Cincinnati Reds Top Ten: A Big Red Machine
By Tab Bamford
The special place Cincinnati has held in the hearts of Cuban baseball aficionados has little to do with flame-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman shutting down games in the early 2010s. It even came well before the clutch hitting of Tony Pérez with the Big Red Machine of the 1970s. The Cubans affection for “querida cincy” goes back to the 1910s when the Reds signed Rafael Almeida and Armando Marsans. The Cuban duo made their major league debut on July 4, 1911, becoming the first two Cubans to appear in the majors in the 20th century. But the player to truly make his mark with the Reds was pitcher Adolfo “Dolf” Luque. The stout Cuban won 154 games in his 12 seasons with Cincinnati (1918 to 1929) and was part of the 1919 World Series championship team.
Where did Luque and other Cuban players end up on the Reds Top 10? What about your other Latino favorites to appear with the Reds?
To make things simple, we used WAR (as calculated by Baseball-Reference.com) as our metric of choice in composing our ranking. And while WAR is one measure of the impact of these players, you might have your own opinion as to who deserves to higher (or lower) on that team’s Top 10.
Cincinnati Reds
1. Tony Pérez
16 years in Cincinnati, 45.6 WAR, seven-time All-Star,
Cuba
Starting in 1967, Pérez drove in at least 100 runs in six of nine seasons as one of the key pieces to the great Reds teams of that era. He finished in the top ten of MVP voting four times and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1967 All-Star Game. Pérez hit 287 home runs and drove in 1,192 runs in 1,948 games with the Reds during his great career. He was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.
2. Dave Concepción
19 years in Cincinnati, 40.1 WAR, nine-time All-Star, two World Series championships, five Gold Gloves
Venezuela
It is Concepción, not Johnny Bench, who has the highest Defensive WAR in Reds history. An outstanding shortstop who continued the great line of middle infielders from Venezuela, Concepción mastered the use of the artificial turf in making throws to get runners at first. As a centerpiece of the Big Red Machine with Pérez, Concepción appeared in 2,488 games over 19 seasons for the one club he ever represented. At age 34 in 1982, Concepción appeared in his final All-Star Game and was named the MVP of the mid-summer classic.
3. Dolf Luque
12 years in Cincinnati, 37.7 WAR
Cuba
The legendary Cuban hurler joined the Reds in 1918 and became one of the most dominant pitchers of his era. He led the league with 27 wins in 1923, a season in which he also led the league with a 1.93 ERA and six shutouts. Luque struck out 970 hitters in 2,668.2 innings pitched and won 154 games with the Reds. Inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1966.
4. José Rijo
10 years in Cincinnati, 36.5 WAR, one All-Star Game, 1990 World Series MVP
Dominican Republic
Rijo was a young flamethrower when the Reds traded Dave Parker to Oakland to get him (with Tim Birtsas) in December of 1987. Three years later, Rijo was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1990 World Series. His only All-Star Game nomination came in 1994, and injuries kept him out of the majors from 1996-2000. He came back for two more years with the Reds before hanging up his spikes in 2002. He went 97-61 with a 2.83 ERA and 1,251 strikeouts with the Reds.
5. Mario Soto
12 years in Cincinnati, 26.7 WAR, three-time All-Star
Dominican Republic
Soto led the league in complete games in 1983 (18) and 1984 (13). He represented the Reds in three straight All-Star Games (1982-84), winning a career-high 18 games in 1984. Soto only played for the Reds, winning 100 of 192 decisions and striking out 1,449 in 1,730.1 innings pitched.
6. Johnny Cueto
Eight years in Cincinnati, 25.4 WAR, one All-Star Game
Dominican Republic
Cueto joined the Reds in 2008 and emerged as a dominant starter. His best season in Cincinnati was in 2014, when he was named to his first All-Star Game. He went 20-9, throwing a league-leading 243.2 innings with a league-leading 242 strikeouts. Cueto led the league in starts twice (2012, ’14). His final stat line over eight seasons in Cincinnati is solid: 92-63 with a 3.21 ERA and 1,115 strikeouts in 1,339 innings pitched.
7. Bronson Arroyo
Nine years in Cincinnati, 19.4 WAR, one All-Star Game, one Gold Glove
Cuba/US
Arroyo, whose father was born in Cuba, was traded to Cincinnati by Boston for outfielder Wily Mo Peña before the 2006 season. Arroyo and his high leg kick earned a trip to the All-Star Game his first year with the Reds, compiling a 14-11 record and throwing a league-leading 240.2 innings in 2006. After a couple years away from the game Arroyo came back as a 40-year-old last season. He won 108 games for Cincinnati.
8. Leo Cardenas
Nine years in Cincinnati, 14.8 WAR, four-time All-Star, one Gold Glove
Cuba
Another member of the Big Red Machine, Cardenas joined the big league club in 1960. The middle infielder’s best offensive season came in 1966 when he hit 20 homers and drove in 81; he appeared in his third consecutive All-Star Game that year as well. He was traded to Minnesota for Jim Merritt in 1968.
9. César Gerónimo
Nine years in Cincinnati, 13.2 WAR, four Gold Gloves, two World Series championships
Dominican Republic
On Nov. 20, 1971 the Reds traded Tommy Helms, Lee May and Jimmy Stewart to Houston for Gerónimo, Ed Armbrister, Jack Billingham, Denis Menke and Joe Morgan. Beginning with the 1972 season, Gerónimo became an every day fixture in the Reds’ outfield during their dynasty. He was awarded a Gold Glove in four straight years (1974-77).
10. Aroldis Chapman
Six years in Cincinnati, 10.8 WAR, four-time All-Star
Cuba
Chapman arrived in Cincinnati in 2010 with his 100+ mph fastball and immediately put the National League on notice that, if the Reds had the lead after eight innings, it was lights out. He was named to four straight All-Star Games (2012-15) and piled up 145 saves over those four years. In his time with the Reds, Chapman struck out 546 batters in only 319 innings.
WHO DID WE MISS? WHO’S YOUR FAVORITE? TELL US IN THE COMMENTS!
Featured Image: The Sporting News
Inset Image: Library of Congress