The 24 best players in Cincinnati Reds history

Pete Rose was without question one of the best pure hitters to ever live, and it's sad that he's now most remembered for betting on baseball as both a player and a manager and getting himself banned from the sport for life. That's a story for another day, so let's stick strictly to his on-the-field resume which is second to none. For starters, Rose's 4,256 hits in the big-leagues are the most all-time, and the vast majority of them came as a member of the Reds. In 19 seasons with Cincinnati, he slashed .307/.379/.425 with 152 homers, 1,036 RBI, 601 doubles, and 115 triples. He won three batting titles while with Cincinnati, represented the club in 13 all-star games, won a pair of Gold Gloves and was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1963. Ten years later he won National League MVP honors, and Rose was arguably the biggest reason the Reds won back-to-back World Series titles in '75 and '76. The fallout from his gambling scandal damaged his reputation beyond repair, but it's simply not right that the game's all-time hit leader is not in Cooperstown and hopefully that situation can be rectified at some point. Cincinnati retired his number 14 in a June 2016 ceremony. 

The Reds picked Johnny Bench in the 2nd round of the 1965 draft in what turned out to be one of the greatest selections in the organization's history. Bench spent his entire 17-year career in Cincinnati and is easily one of the best catchers in the history of Major League Baseball. In 2,158 career games he slashed .267/.342/.476 with 389 home runs, 1,376 RBI, 381 doubles, 24 triples, and 68 RBI. He was the NL Rookie of the Year in '68, qualified for an amazing 14 all-star games, and won 10 Gold Glove awards in a row from '68-'77. Bench was the National League MVP in both 1970 and 1972 and helped the Reds win the World Series in '75 and '76--while earning WS MVP honors in the second one. Cincinnati retired his number 5 in 1984 and he was a near-unanimous Hall of Fame selection in '89. 

Cincinnati-born shortstop Barry Larkin was drafted 4th overall by his hometown team in the 1985 draft and spent 19 years as a fan favorite in Ohio. Larkin played his entire career with the Reds and put together a standout resume, slashing .295/.371/.444 with 715 extra-base hits, 960 RBI, and 379 stolen bases in 2,180 games. He represented Cincinnati in 12 all-star games, earned nine Silver Slugger awards, and took home three Gold Gloves. Most impressively, though, Larkin was the 1995 National League MVP, and he was a huge reason why Cincinnati won the World Series in 1990. The Reds retired his number 11 in 2012 and he landed in Cooperstown the following year.  

Joey Votto has been the face of the Reds team for a decade and a half and it's going to be a sad day in Cincinnati when he ultimately decides to hang up his spikes for good. Since his debut in '07 the Canadian first baseman has slashed .294/.409/.511 with 356 home runs, 1,144 RBI, and 459 doubles. He was the National League MVP in 2010, has represented the Reds in six all-star games, and even won a Gold Glove in '11. Votto's calling card has always been his unbelievable plate discipline, which has allowed him to lead the league in walks five times and OBP on seven different occasions. His ability to consistently keep himself in hitter's counts is a big reason why his strikeout numbers have always been lower than most power hitters, and his adeptness at putting the ball in play and getting on base will be a big part of his legacy when he ultimately calls it quits. 

Frank Robinson was one of the most productive right-handed hitters in the history of the game, and he put together a lot of his Hall of Fame resume in Cincinnati with the Reds. The Beaumont, TX native played his first 10 seasons in Cincy, slashing .303/.389/.554 with 324 homers, 1,009 RBI, 318 doubles, 50 triples, and 161 stolen bases. During his time in Cincinnati, he was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1956, was the MVP of the National League in 1961, represented the Reds in nine all-star games, and earned one Gold Glove. Cincinnati retired his number 20 in 1998 and Robinson was inducted into Cooperstown in '82. 

Joe Morgan is widely considered to be one of the best second basemen ever and for eight seasons the Reds were fortunate to have him on their side. In Cincinnati Morgan slashed .288/.415/.470 with 152 home runs, 612 RBI, 220 doubles, 27 triples, and 406 stolen bases. He led the National League in OBP four times while with the Reds, and won back-to-back NL MVP awards in '75 and '76. Morgan was an all-star in every one of his years in Cincinnati, and won five straight Gold Glove awards from '73-'77. The Reds won the World Series in both of his MVP seasons and it's quite obvious he played a big role in those championships. Cincinnati made the easy decision to retire Morgan's number 8 in 1987 and he was voted into the Hall of Fame three short years later. 

Speedy second baseman Bid McPhee began his career all the way back in 1882 when this franchise was still known as the Red Stockings, and there was just not a better base-stealer in his era. McPhee is Cincinnati's all-time leader with 568 career stolen bases but he was not just a one-trick pony. In over 2,100 games with the club, the Massena, NY native slashed .272/.355/.373 with 545 extra-base hits and 1,072 RBI. He led the league in triples and home runs one time each, and Veteran's Committee voted him into the Hall of Fame in 2000. 

