3 former Cincinnati Reds players who deserve more love from the Hall of Fame

With the Baseball Hall of Fame set to announce who'll be immortalized in Cooperstown, I think it's time we take a look at some former Cincinnati Reds players who've received little to no love from the baseball writers over the years.

Now, don't look for the name Pete Rose to pop up. I know that fans, especially in Cincinnati, have a soft spot for the Hit King. And while you'll get no argument from me, we all know that Rose has been permanently banned from baseball.

But, aside from Rose, there are other past Reds performers who've not yet been recognized by the Baseball Writers of America or the Era Committees (formerly known as the Veterans Committees). Let's take a look at the three most glaring omissions.

1. Dave Concepción, Reds shortstop

Barry Larkin manned the shortstop position in Cincinnati for 19 years. But prior to that, Dave Concepción spent his entire 18-year career as the Reds shortstop and was a key member of the Big Red Machine in the 1970s. The fact that Concepción is not in the Hall of Fame is a crime.

The Modern Era Committee would be tasked with adding Concepción to the Hall of Fame, and the nine-time All-Star didn't even make the final cut last time. From a metrics standpoint, Concepción's 40.1 bWAR will not help his case.

But, the five-time Gold Glove Award-winner was one of the best defenders at his position over his nearly two decades in the big leagues. Few shortstops are going to match Concepción's defensive bWAR of 21.4. Larkin's career defensive bWAR was 14.4. Derek Jeter, also a five-time Gold Glove recipient, was worth -9.4 bWAR on defense.

For his career, Dave Concepción posted an OPS of just .679, but he's also a two-time Silver Slugger and two-time World Champion. Concepción's nine All-Star selections are second on the Cincinnati Reds all-time list behind only the great Johnny Bench.