Reds Beat: How Fatherhood Gives A ‘More Focused’ Jonathan India More Motivation To Achieve Championship Dreams in 2024

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — These are joyous times for Jonathan India.

All one has to do is ask about his daughter Adalina, who turned one month old Monday, the first day of full squad workouts at the Reds player development complex in Goodyear.

I asked and India’s eyes lit up.

“Oh my God, it’s an unbelievable feeling, unbelievable accomplishment it’s something that words really can’t describe the feeling,” the 27-year-old told me. “When that baby comes out and you’re holding a baby for the first time it’s just takes over the emotions and, oh my God, I’m getting like almost emotional about it right now talking about just because of how loved you know you feel you know when this baby you know that’s your baby now. You’re the protector of the baby and the provider now. So, it’s just a beautiful feeling.”

India is very grateful to his double play partner in marriage, wife Daniella, someone who is helping him manage a newborn while preparing for his fourth MLB season.

“She’s doing an awesome she’s recovered really well,” India said of his wife. “She’s a lover as well. She’s all over that baby and she takes unbelievable care when I’m gone and on the field. That’s definitely tough on them, especially when I’m not there most of the time now. She’s here up here in Arizona, and she is a trooper. She’s with that baby from 7am to when I get home around four or 5pm, and she does an unbelievable job. That’s why I married her.”

For India, marriage and a newborn offers the kind of perspective and grounding that is impossible to find anywhere else.

“It gives me more motivation. When I come to the field every day, it keeps me more focused,” India said. “There’s no more distractions. You could say, I get to the field and I know what I have to do. And I know what I’m doing it for now. So, it definitely makes me feel more locked in. Also, it kind of disconnects me from the game, kind of gets me away from worrying about it. Too much worrying about results and worrying about the business side of the game worrying about anything about this game, it kind of calms you down because I have something to look forward to when I come home. I get to come home and completely disconnect from being a baseball player.

“I tell all my friends now and they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re a dad.’ And I tell the guys it’s the best thing in the world. There’s some nights where it gets it gets hard, for sure. But it’s the best thing in the world. You wouldn’t trade her for anything. So it definitely helps in that aspect.”

Fatherhood might come in handy as it will help India during a season where he’s juggling roles and gloves. He spent the early portion of the first day of full squad workouts in the outfield with coach Collin Cowgill. India chased down a nerf-like football in tracking drills as he begins to build up his outfield game.

“I’m an infielder through and through,” India said. “I know I could play infield for 29 other teams in this league. This year, I can show my versatility for my career down the line. If it’s with the Reds, I would love to be a Red for the rest of my life. But I get to show I can play multiple positions now, not just second base. So, I can play first, I can play third, I can play in the outfield. So I’m pretty excited for that challenge. And, we have so much talent on the team. You can run out two teams and fill all positions. It’s gonna be a lot of rotating this year, with a lot of people.”

Whether it’s infield or outfield, India just wants to stay healthy this season. The last two seasons have been incredibly difficult for the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year. In 2022, he suffered a hamstring injury and was hit in the left calf by a pitch in the “Field of Dreams” game and suffered a scary-looking injury that resulted in compartment syndrome. He would return later that season and finish with 10 homers, 41 RBIs and a .249 average. Last year, he got off to a terrific start, batting .282 with five homers through the first two months. Plantar faciitis shortened his season to 119 games in 2023.

“I was injured both years. That’s what that’s what hurt me. Always started off good, especially last year, really well, played every game. I played almost 107 games in a row. When I got hurt, that’s the whole game, health. And that’s what I preach and I suggest that I run into some challenges my body I prepare really well though. That’s what bothers me. I prepare really well. Every offseason, I come into spring training, fit and in shape. I came to the conclusion I need to know how to play smarter.”

And what exactly does that entail?

“That’s very tough because it takes away from my intensity. I play with a lot of heart and intensity. So I just need to know when not dive at first (base). Knowing when it’s a ground ball, routine out, not to run a thousand percent, maybe run 90 percent, right? Maybe stay off my feet, not doing so much pregame stuff. There’s certain things where you learn as professional, as you get older in this game. You learn you don’t need to do as much because you’ve been playing this game. I still do my daily routine, my daily grind. I work hard, but be smart about what I’m doing, how many swings I’m taking a day. So stuff like that, minor things that definitely save the body along a long a season.”

The dynamic is different for India now. And he’s fully aware of the wealth of young talent around him now in the clubhouse. A year ago at this time, Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, Noelvi Marte and Christian Encarnacion-Strand were still highly regarded prospects. Now all four of them could wind up in the Opening Day lineup against Washington on March 28.