Outfielder Vada Pinson debuted for the Reds as a 19-year-old in 1958 and instantly proved himself worthy of competing at the sport's highest level. The Memphis, TN native ended up playing the first 11 seasons of his career in Cincinnati, slashing .297/.341/.469 with 186 home runs, 814 RBI, 342 doubles, 96 triples, and 221 stolen bases. He qualified for the all-star team four times and even won a Gold Glove award in 1961. Pinson surpassed the 200-hit plateau four times while with the Reds, and twice actually led the Majors in hits. He also led the National League in runs, doubles, and triples at various points in his career, and very quietly was consistently one of the most productive left-handed hitters in the NL. 

Corner infielder Tony Perez was a critical right-handed bat in the middle of the vaunted 'Big Red Machine' in the 70s and was a huge reason why Cincinnati won back-to-back World Series titles in '75 and '76. In stints with the Reds, Perez slashed .283/.346/.474 with 287 home runs, 1,192 RBI, 339 doubles, and 56 triples. He represented Cincinnati in seven all-star games and was even named the MVP of the 1967 Midsummer Classic. Perez drove in over 100 runs for Cincinnati six times, and while he never won the award, he finished in the top 10 in the NL MVP voting four different years. The Reds retired his number 24 in 2000--the same year he was ushered into Cooperstown. 

Lefty Noodles Hahn spent the first seven years of his career in Cincinnati with the Reds and was easily the team's best-starting pitcher at the time. In 237 outings Hahn earned 127 victories and pitched to a 2.52 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP, while striking out exactly 900 hitters in 1,987.1 innings. He threw over 296 innings in each of his first six seasons--a total that seemed to catch up with him in a hurry as he dealt with injuries in 1905, and after just six games with the Yankees in 1906 his career was over. Hahn incredibly completed 209 of the 225 starts he made in a Reds uniform and led the league in strikeouts three years in a row from 1899-1901. 

Philadelphia, PA-born Bucky Walters was primarily a pitcher for the Reds, but also played some third base and notably was at least a league average hitter. On the mound, Walters appeared in 312 games for Cincinnati (296 starts), and pitched to a stellar 2.93 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP in 2,355.2 innings. He earned 160 wins, won a pair of ERA titles, led the league in innings three times, and strikeouts in 1939 when he took home the NL pitching Triple Crown--and also was named National League MVP. Walters represented the Reds in six all-star games and was a huge part of their success in 1940 when they won the World Series. At the plate he was not nearly as impactful, but he still slashed .235/.277/.317 with eight homers and 105 RBI in 879 at-bats with the Reds. 

Righty Dolf Luque pitched for the Reds for a dozen years and in his prime very few pitchers in the National League were on his level. In 395 outings in a Cincinnati uniform the Cuban-born hurler won 154 games and pitched to a 3.09 ERA in 2,668.2 innings. He won the ERA title in both 1923 and 1925 and gave the Reds over 200 innings nine different times. The highlight of Luque's career was the World Series ring he earned for his part in helping Cincinnati win the Fall Classic in 1919. 

Center fielder Edd Roush was a role player early in his career but eventually blossomed into a star contributor for some really good Reds teams. In 12 seasons with Cincinnati the slender left-handed hitter slashed an excellent .331/.377/.462 with 459 extra-base hits, 763 RBI, and 199 stolen bases. The Oakland City, IN native won the batting title in both 1917 and 1919, and led the league in both doubles and triples at various points in his career. Roush helped the Reds win the World Series in 1919 and the Veteran's Committee voted him into the Hall of Fame in 1962. 

The Reds acquired infielder Heinie Groh in a 1913 trade with the New York Giants, and while they may not have known it at the time, they were bringing in someone who would become a mainstay in Cincinnati for nearly a decade. In 1,211 games with the Reds, Groh slashed .298/.378/.394 with 316 extra-base hits, 408 RBI, and 158 stolen bases. He led the league in OBP in both 1917 and 1918, and at other points in his Cincinnati tenure paced the NL in runs, hits, and doubles. Most importantly he helped the Reds beat the White Sox in the 1919 World Series. 

Shortstop Dave Concepcion spent all of his 19-year Major League career in Cincinnati with the Reds, and put together one of the more complete resumes in club history. Only Pete Rose suited up in more games in a Reds uniform than Concepcion, who slashed .267/.322/.357 in 2,488 career contests. He hit 101 homers, drove in 950 runs, doubled 389 times, tripled 48 times, and swiped 321 bases. Concepcion represented Cincinnati in nine all-star games, won five Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, was the third player in team history ever to be anointed Captain, and most importantly helped the club win the World Series in both '75 and '76. The Reds retired his number 13 in 2007. 

