Reds History: Fan-favorite with hilarious nickname signs free agent deal with Orioles

The Cincinnati Reds have a long and storied history. The oldest franchise in Major League Baseball has seen some of the all-time greats don the wishbone 'C' on their caps. Frank Robinson, Johnny Bench, and Barry Larkin are among the many Hall of Famers to be part of the Reds' organization over the years.

But among those all-time greats are some all-time great nicknames. Charlie Hustle (Pete Rose), The Old Left-Hander (Joe Nuxhall), and The Big Donkey (Adam Dunn) just to name a few. One of the more comical nicknames was given to former Reds' third baseman Chris Sabo. They called him Spuds.

Reds History: Chris Sabo was a fan-favorite in Cincinnati

Sabo's nickname was handed to him courtesy of his manager at the time. Rose, who was the Reds' skipper from 1984-1989, was the one who reportedly gave Sabo his famed nickname due to his supposed resemblance to the fictional commercial character 'Spuds MacKenzie'.

Many young Reds fans in the late-1980s and early-1990s grabbed their hat, glove, and a pair of swimming goggles as they headed out to play little league baseball while trying to emulate Sabo whose iconic eyewear became synonymous with the 1988 NL Rookie of the Year. Sabo broke onto the scene that season, replacing five-time All-Star Buddy Bell at third base.

Sabo spent six seasons in Cincinnati, hitting .270/.327/.449 with 101 home runs and 357 RBI during that stretch. In addition to his Rookie of the Year trophy, Sabo also went to three All-Star Games during his first Reds' tenure and was a key member of the wire-to-wire World Series Champions in 1990.

Reds History: Chris Sabo signed with the Orioles after a six-year run in Cincy

But Sabo left Cincinnati as a free agent following the 1993 season. The infielder signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles on January 14, 1994. The New York Mets were also pursuing Sabo that offseason. However, the slick-fielding third baseman only played 68 games that season due to injury.

Sabo endured a shaky start through his first 20 games of the 1994 season, hitting just .221/.308/.397. The O's third baseman was in and out of the lineup through the early-part of season, but returned on June 10th and hit .264/.323/.483 during his final 44 games that season. But Sabo took a lesser role during his time in Baltimore due to Leo Gómez's hot hitting.

Sabo then played for Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals in 1995 before returning to the Reds' organization in 1996. That would be Sabo's final big league season, and he finished his Reds' career with 818 games played, 812 hits, 193 doubles, and a 111 career-OPS+. Sabo was inducted in to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2010 and has dabbled in coaching at both the collegiate and professional levels after his playing career.

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