Cincinnati Reds: Five current players most likely to make the Hall of Fame

The Cincinnati Reds are a proud franchise with many Hall of Fame players, but which current player is most likely to get the call to Cooperstown?

The pinnacle of Major League Baseball is the Hall of Fame. In the 150-history of the Reds, 31 players who have donned a Cincinnati uniform have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. It is, perhaps, the greatest honor bestowed upon any player in the game of baseball. Given the Cincinnati Reds current roster, who’s most likely to get the call to Cooperstown?

While not all 31 Hall of Famers spent a considerable amount of time in the Queen City, some of the best who ever did it played for our beloved Redlegs. Tony Perez, Barry Larkin, Ernie Lombardi and Johnny Bench just to name a few. All-time greats such as Tom Seaver (1977-1982), Mordecai Brown (1913) and Frank Robinson (1956-1965) also played for the Reds.

But, who among those players currently on the Cincinnati Reds roster are most likely to receive a phone call from Baseball Writers of America? It’s a tough road to be sure, as the Reds most recent honoree, Larkin, did not make it in during his first year of eligibility. It took three years for Larkin to be enshrined among the greatest to ever play the game.

Larkin’s résumé is dripping with accolades. A three-time Gold Glove Award winner, 12-time All-Star and former MVP, Larkin was the last player who suited up for the Reds to be selected to the Hall of Fame. Which of the current crop of Reds is most likely to get that call? For the purpose of these projections, we’re looking only at players on the 40-man roster.

5. Nick Senzel, Centerfielder

Now, before I get completely laughed off your screen for putting Nick Senzel into this projection, let me explain. Granted, Senzel’s rookie year was not as impressive as Reds Country had hoped, and service time concerns along with injuries robbed him of a full season, but the talent to be an elite-level player at the major league level is there.

The last Reds rookie to receive as much hype as Nick Senzel was former first-round pick Jay Bruce. Bruce was a can’t-miss prospect who made his major league debut in 2008 and finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting that season. Believe it or not, when you put the rookie seasons of Bruce and Senzel side-by-side, they’re eerily similar.

Jay Bruce hit .254/.314/.453 with 21 home runs and 52 RBIs in 108 games for the Reds in 2008. Last season, Nick Senzel hit .256/.315/.427 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs in 104 games. Senzel definitely does not possess the power of Bruce, but his plate discipline and athleticism are slightly better than Bruce.

Given that Senzel has played less than a season in the bigs, one that was shortened by injury, it’s difficult to project how well he’ll do in the future. However, the youngster has all the tools to be an All-Star caliber player. Jay Bruce went to three All-Star Games and won three Silver Sluggers during his Reds tenure. Cincinnati would be ecstatic if Senzel did the same.

3. Eugenio Suárez, Third baseman

Eugenio Suárez had a breakout season in 2018, making a trip to his first All-Star Game. Last season, Geno broke the record of most home runs in a single season by a Venezuelan-born player. What might we see from Suárez in 2020 is anyone’s guess. Has the 28-year-old hit his ceiling or is there more to come from the Reds third baseman?

I don’t think anyone expected Suárez to transform into the player that we see before us. Had that been the case, he’d have signed a much larger deal that the seven-year/$66M contract extension that was inked back in 2018. Eugenio Suárez’s current deal with the Reds isn’t a bargain, it’s highway robbery.

The numbers that Geno has put up the past two seasons suggest that Reds star is just starting to hit his stride. Suárez’s name popped up on a few MVP ballots last season, but the right-handed slugger finished 15th in race. That said, another season like we saw in 2019 will certainly elevate Geno’s standing among the fans and baseball writers.

Suárez should already have two All-Star appearances to his name, but unfortunately for him, fellow third basemen Nolan Arenado, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rendon have resided in the National League. Perhaps Rendon’s shift to the American League will help give Geno a foothold in the conversation for the best third basemen in the NL.

2. Luis Castillo, Right-handed pitcher

It was like splitting hairs deciding between No. 2 and No. 3, but in the end Luis Castillo got the nod because of his youth and higher ceiling. While Eugenio Suárez has the makings of a third baseman capable of multiple All-Star appearances, Castillo has the look of an ace in the making and could be in the hunt for the Cy Young Award year-in and year-out.

Luis Castillo has arrived. Last spring, La Piedra made name for himself and took home Pitcher of the Month honors during the month of April. Castillo began last year’s All-Star campaign going 3-1 with a 1.45 ERA and 50 strikeouts during his first seven starts. Castillo struggled a big down the stretch, but still finished the 2020 season with a 3.40 ERA.

Castillo’s changeup might be, nay, is the best in baseball. According to FanGraphs, Castillo went to his bread and butter 32.4% of the time, with the velocity dropping from 96.5-MPH on his fastball to 87.3-MPH when Castillo throws his changeup. He kept hitters off balance all season, striking out 226 batters and inducing a 55.2% ground ball-rate.

At 27-years of age, Luis Castillo has youth on his side. The former Miami Marlins farmhand has turned into the Cincinnati Reds ace. Look for the front office to lock-up Castillo for the foreseeable future, keeping La Piedra in the Queen City for years to come. Castillo is best pitcher to come through Cincinnati since Johnny Cueto, who almost won the NL Cy Young in 2014 with the Reds.

1. Joey Votto, First baseman

Joey Votto is unquestionably the most likely player on the current Reds roster to be selected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. While his play has fallen off over the past two seasons, a bounce-back season or two could make his inclusion in Cooperstown a near certainty. Even if we never see Votto return to the player he once was, his body of work speaks for itself.

Today’s fans are so obsessed with the player that Joey Votto is that they’ve forgotten who he was. We’re talking about a former MVP who should’ve won the award twice. Votto finished second in 2017 to Giancarlo Stanton. Votto led the league in on-base percentage in seven of his 13 years in the league and for his career has an OBP of .421.

Former Reds great Tony Perez has a career slash line of .279/.341/.463 with 379 home runs and 1,562 RBIs over a 23-year career. According to Baseball Reference, Perez has 54.0 WAR. Votto, entering his 14th major league season, has a slash line of .307/.421/.519 with 284 homers and 944 RBIs. Joey’s WAR of 62.0 has already surpassed the Big Doggie.

Perez was elected to the Hall of Fame during his ninth year on the ballot, and I’d expect a similar path to Cooperstown for Joey Votto. Unless the Reds first basemen has a renaissance over the final four years of his current contract, it’s highly unlikely that he’ll be elected to the Hall of Fame during his first year on the ballot.

While early in his career Joey Votto looked like a surefire Hall of Famer, the detractors have come out in droves over the past two seasons. For the better part of a decade, Votto was unquestionably the best player on the Cincinnati Reds and one of the best in the game, period! Votto has finished in the Top 7 of the NL MVP voting on six different occasions.

A return to the playoffs and a solid season would do a lot for Votto’s case to make the Hall of Fame. His story is not yet complete, but former MVP is already in the conversation. Votto’s patience at the dish has changed the way a lot of players approach the game. While some are not a fan of Joey’s reluctance to swing away, his keen eye has helped him become one of the best hitters in the game.