4 Reds Hall of Fame snubs that look more egregious after 2024 election

The National Baseball Hall of Fame just welcomed three new members this week after Todd Helton, Adrian Beltré, and Joe Mauer were all elected to join baseball's elite in Cooperstown. Reliever Billy Wagner fell just five votes short.

The Cincinnati Reds are well represented in the Hall of Fame. Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, and Barry Larkin have all been immortalized, and within the next decade, at least one more will likely be added to the list. With Helton and Mauer soon to be enshrined, Joey Votto's place among the all-time greats is almost academic.

But a few players who've had impactful careers with the Reds are still missing, and Tuesday's vote only confirmed that a few former players, who had great careers in Cincinnati, deserve to be included. After watching Helton, Beltré, and Mauer get the nod, which four Reds absences from the Hall of Fame now look even more egregious?

1. Vada Pinson

While a case can be made for several Reds players to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, there may not be a more glaring omission than Vada Pinson. The outfielder debuted in 1958 and went to the All-Star Game in 1959.

Pinson was an outstanding defensive outfielder, though he has just one Gold Glove to his credit. That said, when your competition consistents of Hank Aaron, Curt Flood, Roberto Clemente, and Willie Mays, you begin to wonder how Pinson was even able to win the one he did during the 1961 season.

Pinson was a star at a young age, and has two Top 10 finishes for the NL MVP Award. Pinson led the league in hits twice during his Reds career, but Adrian Beltré and Todd Helton only did so once during their careers.

Pinson was atop the league in doubles two times during his 11-year tenure in Cincinnati, which is also more than Beltré or Helton ever did. Pinson's speed on the base paths allowed him to lead the league in triples twice as well, something the newly elected Hall of Fame trio never accomplished.

When comparing him to others in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Vada Pinson (54.1) has a higher bWAR than Kirby Puckett (51.2) and fellow Reds great Tony Perez (54.0 bWAR). Both Puckett and Perez have a bust in Cooperstown, and it's long overdue for Pinson to join them.