Ranking every Reds player who's had his jersey retired

3. Reds second baseman Joe Morgan (No. 8)

Joe Morgan is an all-time great. When you think of the Cincinnati Reds Mount Rushmore, it has to include The Little General. Morgan began his professional career as a member of the Houston Colt .45s (later renamed the Astros).

Morgan was the key piece that turned the Cincinnati Reds from a very good team into the Big Red Machine. Morgan was dealt from Houston to Cincinnati in November of 1971. Lee May, Tommy Helms, and Jimmy Stewart all went the Lone Star State and Cincinnti received Morgan, Jack Billingham, Cesar Geronimo, and two others.

After that trade, the Big Red Machine took off. Moran was a two-time All-Star at the time of the trade and had led the league in triples the year before. the 1972 season was the first of eight consecutive years that saw Morgan go to the All-Star Game.

From 1972 to 1979, Morgan hit .288/.415/.470, stole 406 bases, racked up 152 home runs, and won five Gold Gloves. Morgan was also named National League MVP in back-to-back seasons (1975 and 1976) and also helped lead the Reds to back-to-back World Series titles.

Joe Morgan is an icon on the sport of baseball, and you can't tell the story of the Big Red Machine without him. Joe's No. 8 jersey hangs above Great American Ball Park after he was honored 1987. Morgan was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1990, receiving over 80-percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers of America.