Reds have fallen behind Brewers in an area Terry Francona should own

When Terry Francona was named the Cincinnati Reds manager after the 2024 season, almost every fan throughout the tri-state area was ecstatic to have a Hall of Fame-caliber manager at the helm. But two years later, the Reds appear to have taken several steps backwards, and are watching their division rivals, the Milwaukee Brewers, play in the World Series.

The Brewers own the NL Central and have blown past the Reds in several aspects. But at least one area of the game that most assume (with Francona leading the way) would put Cincinnati on equal footing with Milwaukee, has actually been an Achilles heel for the Reds.

Why do the Reds struggle on defense with Terry Francona calling the shots?

Defensively, the Reds and Brewers are in two completely different stratospheres, and that need not be the case. Milwaukee committed the seventh-fewest errors in all of baseball this past season, while Cincinnati came in 12 spots behind them. Fielding percentage may be antiquated in the eyes of some fans and evaluators, but again, the Brewers (.987) were better than the Reds (.985).

Diving into the advanced metrics reveals the exact same problem. The Brewers ranked fifth with in Defensive Runs Saved with 62 DRS, while the Reds placed 27th with -31 DRS. Outs Above Average brought the two teams a little closer with Milwaukee accounting for the eighth-most with 19 OAA and Cincinnati coming in at No. 16 with 2 OAA. Statcast's Fielding Run Value is also a popular one, and again, the Brewers are the better team with 7 FRV compared to the Reds' -13 FRV.

When David Bell was fired in 2024, several players (and a lot of Reds fans) cited a lack of accountability as the biggest reason a change was needed. Francona was supposed to bring accountability to an organization that was severely lacking in that area, and he's preached fundamentals and playing "clean baseball" since his arrival. But the results just aren't there.

The Brewers, and their World Series opponent the Tampa Bay Rays, do all the little things, and that's why they're playing for all the marbles. Francona doesn't get to dictate who's on the roster, but once the players are between the white lines, it's up to them to play mistake-free and do the small things that can make a big difference.

Francona needs to set the pace for the Reds heading into next season, and sadly, it needs to start with a return to the fundamentals. The Reds were lacking in some of the most basic practices in 2026 — fielding, base running, etc. — and that shouldn't happen with a future Hall of Famer in the dugout.

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