“It’s a lot of young players now,” India said. “It’s just part of the game. You’re always going to have someone behind. There’s always going to be talent coming behind you on every team you’re on. And I’m just glad to be on this team still. Some say I’m a veteran now, which is pretty funny.

“I know this team is super, super talented. We all have the same mindset. We’re well beyond our years. That’s the thing – a lot of guys very mature for their age. And they get what we’re trying to do here. They they understand that it’s all about winning. They don’t care about personal performance. It’s all about winning. And I love that. I’ll take that on any team and it’s been it’s been an awesome ride through with these kids.”

It’ll be the job of David Bell to make the most optimal use of India, whether that’s in the outfield, DH or at his accustomed spot of second base.

“Everyone’s part of this team,” Bell said. “I understand that. Everyone on this team wants to be an everyday player. I really believe that that I can do my part to create that experience for everybody where everyone’s contributing a lot, even if it’s not every single day, all 162 games. I want all those guys to play. But before that, they need to be planned every day for their development for us to win for a lot of reasons. So we’ll just have to figure that out.”

So what will make the Reds a championship team in 2024 in India’s eyes?

“We have all the talent in the world,” India said. “We have the talent. We are a playoff team. I think this year we’re going to be a playoff team. But to be a World Series winner, we need to all stay focused. There can’t be any slip-ups off the field. We all need to have one goal. And we need to stick to that goal throughout the year no matter how bad the performance gets for an individual.

“Sometimes individuals, they press because they’re not living up to their name or they’re not living up to their status. And it’s gonna take more than that. We have a lot of high level names in this in this clubhouse now, too. It’s gonna take most of those guys, if they’re not performing well, to stick to the process, stick to winning, stick to the mindset and just do their job and do their role.”

So much is being thrown at India right now, more than he’s ever had to deal with – fatherhood, leadership, potential position change and driving for the first postseason in his big league career. How he adjusts will define his place on the 2024 Reds.

Some observations from Monday and Tuesday in the desert:

• Injury updates:

Matt McLain will sit out 5-7 days with an oblique strain that popped up recently after taking too many swings in batting practice. McLain had an MRI that revealed no serious issues “which is great news” per David Bell, who added that the injury came after McLain “took a lot of swings” one day. Bell said Tuesday that the team just wants the issue to settle down and there should be no reason he shouldn’t be ready for Opening Day. Meanwhile, Reds 2023 minor league player of the year Blake Dunn reported some elbow irritation and will undergo some treatment in the next several days, with the hope of getting him back on the field quickly. “We think we can knock it out pretty quick and get him back out on the field.” In 2023, the right-handed-hitting center fielder was one of only five players in the last 30 years to hit 20 homers and swipe 50 bases in a minor league season.

Graham Ashcraft continues to progress is his return from surgery on his right big toe last September. He threw his third bullpen session on Monday and looked smooth doing it. He said he’s set to make his first start of Cactus League in the first week of March if all goes well. Also throwing Monday was Sam Moll, the lefty reliever who is expected to challenge for a situational spot in the bullpen.

• Off on right foot:

In keeping with an annual tradition throughout baseball, manager David Bell addressed the team before the club’s first full-squad workout on Monday. All position players were on hand to hear Bell deliver a message to a team with championship aspirations in 2024.

“It’s great to get together as a group and be all in one room together because it’s just it’s a special feeling – something that I’ll never take for granted – to be able to be in a room with that many good guys,” Bell said. “Really, we’ve all been part of good teams and everything but like we talked about the other day it’s a little bit different. The level of connection and trust is there already. It’s a good place to start from.”

Sending a business message for Bell is essential to getting the work done in camp that needs to be done, finding the right roles for everyone on the roster and making sure every player is mentally and physically ready for the 162-game grind.

“It’s important. The good thing about my message is a lot of it comes from what’s important to our players, and it’s very aligned. So I guess the best way to sum it up is we’re all very process-oriented in this game, and especially on this team. They really understand the value of trusting it and I think our identity last year was so simple, but it’s a great thing, to be known for just playing hard and playing together and never giving up.

“And just simple things that matter so much and so it’s really just kind of building on that and reiterating that. And thankfully, from last spring till this spring, we’ve really gotten to know each other and spent a lot of time together, a lot of conversations in the offseason. So when it when it’s aligned, it makes it a lot easier than when you’re up there trying to talk about something that that the guys don’t care about.”