? How are the fans reacting? There's an excitement about this team that I haven't felt maybe since 12. Wow.

Maybe even 10. Yeah. I think because there's a, looking at it on the field, they're a fun brand of baseball and they've come back. They've come from behind 24 times already this year. You know, you can, kind of a cliche to say, well, we're never out of it and we grind and we're always, you know, never give up kind of thing. And even earlier in the season, they kept saying that and I said, well, don't you have to win at some point? You know, does that just become platitude?

Yeah. And then that's what they've started doing. And it's been fun to watch.

I think, you know, you have to give a lot of credit to two guys who have been maligned over the last couple of years and manager David Bell for helping create that, that chemistry, that culture and the crawl, the general manager who is, they were, they sold last year and it wasn't easy for anybody, but when you get back to the likes of Spencer Steir and Christian Encarnacion Strands coming soon, just some of the guys that they've got, Nick Kral has done one heck of a job. Something that impresses me as I've watched them play recently, of course, and winning is fun, but they always seem to be engaged. So standing up on the top step, right behind the railing, celebrating every little thing, the giant smiles on their faces too.

They enjoy each other. And that's the thing. It's like a funny thing. Like, you know, you could, you could look at someone like Matt McLean, um, a first round pick in 2021, um, shortstop, you know, that's supposed to be the guy, um, college, all American supposed to be the guy. Well, out of nowhere comes this prospect, Ellie De La Cruz. And even last year, once Ellie got moved up to double a and they're planning into double a together, they're switching off who plays shortstop every day. Shortstops don't like to play other places, but shortstop, like there's a mentality, the shortstop, but these two guys, it didn't matter.

They are thick as thieves. And I, I even asked Matt last year, and then I've noticed, said it again, this year, it's like, you know, a lot of guys would feel threatened or whatever. And he's like, no, man, it's just belly. He loves to play the game. We love playing together. We're going to be good together for a long time. I don't care where either one of us is playing. We're going to be good. And that's going through it. And this is the whole team.

Um, you see a lot of people moving around a lot of different parts. Spencer Steir started in left field today. Um, he'll probably play more left field and outfield, something that he's never really done before, but he's going to do that. Nick Conzel played in right field, started in right field. It was just the second time he's played right field as a, as a pro. Um, he's played all three outfield spots.

He's played third base and second base this year. I mean, these are guys who just want to win. A lot of teams say that this team's actions back that up before I let you go. Trent Rosecrans is with us from Cincinnati. What are your impressions of the central, which the reds now lead? Oh, it's terrible.

Both central are bad. I mean, there's, there's no other thing you can say, and the reds are playing really well in a very winnable division. And I mean, we're joking about it. Like you could get to the playoff time where, because of the current format, they have to play a team with a much better record than them, but it would be here. So, you know, this is, it's, it's a, that's why you don't just say, well, this is a good start. And hopefully through the next couple of years, we can develop. No, you say, Hey, this, this is a team that can make the playoffs this year. And part of that is being young and good and talented. And part of that is playing in this division, having a division that's wide open.

Why not the reds? And now they are sitting on top of the central by half game over Milwaukee. Pretty impressive. All right. So you can find Trent on Twitter at C Trent and it's Trent Rosecrans who covers the reds for the athletic is there in Cincinnati. Great American ballpark is rocking. What a cool story.

They can't even story. Thank you so much for a couple of minutes. This was fun. No problem.

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