Cincinnati Reds All-Stars: Building the Best Reds All-Time Lineup

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Bench, Morgan, Pérez, or Rose? The “Big Red Machine” of the 1970s had so many high-powered parts, it was like opposing pitchers were picking their poison.

The Reds have had some success with newer models of the machine since then, but the core of Cincinnati’s all-time list comes from those heydays at the Riverfront.

Manager: Sparky Anderson

Anderson became Cincinnati’s skipper for the 1970 season, and the team immediately had a 102-win campaign and won the National League pennant, which it did again in 1972. In the sixth season of Anderson’s managerial stint, the Reds won the 1975 World Series and then repeated as champions in 1976. Anderson managed the Reds from 1970-78, with the team going a combined 863-586. His 863 managerial wins rank first in Reds history, while Anderson’s 59.6% winning percentage ranks second.

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Starting pitcher: Eppa Rixey

After eight high-caliber seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, Rixey joined the Reds for the 1921 season and continued to roll. Pitching deep into games and habitually working out of trouble, the Hall of Fame left-hander was one of the most dominant pitchers of his era. Rixey, who recorded a 3.33 ERA for Cincinnati from 1921-33, is first in Reds history with both 179 wins and 2,890.2 innings pitched, second with a 40.9 WAR among pitchers, tied for eighth with 23 shutouts and is ninth with 180 complete games.

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Reliever/closer: Danny Graves

Cincinnati acquired Graves during the 1997 season, and the right-handed reliever would become a crucial element to its bullpen in the coming years. Across eight years with the Reds (mid-1997 to mid-2005), Graves posted a 3.94 ERA, 112 ERA+ and was a two-time All-Star, while dabbling as a starting pitcher in the 2003 season. What’s more, Graves is first in Reds history with 182 saves.

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Catcher: Johnny Bench

One of the best players to both put on a catcher’s mitt and swing a bat, Bench, a two-time NL MVP, 10-time Gold Glover and 14-time All-Star, spent his entire 17-year career in Cincinnati (1967-83). Bench was a force to be reckoned with, as the already reliable backstop had an impact bat, slugged at a high level and was one of the preeminent faces of Cincinnati’s 1975 and 1976 championship teams. In the 1976 postseason, he totaled three home runs and seven RBIs, while posting a .444/.464/.926 slash line and winning 1976 World Series MVP honors. Bench blasted 30-plus home runs four times and 40-plus home runs twice in the regular season, while totaling 100-plus RBI in six seasons; he led the NL in RBIs three times and home runs twice. Bench is first in Reds history with both 389 home runs and 1,376 RBIs, second with a 75.1 WAR, third with 3,644 total bases, fifth with both 891 walks and 1,091 runs scored and sixth with 2,048 hits.

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Votto is one of the best position players of his generation, but the career-long Reds first baseman (2007-23) just wasn’t present for a team that won a playoff series, only making the playoffs four times. A six-time All-Star, Votto was a comforting presence at first base and one of the more disciplined hitters in recent memory, laying off pitches and being a composed, compact hitter from the left side who generated power. The first baseman won the 2010 NL MVP Award, led the NL in on-base percentage seven times, walks five times and OPS twice. Votto is second in Reds history with 356 home runs, 3,706 total bases and a .409 on-base percentage, third with 1,144 RBIs, fourth with 1,171 runs scored, fifth with both 2,135 hits and a 63.6 WAR and sixth with a .511 slugging percentage.

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2B: Joe Morgan

Morgan landed in Cincinnati in 1972 and proceeded to be an All-Star in each of his eight seasons with the club. The middle infielder was a steady, contact hitter with a tremendous eye at the plate who inflicted pain on pitching staffs on the basepaths, while also being a lockdown second baseman. Morgan, who earned five Gold Gloves with the Reds, led the NL in both WAR and on-base percentage four times and walks twice with the franchise. Furthermore, the 5-foot-7 second baseman won both the 1975 and 1976 NL MVP awards. Morgan is first in Reds history with a .415 on-base percentage, second with 406 stolen bases and sixth with both 881 walks and a 57.9 WAR.

