Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we maintain and update our existing Top 50 lists annually.  As such, we are delighted to present our pre-2026 revision of our top 50 Cincinnati Reds.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following: 

1.  Duration and Impact.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the Major League Baseball.

3.  Advanced Statistics.

4.  Playoff performance.

5. Their respective legacy on the team.

6. How successful the team was when he was there.

7. Respecting the era in which they played.

Criteria 1-4 will make up the lion’s share of the algorithm.  Please note that we have implemented this for the first time.  This has changed the rankings all throughout the board.

Last year, the Reds won 83 Games, but it was not enough to make it to the playoffs.  No active players moved into the Top 50, nor were there any before; the list changed based on the algorithm.

As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes.

1. Pete Rose
2. Johnny Bench
3. Frank Robinson
4. Barry Larkin
5. Joey Votto

You can find the entire here.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Before the first pitch of the 1988 season, Chris Sabo was a relatively unknown prospect with a flat-top haircut and a pair of trademark "Rec Specs." By the time the final out was recorded that October, he was the face of a new, hard-nosed era of Cincinnati baseball. Known affectionately as "Spuds" for his resemblance to a popular 80s mascot, Sabo played with a reckless, dirt-stained energy that instantly endeared him to the Riverfront Stadium faithful. He didn't just play third base; he attacked the position, providing the tactical spark and blue-collar grit that would eventually propel the "Nasty Boys" and the rest of the 1990 Reds to the pinnacle of the sport.

Sabo’s entrance into the major leagues was a high-velocity burst of production that caught the entire National League off guard. As a rookie in 1988, he established a model of specialized versatility, leading the Reds in doubles (40) and stolen bases (46) to secure the Rookie of the Year award. He possessed a rare combination of speed and gap power for a third baseman, earning an All-Star nod in his debut summer and proving that his focused intensity was a match for any veteran in the league. He was a model of immediate impact, serving as the high-leverage engine that transformed the Cincinnati infield into a defensive and offensive fortress.

Where Sabo became a local superstar was in the 1990 Season. While he authored a stellar regular season with 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases, it was his performance in the World Series that cemented his legend. Facing the heavily favored Oakland Athletics, Sabo reached a level of specialized dominance rarely seen on the championship stage, batting a staggering .563 with nine hits and two home runs in the four-game sweep. He was the primary driver of the Reds' offensive assault, famously punctuated by his "We’ve got the rings, we’ve got the money" victory speech that captured the swagger of the 1990 squad.

His craftsmanship reached its statistical high-water mark in 1991, a summer where he hit .301 with career highs in home runs (26) and RBIs (88). Sabo was a model of specialized efficiency at the "hot corner," leading National League third basemen in fielding percentage twice during his stay in Cincinnati.

The story in Cincinnati was written over seven seasons, culminating in a sentimental return to the club in 1996 for his final professional act. While injuries eventually slowed his production, he left the organization with 116 home runs and over 100 stolen bases. The organization provided the final punctuation on his legacy in 2010 by inducting him into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2024 revision of our top 50 Cincinnati Reds.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Please note that our algorithm has changed, which yielded minor changes throughout the baseball lists.

Last year, the Reds had a losing record and was unable to make the playoffs.  There were no new active players.

As always, we present our top five, which saw a change in the top five based on the new algorithm.

1. Pete Rose

2. Johnny Bench

3. Frank Robinson

4. Barry Larkin

5. Joey Votto

You can find the entire list here.

With the new algorithm, Larkin jumped into the top five.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

On the heels of learning that Dikembe Mutombo, a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, passed away, Pete Rose, Baseball’s all-time leader in Hits, passed away today. He was 83.

Rose was one of the most popular players of his day due to his tenacious play and gritty determination.  Rose broke in with the Cincinnati Reds, winning the 1963 National League Rookie of the Year, and he emerged as one of the top batters in baseball history.  Rose’s resume includes:

3 World Series Championships
1 MVP
1 World Series MVP
17 All-Stars
1 Silver Slugger
2 Gold Gloves
3 Batting Titles

Also playing for Philadelphia and Montreal, Rose returned to Cincinnati as a Player/Manager, where he broke Ty Cobb's hit record in front of his own crowd at Riverfront Stadium.  A few years later, Rose was banned from the game he loved when he was caught betting on baseball.  He was never reinstated.

The qualities that made him so popular on the diamond also made him unpopular with executives and gatekeepers to baseball-related organizations.  The Baseball Hall of Fame, while a separate entity from MLB, upheld that ban and did not place him on their ballots.  As such, he never made it to Cooperstown.

On a personal note, I had the privilege of interviewing Pete Rose in Las Vegas twelve years ago.  He was kind, gracious, and giddy talking about baseball.  It helped make my site worthy, and I will always be in his debt.

We at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to Pete Rose’s fans, family, and friends.

Joey Votto, arguably the best Cincinnati Red over the last 20 years announced that he is retiring from baseball.

Votto, who was playing for Triple-A Buffalo of the Toronto Blue Jays, elected not to continue his career and possible play in front of his home country.

