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

4. Sonny Gray, Right-handed pitcher

Reuniting with his former pitching coach Derek Johnson may have been the thing that’s ever happened to Sonny Gray in his professional career. The right-hander experienced a revival of sorts during the 2019 season and ranked in the Top 10 of the National League in both ERA (2.87) and strikeouts per 9 innings pitched (10.523).

Projecting a Hall of Fame career for Sonny Gray seems like a pipe dream. After all, heading into last season, right-hander was coming off a year in which his ERA was 4.90 and he was a shadow of the player who finished third in the AL Cy Young voting back in 2015. That year, Gray finished with a record of 14-7 and a 2.73 ERA.

Last year, Sonny Gray went to his second All-Star Game, albeit as a replacement for injured Washington Nationals starter Max Scherzer. Heading into the All-Star Game, Gray was just 5-5 with a 3.59 ERA and 103 strikeouts. However, after the Midsummer Classic, something clicked for Gray who went 6-3 down the stretch with a 2.12 ERA and 102 strikeouts.

Gray was traded to the Reds last season because Cincinnati wanted to bolster their starting rotation. However, I don’t think anyone within the organization thought that Gray would put up those type of numbers. It’s hard for any pitcher who plays half their games at Great American Ball Park to put up solid stats, but Gray did just that last year and is hoping for a duplicate performance in 2020.