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

4. Lou Piniella

The fact that Lou Piniella has not been enshrined in Cooperstown in a travesty. What more does a manager have to do in order to be included among the best who've ever done it?

Piniella was, of course, the skipper for the 1990 wire-to-wire World Series Championship team. After the embarrassment associated with the club follow Pete Rose's suspension in 1989, the Cincinnati Reds replaced Tommy Helms with Piniella prior to the 1990 campaign.

The hire turned out to be a wonderful success as Piniella pushed all the right buttons that season and helped lead the Redlegs to the 1990 World Series in which they swept the heavily-favored Oakland Athletics in four games. Piniella spent three seasons in Cincinnati and finished his tenure with a record of 255-231.

Throughout 23 seasons in Major League Baseball, Lou Piniella posted a winning percentage above .500, though he was 23-27 in the postseason. Among those managers who've retired, only Gene Mauch and Dusty Baker have yet to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Baker will be inducted as soon as he is eligible, and Mauch never won a pennant nor a World Series.

Jim Leyland will be part of the 2024 Hall of Fame class this year, but Piniella did not receive that same distinction. The Contemporary Era Committee had the chance to include Piniella this past year, but the former Reds manager fell one vote short while Leyland appeared on 15 of 16 ballots. Piniella will have to wait until 2026 to get his shot once again.