Greatest Reds of all Time: #10

I have decided to start a weekly column ranking the ten greatest Reds of all time. Today I start with number 10.

10. George Foster

Foster was a key member of the Big Red Machine that won the world series in 1975 and 1976. In 1971, the Cincinnati Reds acquired Foster from the San Francisco Giants for Frank Duffy and Vern Geishert, according to Baseball America. Foster, feared because of his bat as well as his sideburns, anchored the Reds left field throughout the 70′s.

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA
1975	26	CIN	NL	134	511	463	71	139	24	4	23	78	2	1	40	73	.300
1976	27	CIN	NL	144	627	562	86	172	21	9	29	*121*	17	3	52	89	.306
1977	28	CIN	NL	158	689	615	124	197	31	2	52	*149*	6	4	61	107	.320
1978	29	CIN	NL	158	687	604	97	170	26	7	40	120	4	4	70	138	.281
1979	30	CIN	NL	121	505	440	68	133	18	3	30	98	0	2	59	105	.302
				G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA
CIN (11 yrs)				1253	5010	4454	680	1276	207	37	244	861	46	24	470	882	.286

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/3/2010.

George Foster on Sports Illustrated (Photo: Sports Illustrated Archives)

Foster’s career took off in 1975 after 4 up and down seasons with the Reds. That season he cracked 20 home runs and grabbed a spot in the middle of the Reds lineup. In 1976, he earned his first all-star appearance and led the National league with 121 RBIs.
The next year Foster still managed to get better as he batted .320 while leading the league with 52 home runs and 149 RBI’s. He won his first MVP award and also led the league in slugging, total bases, and OPS.
The next season in 1978, his production continued to the tune of 40 home runs and 120 RBI. Continuing to 1979, he would be an all-star in four straight seasons, and lead the the Reds to a world series victory two of those seasons.
The next three seasons after ’78 he would never hit less than 22 home runs, and he spent part of 11 seasons in a Reds uniform until the Reds traded him in 1982 to the New York Mets. He remains 6th on the Reds home run list and 9th on the all-time RBI list, but more importantly he was one of the winningest players in Reds history.

Next week the countdown continues to #9.