The Reds finally did what the Hall of Fame has stubbornly refused to do

A modicum of justice has been given for Lou Piniella, who will join the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame at an induction ceremony in April. Piniella, whose playing and managing career featured multiple World Series championships, an All-Star selection, a bevy of awards, and a half-century of dedication, well deserves the recognition. A greater reward—a plaque in Cooperstown—is long overdue.

The path to the Baseball Hall of Fame is very difficult for managers. Just eight skippers have been inducted since 2000, and Piniella fell a single vote short in 2023, his most recent appearance on the ballot. Compared with the managers who have found their way into the Hall, Piniella ranks favorably. It’s time for the oversight to be rectified.

Lou Piniella will be inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2026, but his path to Cooperstown has been unjustifiably long

Piniella, who led the Reds to the World Series title in 1990, retired amid the 2010 season in order to care for his aging mother. He managed 23 years across five different teams. His 1,835 wins currently rank 17th all time, and his .517 win percentage is higher than five of the 16 managers with more total wins. In other words, his career wasn’t just long; it was consistent and effective. Piniella's teams saw just eight losing seasons and captured the division title six times. On top of that, his 2001 Seattle Mariners squad tied the record for most wins in a single season with 116.

Despite, or perhaps because of, his fiery demeanor, Piniella gained the respect of his players. His intensity and expectation of accountability helped mold young superstars such as Alex Rodriguez and Tino Martinez. His ironic nickname “Sweet Lou” nodded to his explosive confrontations, but at the end of the day, he got the job done.

Piniella’s case becomes even more compelling when compared with that of Jim Leyland, who was inducted into Cooperstown in 2024. The pair had remarkably similar careers: they both took the reins in 1986, collected a World Series ring, and won Manager of the Year three times. They managed approximately the same amount of games. (Piniella helmed 3,548 while Leyland managed 3,499.) Sweet Lou, though, outperformed Leyland, winning 66 more games and losing 15 fewer.

There’s no reason for Piniella to still be waiting on his call to Cooperstown. He was and remains one of the best and most iconic managers of the modern era. At least for now, the Reds have started to set things right.