BAR: Reggie Sanders deserves Reds Hall of Fame nod

C. Trent Rosecrans
Cincinnati Enquirer
Reggie Sanders watches his two-run homer against the Dodgers on Oct. 4, 1995.

The Blog Above Replacement a daily look at the Reds, their minor leagues and whatever else is on the mind of Enquirer Reds beat writers, C. Trent Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan. You can follow them on Twitter (@ctrent and @ZachENQ), Facebook (C. Trent Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan) and Instagram (ENQReds).

Voting is live for the next Reds Hall of Fame class over at RedsMuseum.com, so I wanted to look at the six candidates.

A couple of years ago when I was asked to vote, I was looking at the statistics and because I wasn’t a Reds fan in the early 90s, I hadn’t realized just how good Reggie Sanders was with the Reds.

Now, if voting, I can see voting for any of the six candidates, all six have their cases. What I do when I vote for the National Hall of Fame and Museum every December is take the players on the ballot and rank them, putting the line where I think denotes a Hall of Famer – and in the case of every time I’ve voted, another line at 10, since that Hall draws the line at 10.

Here, the line is one. Here are the six – and reminder, all six were very good players – in the order I’d put them in (the reason you vote is we all have different criteria.)

1. Reggie Sanders — 8 seasons, .271/.353/.476 125 HR, 431 RBI, 118 OPS+, 21.4 bWAR

As noted above, I didn’t realize just how good Sanders was when he was in Cincinnati. I remember him as a good player, but the numbers tell me he was better than I remembered.

WAR (Wins Above Replacement) has its detractors, but I do like it as a blunt instrument for player value (I'm using the Baseball-Reference.com version of WAR because I like the search capabilities and layout of Baseball-Reference better than FanGraphs). His WAR in Cincinnati is higher than any of the other candidates both on an overall number and on a per-season average. He hit for both average and power and he helped lead the 1995 team to the playoffs, hitting .306/.397/.579 with 28 homers and 99 RBI. By WAR, he was better even than his teammate Barry Larkin, who won the NL MVP that year. It was good for a 6.6 WAR season, boosting his total number. However, if you take away the top WAR season of any of the other players on the ballot, only John Franco has a higher average WAR per season.

His WAR is 20th all-time among Reds position players, with all 17 players eligible for induction ahead of him on the list already in the team’s Hall of Fame. (Joey Votto is sixth, trailing only Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Barry Larkin, Frank Robinson and Joe Morgan, and Brandon Phillips is 15th, between Ted Kluszewski and Eric Davis.)

2. Adam Dunn — 8 seasons, .247/.380/.520 270 HR, 646 RBI, 130 OPS+, 16.4 bWAR

Before Votto divided old school and new school opinions, it was Adam Dunn. Make no mistake, Dunn was a force of nature as a Red, hitting towering home runs and driving people nuts by walking. He drove in 100 or more runs in four of five years from 2004 to 2008 (although 26 of his 100 RBI in came with the Diamondbacks). This, apparently, was before 100 RBI became some people’s bench mark for a “good player.” He hit 40 home runs or more in each of those five seasons to boot. 

He was, however, a liability in the outfield. His offensive WAR (oWAR) for his time with the Reds was 24.5, but his defense took away from his value.

I expect Dunn to win this because, in the end, he was a really good player, popular for a large swath of fandom and extremely likable. I was just saying the other day that he may be the funniest player I’ve ever covered. I think he’d give the best speech and he’s worthy of the Hall.

3. John Franco — 6 seasons, 42-30, 148 saves, 2.49 ERA, 702.2 IP, 592 SO, 236 BB, 13.0 bWAR

Again, not being a Reds fan growing up, I always think of Franco with the Mets, but he was really, really good here. He was a three-time All-Star as a Red, led the team in saves for four straight years and had a 2.49 ERA. He deserves a nod, but I rank him third because of my bias toward position players over pitchers and starting pitchers over relievers. 

