Winning Executive to be Mourned by Reds and Rockies

Jocketty was hired by the colorful Charlie Finley, the owner of the Oakland Athletics, in 1980.

He moved on to the Colorado Rockies as the assistant general manager to Dan O’Dowd in 1994. The St. Louis Cardinals hired him as general manager later that year. Jocketty hired Tony La Russa. Under Jocketty, the Cardinals won seven division championships, two National League championships in 2004 and 2006, and the World Series in 2006.

The Reds hired Jocketty to replace Wayne Krivsky in 2008. He inherited Dusty Baker as the manager.

Jocketty, with his ties to St. Louis, brought in former Cardinals, Scott Rolen and Miguel Cairo. Both provided the Reds' young team with veteran leadership. Joey Votto and Jay Bruce benefited greatly from their presence.

Baker and Jockety did not always agree on player personnel.

One conflict was over Mike Leake, the Reds' first pick in the 2009 draft. Baker had checked his sources and believed that Leake was ready to start the 2010 season. Jocketty favored Travis Wood, who was the Reds’ second pick in 2005 and had five seasons in the organization. Baker’s choice started in the big leagues without a day in the minor leagues, straight out of Arizona State University.

Another involved the use of Aroldis Chapman, who appeared in his first game in August 2010.

Jocketty wanted Chapman to be a starter for 2011. Baker thought he was more valuable as a closer.

Baker once told the press that spring that Chapman wanted to be closer. When the remark appeared in print. Jocketty and Baker held a joint session with the media. Jocketty told the press that Chapman would go to the bullpen but emphasized that the player was not the one to make those decisions.

Whatever the conflicts, the pair combined talents to win the National League Central in 2010, breaking the Reds’ 20-year drought. Jocketty was named Executive of the Year. The Reds took the division crown again in 2012, losing in the division series to the San Francisco Giants after Johnny Cueto and Bronson Arroyo pitched the Reds to wins in the first two games in San Francisco. The Giants won the next three games in Cincinnati, as Cueto was injured. The Reds made the playoffs as a Wild Card in 2013 but lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a one-game playoff.

Baker was let go and replaced by pitching coach Bryan Price after the 2013 season.

Jocketty remained with the Reds as the president of baseball operations in 2015. Then, at the end of 2016, he was named as the executive advisor to the CEO, a position he held until his death.