Terry Francona knows what it takes to win in the Major Leagues—his two World Series rings are proof of that.
The Reds’ new manager is working to instill the same winning culture he built with the Red Sox into a young and talented Cincinnati team.
“We’re young, but that will never be an excuse for not winning,” Francona said Wednesday on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM.
To reinforce his message, Francona brought in Dustin Pedroia—one of the key players on his 2007 World Series-winning Red Sox team, who also helped lead Boston to another title in 2013—to speak to the Reds during Spring Training.
“We had Dustin Pedroia talk to our guys the other day,” Francona said. “I was so fired up I could have run through a wall. If you weren’t ready to do the same, you didn’t have a pulse. My palms were sweating. It was incredible.”
Francona is confident the Reds have what it takes to compete in the National League Central in 2025.
“There are no guarantees about how good we’ll be, but we’re going to find out,” he said. “We’re young, and hopefully, we’ll see them take another step forward. If we can keep our staff healthy, maybe we can make some noise.”