4. Scott Rolen — 4 seasons, .263/.332/.438 36 HR, 182 RBI, 105 OPS+, 7.6 bWAR

One of the favorite things of those online is to rail against “narratives,” and I may dismiss Rolen’s influence on the Reds for the run from 2010-2013 with my own eyes and I’m a believer. Rolen helped teach the likes of Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips how to win and how to be a professional. His influence is still in the team’s clubhouse. Just Friday, Zack Cozart brought up Rolen when he talked about not letting the other team see you’re hurt. In four years with the Reds, he had two All-Star appearances and a Gold Glove. Still, he’s probably the rare player whose case is better for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum than the Reds Hall of Fame.  

5. Aaron Boone — 7 seasons, .271/.374/.450?? 86 HR, 362 RBI, 99 OPS+, 11.6 bWAR

I first saw Aaron Boone play as a member of the Chatanooga Lookouts and he just looked like a big-leaguer. He was also a very good player for the Reds and extremely well liked. For the majority of baseball fans, his most famous moment came in a Yankee uniform. He was a good player, just behind the rest on this list.

6. Danny Graves — 9 seasons 39-43, 182 saves, 3.94 ERA, 733 IP, 388 SO, 239 BB, 6.7 bWAR

I really enjoyed covering Danny Graves, who is still an extremely nice guy. He was a really good pitcher, too. Someone on a list of six has to be last, and it’s Graves here – which isn’t an insult, it’s just a list. 

#HeyBartender

Friday is mailbag day, and I’ll be handling it this week. Feel free to email me, Tweet at me with #HeyBARtender or message on Facebook your questions, Reds or otherwise.

ICYMI

I emptied out my notebook from my recent trip to Pensacola. You know about Luis Castillo and you’ve heard about Tyler Mahle, you may have heard less about someone Blue Wahoos pitching coach Danny Darwin puts in the same category, Jose Lopez.

Minor League Roundup

Triple-A: Indianapolis 6, Louisville 1: RHP Tyler Mahle gave up three runs on nine hits in seven innings. He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter. Two of the three runs came in the seventh on back-to-back home runs. CF Tyler Goeddel went 4 for 4. [Box]

Double-A: Pensacola 3, Jackson 1: LF Josh VanMeter hit a two-run single in the seventh to break a 1-1 tie. OF Gabriel Guerrero was 2 for 2 with two walks and a home run, his sixth of the season. RHP Deck McGuire allowed a run on five hits over seven innings with one walk and six strikeouts. [Box]

High-A: Daytona was off.

Low-A: Dayton 7, Lake County 2: LHP Scott Moss improved to 13-6, allowing one run on six hits over seven innings. He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter. 3B Taylor Sparks, CF Jose Siri and C Cassidy Brown homered, while LF Taylor Trammell was 2 for 3 with two walk and three stolen bases. He leads the Midwest League with 38. [Box]

Rookie: Missoula 10, Billings 4: LF Andy Sugilio was 3 for 4 and is hitting .347/.395/.500 in 45 games for the Mustangs. [Box]

The Rotation

1. Former Reds shortstop Paul Janish has retired and will join the coaching staff at his alma mater, Rice University in Houston. [Virginian-Pilot]

2. Looking ahead to the free agent class of 2018 – it’s going to be interesting. [USA Today]

3. Former North College Hill star O.J. Mayo is working his way back to the NBA after a two-year ban for drug abuse. [SI.com]

4. My friend and mentor Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com has a new book out about the Baylor football scandal. [USA Today]

5. Eight things learned at the “Star Wars and Power of Costume” exhibit currently at the Cincinnati Museum Center. I’ve been three times already and want to get back one more time. The look on my daughter's face when she saw Rey was worth it – that and her screaming "Tusken Raider!" Also, don’t miss the exhibit of Kenner toys at the end. [StarWars.com]