Votto had a claim at one time as the best hitter in baseball.

While most people know that he is good, they might not be aware this is a player who won the National League On Base Percentage Title fseven times (including four in a row from 2010 to 2014, batted over .300 eight times, and is also a former Slugging Champion. 

Votto retires with  a 64.4 bWAR, 2,135 Hits, 356 Home Runs, 1,144 RBIs, and a Slash Line of .294/.408/.511.

He will be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2029.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com wish Joey Votto the best in his post-playing career.

Jay Bruce is a former baseball player who is best known for his time with the Cincinnati Reds. He was a three-time All-Star and a two-time Silver Slugger.

Bruce was a premier power hitter for the Reds for many years. In 2008, Bruce finished fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. That season, he had 21 home runs and 52 RBIs, which was arguably his worst season as a member of the Reds. However, he gradually increased his power numbers and had three consecutive 30-home run seasons, during which he had over or close to 100 RBIs. Bruce was an All-Star in both 2011 and 2012. He won Silver Sluggers in 2012 and 2013 and finished tenth in MVP voting that year.

Cincinnati traded Bruce to the New York Mets in 2016, shortly after he went to his third All-Star game. That season, he finished with his career-best 36 home runs. However, the struggling Mets waived Bruce, and he signed with Cleveland. He later returned to the Mets as a free agent, but his second stint only lasted a year. His power was fading, and he was eventually traded to the Seattle Mariners. Bruce finished his career with the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees. He retired with 319 home runs and 951 RBIs.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022/23 revision of our top 50 Cincinnati Reds.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in Major League Baseball.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Reds failed to make the playoffs and only had one active player ranked, but he did not move.  Nevertheless, we always acknowledge when we look at the latest season.

As always, we present our top five, which obviously saw no changes:

1. Pete Rose

2. Johnny Bench

3. Frank Robinson

4. Joe Morgan

5. Joey Votto

You can find the entire list here.

The only notable think to mention is that the number five player, Joey Votto, did not advance.

We thank you for your continued support for our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022 revision of our top Cincinnati Reds.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Reds had a terrible season, and they were no changes on the list, but we need to present it all lists with an update; whether there is a change in it or not.

As always, we present our top five, which was not affected by the last season:

1. Pete Rose

2. Johnny Bench

3. Frank Robinson

4. Joe Morgan

5. Joey Votto

You can find the entire list here.

Votto, who is active, did not do enough to supplant Morgan for fourth, but that could happen this year.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB.  Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is important to us that Bronson Arroyo has been selected to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

Chosen via the Modern Era route, Arroyo had two runs with Cincinnati (2006-13 & 2017), where he posted a record of 108-100 with 1,157 Strikeouts.  Arriving in Cincinnati from a trade from Boston, the Pitcher was an All-Star in his first season with the Reds (2006), and was the National League leader in Innings Pitched (240.7), and a five-time club leader in that category.  He was also the 2010 Gold Glove recipient.

Arroyo will be joined by a Veteran’s Committee candidate at a later date, and that group will be inducted on July 15.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Bronson Arroyo for earning this prestigious honor.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our pre-2022 revision of our top 50 Cincinnati Reds.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National League. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

The Reds did not make the 2021 Playoffs, nor did anyone crack the top 50, however there was one slight change, that impacted the top five, as Joey Votto moved into the #5 spot.

As always, we present our top five.

1. Pete Rose

2. Johnny Bench

3. Frank Robinson

4. Joe Morgan

5. Joey Votto

You can find the entire list here.

Votto took over #5 from Hall of Famer, Barry Larkin.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Red Lucas was not just a very good Pitcher during his career, as he was also used often as a Pinch Hitter.  They don’t make many like that anymore!

There was a lot of hype for years around Dominican Pitcher Jose Rijo, so much so that the New York Yankees (likely due to the owner, George Steinbrenner) rushed him into the majors at age 18.  Rijo did not do well as a rookie, but what 18-year-old in the Majors does?

We are going to need a history lesson to start this one.

Will White was a member of the original Cincinnati Reds in the National League and played there for three seasons before the team was expelled from the NL after its owner refused to stop selling beer.  White would sign with the Detroit Wolverines for a year but returned to Cincinnati when they got a team in the American Association in 1881 (Cincinnati Red Stockings).  That team evolved into the Reds, and the original Reds are not part of the canon that is recognized by Major League Baseball, which is pretty interesting; well, we think so!

Got it?

Let’s move on!

As one of the first bespectacled players of note, White would promptly lead the AA in Wins in his first two seasons as a Red Stocking, which was also complemented by an ERA Title.  White’s arm gave out in 1886, but he left with a nice record of 229-166, and as of this writing, he is in the top twenty all-time in ERA (2.28) and BB/9 (1.260).

Paul O’Neill cut his teeth in the majors with the Cincinnati Reds, breaking in the bigs in 1985.  Playing mostly in Rightfield, O'Neill became a starter in 1988, and he was a member of the Reds shocking 1990 World Series championship and was an All-Star in 1991.  Following the 1992 Season, O'Neill was traded to the New York Yankees, and it was in pinstripes that he achieved his greatest fame and success.

