Cincinnati Reds let Jim Riggleman go from organization

In a move that is not entirely surprising, the Cincinnati Reds have parted ways with former interim manager Jim Riggleman.

The writing was on the wall for Jim Riggleman. The interim manager of the Cincinnati Reds had interviewed for the permanent role, but was not one of the three finalists for the position. Even though he had done a solid job in that role, posting a 64-80 record, his time with the franchise was seemingly coming to an end.

That was made official on Sunday. Although he had spent the last seven seasons in the Reds system, either managing in the minors or working as a coach at the major league level, Riggleman was dismissed from the team.

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In a way, this dismissal is a bit of a surprise. Riggleman had done relatively well with Cincinnati in his interim role, and had supporters in the front office and in ownership. He was also very familiar with the young Reds players, given his time in the minors managing in the system. Instead, the 65 year old will now need to look elsewhere for his next coaching opportunity.

With his departure, the Reds also lose a great deal of experience in the coaching ranks. Riggleman has been a coach or manager since 1983, and has guided five different major league teams. If anyone understands the highs and lows of managing, it is he.

That experience would be invaluable to a team with a young manager, especially one that has no managerial experience. As a bench coach, Riggleman would be a calming, steady hand for any neophyte, capable of helping with the day to day as the new manager gets comfortable in the role. In fact, he would have been quite valuable to new Reds skipper David Bell, who has no managerial experience at this point.

Instead, Riggleman will be looking to continue his career elsewhere. If he lands with another team as a coach, or even becomes a managerial candidate, that organization will get the benefit of those years of experience. Riggleman should not be at a loss when it comes to finding a new job.

The Cincinnati Reds have moved on from Jim Riggleman. Their loss could be another team’s gain.