Cincinnati Reds Dream Team

 

Every sport evolves with each passing generation -- from the

size and athleticism of players to game strategy. 

Baseball’s evolution, however, is both historic and unique given

the pre-integration and dead ball eras. For the former, full

segregation took place from 1887-1947. Full integration, which

was a gradual process, came in 1959. The Deadball Era was a

period in the early 20th century when baseball was

characterized by low scoring and emphasis on pitching. 

There was the Steroid Era, which has no definite start time though

it is generally assumed that the era ran from the late 1980s until the

late 2000s. This era was defined by shattered home run records

leading to exorbitant salaries. 

The Cincinnati Reds have existed since 1882. They were known

as the Cincinnati Red Stockings from 1882-1889 and Cincinnati

Redlegs from 1954-1958. The franchise has won five World Series

titles (1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, 1990) and nine National League

pennants. The Golden Age of the franchise was the 1970s, known

as “The Big Red Machine.” The franchise won four pennants and

back-to-back World Series titles in 1975-1976. The Reds last World

Series title came in 1990 when they swept the heavily favored

Oakland Athletics. 

Today, I formed a Reds Dream Team that encompasses all eras.

For openers, to make this roster, four years as a Red are required.

No exceptions. With the free agency era, I’m not going to cheapen

this roster with 1-3 year rentals. 

I’m forming a 12 man pitching staff, five starters and seven relievers.

For the latter, I want at least one lefthander in the bullpen. For

position players, I am taking what I believe is the best of the best

regardless of era. For the bench players, it’s the best of the rest with

versatility being heavily considered. Merit achievements such as

Hall of Fame, All Star appearances and Gold Gloves are considered

but not guaranteed. General impactfulness on the franchise is also

considered.

Generational reminders

If I believe you were the best at your position in the pre-integration

era, you are on the team. If you played on a World Series

champion, there is no guarantee of landing on this roster. If you

played during a bad season, that does not deter you from being on

this roster. Unlike the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, there

are no morality clauses. This is baseball, not the Boys Scouts. 

Starting pitchers

Tom Seaver, Mario Soto, Jim Maloney, Jim O’Toole, Tom Browning

Seaver spent six seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the Reds

and compiled a 75-46 record with a 3.18 ERA. His only career no-

hitter also came in a Reds uniform. Seaver was an All-Star three

times in a Reds uniform and led the National League in victories in

1981. Soto was a hard thrower who also developed a changeup

that allowed him to record 1,449 strikeouts, second in franchise

history to Maloney. Soto made three consecutive All-Stars from

1982-1984. Maloney made just one All-Star appearance in his 11

seasons and arm trouble ended up shortening his career. Maloney,

however, threw two no-hitters in his career and is the franchise's

all-time leader in strikeouts. 

O'Toole made just one All-Star appearance in his nine seasons but

recorded 1,002 strikeouts, which is second-most in franchise history

among left-handed starters. O'Toole recorded 94 wins, 81 of which

came in a five-year span from 1960-1964. Like O'Toole, Browning

made just one All-Star appearance in 11 seasons but was a key

component in the Reds 1990 World Series championship team.

Browning owns the only perfect game in franchise history and also

finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting

to St. Louis’ Vince Coleman in 1984.

Bullpen

Closer -- Aroldis Chapman

Robb Dibble, Norm Charlton, Pedro Borbon, Danny Graves, Jeff

Brantley, John Franco

Chapman spent six seasons with the Reds and once through a

pitch that topped out at 105 mph. Chapman, however, also had

really good command. He's fourth in franchise history with 146

career saves and was a All-Star in four of his six seasons with the

Reds. Dibble, Charlton and Myers are the famed “Nasty Boys” trio

that were instrumental in delivering the Reds 1990 World Series

championship. Myers, however, doesn't qualify because he only

pitched for the Reds for two seasons. Dibble was an intimidator

of the group and was a two-time All-Star and NLCS MVP in 1990.

He recorded 88 saves in his career with the Reds. Charlton

compiled a 3.14 ERA in his five seasons and was an All-Star in

1992. Borbon was an unsung hero for the Reds 1970s teams.

He never earned any All-Star accolades but durability was his

best ability. Borbon helped deliver back-to-back World Series

Championships in 1975-1976.

Graves is the franchise's all-time leader in saves with 182 and

was an All-Star two times in his seven seasons. Brantley was a

crucial part of the Reds 1995 division championship team. The

following season he led the National League in saves with 44.

Franco's 424 career saves rank fifth in Major League history and

he was an All-Star in three of his five seasons with the Reds. 

Infield

Catcher -- Johnny Bench, First base -- Joey Votto, Second base

-- Joe Morgan, Third base -- Pete Rose, Shortstop -- Barry Larkin 

Putting Bench as the starting catcher is so easy that a four-year-old

could make that decision. Bench belted 389 career home runs,

which at one time was the most in Major League history for a

catcher. Bench’s Hall of Fame resume is longer than a Tom Clancy

novel. He was a 14-time All-Star who played in three different

decades. He led the Reds to back-to-back World Series

Championships. He was the World Series MVP in 1976. Bench was

the Rookie of the Year in 1968, two-time National League MVP, 10-

time Gold Glove Award winner, three-time National League RBI

leader and two-time National League home run leader. The starting

first baseman nod is a toss-up for now between Perez and Joey

Votto with the latter getting the nod. The former is in the Hall of Fame

while the latter may not have the benchmarks that translate into an

early entry into the Hall of Fame but his resume is worthy of eventual

status in Cooperstown. Votto is a six-time All-Star and was National

League MVP in 2010 and Gold Glove winner in 2011.  