Southpaw Eppa Rixie came to Cincinnati in a November 1920 trade with the Phillies, and quickly became a critical part of the Reds pitching staff. In 13 total seasons with his new team, Rixie won 179 games and posted a 3.33 ERA in just shy of 2,900 innings. As with most of other pitchers in his era, his innings numbers look like they should be typos be today's standards. Rixie threw 300 innings or more three seasons in a row from 1921-1923, and logged well over 200 in 10 straight seasons. Incredibly he tossed 180 complete games while with the Reds--including 23 shutouts--and the Veteran's Committee recognized his achievements when they voted him into the Hall of Fame in 1963. 

Outfielder George Foster spent 11 seasons in Cincinnati, and in his prime gave the Reds arguably the most feared right-handed slugger in the National League. In 1,253 games with the club Foster slashed .286/.356/.514 with 244 homers, 861 RBI, 207 doubles, and 37 triples. He was the MVP of the NL in 1977, led the league in homers in both '77 and '78, and paced the league in RBI for three years running from '76-'78. Foster made five all-star appearances with the Reds, including the 1976 Midsummer Classic in which he was named MVP. He won a Silver Slugger award in 1981 but his greatest baseball achievements are undoubtedly his two World Series rings that he won with Cincinnati in '75 and '76. 

Ireland born Tony Mullane did it all for Cincinnati in the late 1800's. He pitched, played the outfield, started at third base occasionally, and was the undeniable leader of the Reds team. On the mound, the right-handed Mullane pitched in 316 games for Cincinnati over eight years, earning 163 victories and putting up a strong 3.15 ERA. To me the number that jumps off the page more than anything else about his pitching statistics is the unfathomable 529.2 innings he threw in 1886 which is difficult to even comprehend. Offensively Mullane was a switch-hitter who slashed .233/.310/.310 with 83 extra-base hits, 166 RBI, and 104 stolen bases in a Reds uniform. 

Righty Jose Rijo came to the Reds in a December 1987 trade with Oakland, and instantly blossomed into a star in Cincinnati. In 192 starts in his first seven seasons with the Reds, Rijo never once finished with an ERA higher than 3.08, yet somehow only qualified for a single all-star game. In 1990 in particular he was dominant, winning 14 games with a terrific 2.70 ERA in 197 innings, then carried that over into the playoffs and World Series where he helped the Reds win a ring and was ultimately named the MVP of the Fall Classic. Unfortunately, Rijo suffered a serious elbow injury in 1996 that kept him out of baseball for five years after countless setbacks. In what became a great story of perseverance, he made it back to the Reds as a reliever in 2001, and ended up throwing 94 more innings over two years in his late 30's. 

Righty Jim Maloney pitched all but one of his 12 Major League seasons in Cincinnati, and for over a decade gave the Reds a steady and reliable presence in their rotation. Maloney made 289 appearances in a Cincinnati uniform (258 of which were starts), and won 134 games with a 3.16 ERA in 1,818.2 innings. He made his lone all-star team in 1965 and gave the Reds over 200 innings five different times. 

In the late 1800's Frank Dwyer was predominately a pitcher for the Reds, but he did also play some right field when needed. In 262 outings on the bump he earned 133 wins and pitched to a 3.77 ERA with a 1.43 WHIP. While those numbers don't exactly stand out, they don't paint an accurate picture of Dwyer's worth. He gave Cincinnati over 240 innings in seven straight seasons between 1892-1898, while not missing a single start. Offensively, he slashed .228/.280/.306 with 40 extra-base hits and 97 RBI in 837 at-bats in a Reds uniform. 

Infielder Lonny Frey had played for the Dodgers and Cubs prior to arriving in Cincinnati in 1938, and it's fair to say his best seasons came in a Reds uniform. In 941 games with Cincinnati he slashed .265/.358/.365 with 36 homers, 310 RBI, 158 doubles, 43 triples, and 68 stolen bases. He represented the Reds in three all-star games and led the National League in steals in 1940--the same season he helped them defeat the Tigers in the World Series. 

Columbia, TN, native Red Lucas was a two-way player for the Reds for eight seasons in the 1920s and 30s and was one of the more interesting players of his era. In 257 pitching appearances (202 starts), he went 109-99 with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in 1,768.2 innings. He led the National League in complete games in three out of four years from '29-'32, and even paced the league in shutouts in 1928. Offensively he was better than most of the two-way players at the time, slashing .300/.361/.375 with 56 extra-base hits and 132 RBI in just over 1,100 plate appearances. 

Right-hander Paul Derringer spent a decade toeing the rubber in Cincinnati and for most of that time was a reliable middle-of-the-rotation arm for the Reds. In 393 outings (322 starts), he pitched to the tune of a 3.36 ERA and won 61 games. He led the league in starts three times, innings once, and represented Cincinnati in six all-star games--including five in a row from '38-'42. Most important as it pertains to Derringer's Reds' legacy though is the World Series title he helped bring to the city of Cincinnati in 1940.