>I agree that pitcher killer stuff was overblown and he did a
>good job with the young talented pitchers in Cincy.

I think the reputation was entirely earned, but that he should similarly get credit for improving so much. Mark Prior's 2003 pitch counts down the stretch are... awful. And include some oddities like 131 pitches thrown in a 7-0 win. I know they were making a playoff push, but that one in particular is bad news.

Still, he's learned new tricks. It sucks to hang Mark Prior on him when he led a staff of, as you point out, young pitchers that stayed really healthy all year.

>Reds could certainly do a lot worse than Dusty.

Basically. His record as a manager isn't an accident. If you've got a solid team with steady veterans and you need to get them over the playoff hump, Baker should be at or near the top of the list.