The acquisition of Morgan in a trade from the Houston Astros was

significant in the Reds becoming a dominant team in the 1970s.

Morgan helped deliver back-to-back World Series Championships

in 1975 and 76. Morgan was the National League MVP in both of

those seasons. He spent eight seasons with the Reds, all of which

were All Star campaigns.  Morgan was also a five-time Gold Glove

Award winner. 

Larkin is a Cincinnati native and spent all 19 seasons in a Reds

uniform. On the way to a Hall of Fame career, Larkin was a 12-time

All-Star, nine-time Silver Slugger Award winner and three-time Gold

Glove Award winner. He was the National League MVP in 1995 and

was a cornerstone to the Reds 1990 World Series champion. In that

four-game sweep of Oakland, Larkin batted .353. Rose is a lightning

rod because of his association with gambling and lifetime ban from

baseball but it would be criminal not to have him in the starting

lineup somewhere. Rose played a mixture of third Base, first base

and outfield and he is the all-time Major League leader in career hits

with 4,256. Rose also compiled a 44-game hitting streak, which is the

third longest in Major League history. Rose was a 17 time All Star,

National League Rookie of the Year in 1963, three-time National

League batting champion, National League MVP in 1973 and World

Series MVP in 1975. Rose was instrumental in leading the Reds to

back-to-back World Series Championships in 1975-1976. 

Outfield

Leftfield -- George Foster, Centerfield -- Vada Pinson, Rightfield --

Frank Robinson

Foster's emergence freed Rose's move to third base. Foster played

for the Reds for 11 seasons and was a five-time All-Star in that span.

He was a key component to the franchise winning back-to-back

World Series Championships in 1975-1976. Foster was the National

League MVP in 1977, three-time National League RBI leader and

two-time home run leader. Pinson was a vital figure and the Reds’

1961 National League pennant winning team. He had five 20/20

seasons, 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. Pinson was a four-

time All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner in 1961. Robinson

became the first Major League player in history to win MVP awards

in both the American and National League along with being one of

the most feared hitters in the game. Robinson burst onto the scene

as a 20-year old rookie when he hit 38 home runs and scored a

league-high 122 runs on the way to a National League Rookie of

the Year campaign. Robinson was a 14-time All-Star on the way to

a Hall of Fame career. 

Bench

Ernie Lombardi, Tony Perez, Dave Concepion, Chris Sabo, Eric

Davis, Ken Griffey Sr. 

On the way to a Hall of Fame career, Lombardi spent 10 seasons

with the Reds and became the only catcher in Major League history

to win two batting titles. Lombardi was a six-time All-Star, National

League MVP in 1938 and helped the Reds to a 1940 World

Series championship. Perez helped deliver back-to-back World

Series championships in 1975-1976 and was an assistant coach

on the 1990 World Series champions. Perez was a seven-time All-

Star. You would be hard-pressed to find a franchise that had better

shortstops back-to-back then the Reds with Concepcion and

the aforementioned Larkin. Concepcion spent all 19 of his seasons

with the Reds and was a nine-time All-Star. He helped the Reds win

back-to-back World Series in 1975-1976. He was a five-time Gold

Glove Award winner and two-time Silver Slugger Award.

Sabo was known for his hard-nosed style of play, similar to Rose.

Sabo was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1988 and

three-time All Star who helped leave the Reds to win their 1990

World Series championship. Davis was the perfect blend of power

speed and defense. He was also a rare five-tool player who won

three Gold Glove Awards, to All Stars and two Silver Slugger Award.

His home run off Dave Stewart in Game 1 of the 1990 World Series

propelled the Reds to a World Series championship. Long before

Ken Griffey Jr. burst onto the Major League scene, Ken Griffey Sr.

was a key component in the “Great Eight” Big Red Machine that

helped win back-to-back World Series titles. Griffey Sr. was also a

three-time All-Star. 

Manager

Sparky Anderson

Anderson became the first manager in Major League history to win

a World Series in both the National and American Leagues. Tony

LaRussa later equaled that accomplishment in 2006. In a sense,

Anderson's managerial approach led to a Major League trend of

relying on bullpens as he was known as “Captain Hook” because

he would pull his starting pitcher at the first sign of weakness.

Anderson was blessed with great players but his managerial skills

also played a significant role in putting together a dominant decade

in the 1970s. Anderson is the franchise's all time leader in managerial

wins and led the franchise to four National League pennants and

two World Series titles. In his nine seasons at the helm, the Reds

had just one losing season. 

Team

1970

Though it may seem odd to pick a team that did not win the World

Series as the best in franchise history but this would be one exception.

In 1970, the Reds went 102-60, finishing 14 and 1/2 games above

the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. They swept

the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS but unfortunately lost to the

Baltimore Orioles in the World Series. Baltimore won 108 regular

season games and had 3 twenty game winners. The 1970 Reds

brought excitement back to Cincinnati for the first time in a decade.

This team catapulted “The Big Red Machine” dynasty of the 1970s.