Before the St. Louis Cardinals were named the Cardinals, they were the first known version of the Browns, and one of their best Pitchers in the mid-1890s was Theodore Breitenstein.  

Frank McCormick debuted for the Cincinnati Reds in 1934, and this was the team for which he had his greatest success by far.

McCormick became their starting First Baseman in 1938, and he began a nine-year streak of All-Star seasons.  From ’38 to ’40, a case could be made that McCormick was the best hitter in the National League.  In all of those seasons, the New Yorker led the NL in Hits and batted over .300, had over 100 RBIs, and was in the top five in MVP voting, including a win in 1940.

The Reds had also put it all together at this time, and they won the National League Pennant in both 1939 and 1940.  In the former World Series, McCormick batted .400, but the New York Yankees swept the Reds.  In the MVP year of 1940, McCormick was not as effective, but Cincinnati beat Detroit in seven.

The First Baseman remained a quality player throughout the first half of the 40s, gaining two more .300 years, and stringing together MVP votes annually from 1942 to 1946.  McCormick was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1946, and that was his last All-Star year.  He played two more seasons with the Boston Braves, finishing his career with 1,711 Hits and a lifetime Batting Average of .299.

Frank “Noodles” Hahn may not have completed the necessary ten years in the Majors to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but that does not stop us from ranking him.

In 1899, Hahn made his Major League debut eleven days before his 20^th birthday and, in his first five seasons were among the best by any Cincinnati Red Pitcher.  Hahn didn't own a commanding fastball, but he did have excellent accuracy.  He led the National League in Strikeouts in his first three seasons, and while Cincinnati was not that good, he had four 20 Win seasons over that time frame.   

Hahn had arm trouble in 1905, and he was never the same, out of the Majors by age 27.  Despite his short career, Hahn remains one of the best hurlers in Reds history.

Ted Kluszewski was a monster in his day.  This was not just in regards to his tape measure Home Runs, but that he was such an imposing physical specimen that he cut off the sleeves of his uniform so that his arms could move better.

“Big Klu” debuted in the Majors in 1947 with the Cincinnati Reds, and the big First Baseman was a starter a couple of years later.  From 1953 to 1956, Kluszewski was an All-Star and one of the premier hitters in the National League.  Winning the Home Run Title in 1954 with 49, Kluszewski was also first in RBIs with 141.  That year was sandwiched between two other 40-HR seasons, and in that four-year All-Star run, he was also a three-digit RBI player.  Kluszewski’s offensive skills were not just his power, as he batted over .300 six times and had a career Batting Average of .302.  Despite his big swing, he did not strike out much, fanning only 365 times in his career and 35 times in his 49-HR year.  That year, he was also the runner-up for the National League MVP, and he was in the top ten in the year before and after.  

Kluszewski’s offense fell off after 1956 when injuries took their toll on the big man’s body, and he bounced around the Majors before retiring in 1961 with 279 Home Runs and 1,028 RBIs.

Kluszewski would later win two World Series Rings as a Coach with Cincinnati in the 1970s.

In 1931, Paul Derringer had a very good rookie year, going 18-8 and helping his St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series.  He had a poor 1932 season, and he was traded early in ’33 to the Cincinnati Reds. His year ended with an abysmal 7-27 record.  It would slowly turn around for Derringer after that.

With the Reds, he would go to six All-Star Games and had four 20 Win years.  While he allowed many Hits, he did not walk very many batters and led the National League twice in BB/9 (1939 & 1940).  In both of those seasons, Derringer finished in the top five in MVP voting, with a third-place rank in '39.  That year, he was also atop the NL leaderboard in FIP (3.15) and SO/BB (2.66), and he helped the Reds win the National League Pennant.  The Reds won the Pennant again in 1940, but this time they won the World Series, with Derringer going 2-1 with a 2.79 ERA.  Derringer would notably finish in the top ten in FIP 13 times and in SO/BB 12 times.  

He would play his final three years in Baseball with the Chicago Cubs.  Derringer retired in 1945 with a 223-212 record and 1,507 Strikeouts.

Adolfo Domingo De Guzman “Dolf” Luque was a Cuban baseball legend who played in the Cuban Winter League from 1912 to 1945.  For our purposes, Luque played in the Majors from 1914 to 1935 and was a long-time star for the Cincinnati Reds.

While prejudice ran rampant in baseball, Luque gained a pass as a fair-skinned, blue-eyed Cuban.  After a few games with the Boston Braves (1914 & 1915), he found a home for a dozen years with the Cincinnati Reds.  Luque had a phenomenal year in 1923, where he led the National League in Wins (27), ERA (1.93), and FIP (2.94).  He would later win a second ERA Title in 1925.  From 1919 to 1928, Luque would always have at least 10 Wins.

The Cuban would finish his career with the Brooklyn Robins and New York Giants.  He retired in 1935 with a record of 194-179.