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3B: Pete Rose

When one sees the Reds logo, the all-time hits leader is the first face that comes to mind. Mr. 4,256 (Rose’s career hit total) was the prototypical gritty, contact hitter who got on base at will, legged out extra-base hits and was nearly impossible to strikeout. The switch-hitting and versatile Rose starred on Cincinnati’s 1975 and 1976 championship teams, while being a career .321 postseason hitter and winning the 1975 World Series MVP Award. In a Reds uniform (1963-78 and 1984-86), “Charlie Hustle” won three NL batting titles, totaled 200-plus hits in nine seasons — leading the NL in six of those seasons — and led the NL in doubles in four seasons. Rose, an overall 17-time All-Star who also managed the team from 1984-89, is first in Reds history with 3,358 hits, 1,741 runs scored, 4,645 total bases and a 78.1 WAR, fifth with 1,036 RBIs and tied for 10th with both a .307 batting average and a .379 on-base percentage.

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SS: Barry Larkin

Another career-long Red (1986-2004), Larkin took the torch from the elite infielders that came before him, serving as a featured part of the team’s 1990 World Series title, with the shortstop hitting .300 in the 1990 postseason. Larkin, who led the NL with a 7.0 WAR in 1988 and won the 1995 NL MVP Award, was among the premier shortstops of his generation, hit for average, seldom struck out and showcased power later in his career, highlighted by a career-high 33 home runs in 1996. A three-time Gold Glover, nine-time Silver Slugger and 12-time All-Star, Larkin is second in Reds history with 2,340 hits, third with 1,329 runs scored, 379 stolen bases and a 70.5 WAR, fourth with both 3,527 total bases and 937 walks and seventh with 960 RBIs.

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OF: George Foster

Cincinnati acquired Foster during the 1971 season, and he would become an indispensable part of its offensive attack through 1981. After a series of quiet seasons, Foster began to break out in 1975, emerging as one of the most feared hitters in the sport. Foster led the NL in RBIs in three consecutive seasons (1976-78) and home runs in back-to-back seasons (1977-78), which included 52 long balls in 1977, a year which saw the outfielder win the NL MVP Award. Each of his five career All-Star honors came with the Reds, with whom he won two championships, batting a combined .303 in the 1975 and 1976 postseasons. Foster is tied for third in Reds history with a .514 slugging percentage, is seventh with 244 home runs and 10th with 861 RBIs.

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OF: Eric Davis

Davis was a linchpin of the Reds’ 1990 World Series triumph. Spending the first eight seasons of his career in Cincinnati (1984-91 and then one more time in 1996), Davis did a little bit of everything quite well, as he hit for power, swiped bags at a high rate — highlighted by 80 stolen bases in 1986 — and was stellar in center field. He also totaled 30-plus home runs and 100-plus RBIs in two seasons. Davis, a three-time Gold Glover, two-time Silver Slugger and two-time All-Star, is seventh in Reds history with a .510 slugging percentage, ninth with 270 stolen bases and 10th with 203 home runs.

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OF: Frank Robinson

Robinson spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Reds (1956-65), with whom he became one of the sport’s most prolific players from the jump. In Robinson’s 1956 rookie campaign, he led the NL with 122 runs scored, while posting a 6.5 WAR, .558 slugging percentage and 38 home runs — and that was just the beginning. The right-handed hitting outfielder spent the rest of his time with the Reds punishing baseballs. Robinson averaged 32 home runs and 101 RBIs per season in Cincinnati, while leading the NL in slugging percentage three times and winning the 1961 NL MVP Award. A six-time All-Star with the franchise, Robinson is first in Reds history with a .554 slugging percentage, third with 324 home runs, fourth with a 63.8 WAR, fifth with a .389 on-base percentage and sixth with both 1,009 RBIs and 1,043 runs scored.

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DH: Tony Perez

Perez spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Reds (1964-76) and won a pair of World Series on the way out (1975 and 1976). The corner infielder (Perez started at both first and third base for the Reds) cranked at the plate. He was a consistent source of power for Cincinnati who drove in runs at an elite level, posting 100-plus RBIs in six seasons. Perez, who earned each of his seven All-Star nods with the Reds, is second in franchise history with 1,192 RBIs, fourth with 287 home runs, fifth with 3,246 total bases, seventh with 1,934 hits and ninth with both 936 runs scored and a 45.5 WAR.

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Honorable Mentions:

• Bill McKechnie (manager)
• Bucky Walters (starting pitcher)
• Paul Derringer (starting pitcher)
• Noodles Hahn (starting pitcher)
• Jim O’Toole (starting pitcher)
• Aroldis Chapman (reliever/closer) 
• Rob Dibble (reliever/closer) 
• Brandon Phillips (2B)
• Dave Concepcion (SS)
• Jay Bruce (OF)
• Vada Pinson (OF)
• Ken Griffey (DH)
• Adam Dunn (DH)

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