Blooperstown?

Monday January 12th was selection day for the 2009 class of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. To no one’s surprise, Rickey Henderson was selected in his first year of eligibility, earning nearly 95% of the overall votes. ESPN baseball analyst and former Cincinnati Red Joe Morgan said he was surprised that Henderson “only” received that high of a percentage of votes. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Henderson is the career leader in stolen bases with 1,406 and in runs scored with 2,295. Henderson, who primarily played the outfield, also collected 3,055 hits and 297 homeruns. His 26 season, 9 team career included three separate stints with the Oakland Athletics.
Jim Rice was also elected to the Hall of Fame in his final year of eligibility, receiving just 1.4% above the 75% of votes needed for election. Rice spent his entire 16-year career with the Boston Red Sox, collecting 2,452 hits, 382 homeruns, 1,451 runs batted in, and a .298 batting average, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Henderson was a shoe-in for the Hall, while Rice was seemingly lucky to get in. Some Reds players, like Tony Perez, Johnny Bench, and Joe Morgan were shoe-ins for the Hall of Fame, while many other former Reds may or may not receive moralization in the Hall. Here are the top five players who spent the majority of their careers with the Cincinnati Reds, who do not yet have a place in Cooperstown.

5. George Foster- this left fielder played in the league from 1969 to 1986 and was a major offensive producer for the Big Red Machine. He collected 1,928 hits, 348 homeruns, and a .274 career batting average. He also won the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 1977.

4. Joe Nuxhall- in 1944, fifteen year-old Joe Nuxhall became the younger Major League player to ever step foot on a field. The southpaw pitcher spent most of his career with the Reds. He ended his playing career in 1966 with a 135-117 record, 3.90 earned run average, and 1,372 strikeouts. Although his playing career was solid, it was far from being Hall of Fame-worthy.
Nuxy, as fans affectionately knew him by, began broadcasting in 1967. He continued his career as a Reds radio announcer until he retired in 2004. Even after retiring, Nuxhall still did some guest commentary, up until his death in November 2007. He was fondly remembered for his common saying, he’s “rounding third and heading for home,” which is immortalized on the outside of Great American Ballpark. There is also a statue of Nuxhall outside the ballpark. He brought the game to life and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, where his longtime partner Marty Brennaman is already enshrined.

3. Barry Larkin- he’ll first be eligible for election into the Hall of Fame next year, but it’s uncertain whether or not Larkin will be elected on his first try. This shortstop surely deserves to be in the Hall. “One of the most complete players of all time,” according to the Reds’ official website, the 12-time all-star played for 19 seasons, all with the Reds. He received 3 Gold Glove awards, the 1995 MVP award, and collected 2,340 hits. He also had a .295 batting average, hit 198 homeruns, and scored 1,329 runs. Like the next two players listed below, Larking spent his entire playing career with the Reds. It’s not really a question of if Larkin will get into the Hall of Fame, but rather a question of when.

2. Dave Concepcion- this Venezuelan-born shortstop was an integral part of the Big Red Machine. He was voted to 9 all-star games and was awarded 5 Gold gloves in his 18-year career, all with the Reds. He collected 2,326 hits and 993 runs in his career. He is widely considered to be one of the top defensive shortstops to ever play the game.

1. Pete Rose- like Barry Larkin, he was born and raised in Cincinnati. He played from 1963 to 1986, was selected to the All-Star Game 17 times, won two gold gloves, and the 1973 MVP Award. He is baseball’s all-time hits leader with 4,256, and has a lifetime batting average of .303.
Yes, baseball’s all-time hit king did bet on baseball. That was definitely a mistake, but it’s not like he was betting against the team he was managing. Rather, he was betting on them, which probably gave him even more motivation to win. I’m not trying to justify what Pete did; I’m just saying that there are people who have done worse things who are in a Hall of Fame (cough...O.J…cough). Regardless of the mistakes that Rose may have made off the field, nothing changes the fact that on the field, he was one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Rose was banned for life upon being suspected of betting on baseball in 1988. So unfortunately, until he is reinstated, writers cannot even cast a Hall of Fame vote for Peter Edward Rose.

Honorable mentions: Ted Kluszewski, Ken Griffey Sr., Eric Davis, Mario Soto.

^All Reds’ player statistics listed above were taken from: http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/cin/ballpark/museum/ hofers.jsp