The Cincinnati Reds Caravan arrived Friday in Athens for a fan event that included some of the Red’s best prospects and personnel members. The players had a chance to interact with community members inside the Athens Community Center.
According to the MLB website, the Reds Caravan is an annual event where various players, coaching staff, broadcasters and mascots travel across “Reds Country,” including parts of Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia.
The Reds players in attendance were veteran pitcher Emilio Pagán, third baseman Cam Collier and pitcher Chase Burns. Other personnel included Reds General Manager and Senior Vice President Brad Meador, broadcaster and former player Jeff Brantley, broadcaster Tommy Thrall and Reds mascot Rosie Red.
The event began with a Q&A panel, where dozens of fans of all ages eagerly asked questions ranging from injured player statuses, bringing on legendary manager Terry Francona, player workout regimen and more.
Cam Collier shared one of his most important experiences from before the major leagues that he’s taken to the Reds.
“There was a situation where I had got hurt for the first time in my career and I wasn’t able to play,” Collier said. “I had to sit down and watch other people play, and it really made me understand that the game could be taken away from me. It just gave me a newfound love for the game, and it really changed the way I thought about baseball.”
Pagán also weighed in, sharing one of his most important realizations from his time in college baseball.
“For a lot of us, going to college is the first time you’re away from your family, and you’re trying to learn what it means to take care of yourself, be a man and provide for yourself,” Pagán said. “There’s no secret we travel a lot in the big leagues. I’m married, and I have two little girls. Sometimes, they’re not allowed to be with me when my daughters are in school.”
After the conclusion of the Q&A panel, attendees were given the opportunity to get autographs and talk personally with the speakers. A large assortment of food was also provided.
In an interview with Brad Meador, he shared what he thinks the team’s biggest strengths are going into the 2025 season.
“I feel really good about our athleticism, we’ve worked a lot, we’ve talked a lot in the draft and player acquisition about just being more athletic and building our team up the middle and we’ve been able to do that,” Meador said. “ I’m also excited about our starting rotation. We’re deeper than we’ve ever been, we have a lot of young players, a lot of young pitchers who should be more experienced now, and I’m hoping and I feel like we’re ready to take that next step.”
The Reds crew started to pack it in following the hour-long event and loaded up the bus to travel to the next stop along the caravan’s trail. The team is looking forward to putting new talent to the test and making fans proud this season.
