Bobby Nightengale | Cincinnati Enquirer

Kareem Elgazzar, kelgazzar@enquirer.com

GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Pitchers were long gone after throwing side sessions. The only people walking around the fields were members of the grounds crew. Sitting off to the side of the six mounds used for bullpens was Cincinnati Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson and Triple-A pitching coach Jeff Fassero.

Johnson and Fassero chatted together at a lunch table, discussing pitchers and philosophies. It was one of their many talks throughout the spring.

There’s an added emphasis on aligning the Major League coaching staff with the organization’s player development system. Manager David Bell was a farm director last year. Johnson is a former minor league pitching coordinator. Bench coach Freddie Benavides was a player development field coordinator. It’s important to them.

During spring training, minor league coaches have noticed more communication from the big-league staff. There are more meetings between Major League coaches and player development staff. Aligning the two systems isn’t a new goal, but a new staff represents a fresh start.

“The communication has been way better this year,” Fassero said. “We’ve talked about players, especially what we can do with them. (Johnson) wants to still keep talking about them throughout the year. Last year, we broke (camp) and it was like I wouldn’t get much information from the big-league club about what guys have to do.”

Kareem Elgazzar

Johnson wants to help the organization from top to bottom. The Reds’ instructional league, which typically gathered minor leaguers in September, will likely be moved closer to the winter. During the offseason, Johnson wants to visit the Reds’ complex in the Dominican Republic and visit with pitchers there. It’s a lot of work, but it’s one of the reasons Johnson chose to join the Reds.

“We have a lot of opportunities to have conversations and get to know people, speaking with large groups of the staff, speaking with the players as much as we can do,” Bell said. “It’s really something that we identified that could be a key to our success, long term. From everything I’ve seen, I couldn’t be happier with the effort that’s been made.

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“That’s going to pay off. That will be a process for years to come.”

The Reds are teaching some of the basic team fundamentals at each level in the minor leagues, like bunt plays, first-and-third plays and they will likely use more defensive shifts to help players become more comfortable with them.

One of the things that the Major League coaches have emphasized to minor league coaches is they have the freedom to teach players in their own ways. There is a mix of former big leaguers, veteran coaches and coaches well-versed in video and new technologies, and Bell said it was important to have diverse opinions.

“It's not so much about everyone teaching the same thing, or even having one way to teach it,” Bell said. “I think you miss out when you do it that way.”

The Reds don’t want to use any cookie-cutter methods to develop players. They believe all the new technology, like Rapsodo pitch-tracking devices and slow-motion cameras, will help individualize development for players. One of Johnson’s frequent sayings: Be great at what you’re good at.

“They trust us as instructors,” said Pat Kelly, the manager at Double-A Chattanooga. “They allow us to do our jobs. There’s a lot of places that are so hands-on, that guys aren’t allowed to do that anymore and they aren’t hired to do that. That’s what I really love about being over here.”

Johnson says it’s important to remember that player development doesn’t end once a player reaches the Major Leagues. There isn’t a way to fully prepare a player to transition from Triple-A to the Majors. For pitchers, it’s much harder to navigate a lineup.

“Last year, there was a disconnect,” Fassero said. “They thought these guys were ready to pitch in the big leagues. They’ve got the stuff to pitch in the big leagues, but they are not always ready to pitch in the big leagues. With him understanding that, that’s the biggest (part).

“Guys do succeed right away, but most guys have a little failure before they figure it out.”

The Reds want their farm system to become a strength and they want to improve at developing players at each level in the minor leagues. They believe their communication will make it easier to collaborate, sharing basic philosophies.

If a player bounces from the Major Leagues to Triple-A, or changing between any levels, they want him to hear a similar message.