Our next installment of the Red’s All Decade teams involves a name change, a league change, and as Red’s fans are now beginning to get to used to, a lack of championships. In 1890, the Reds moved back to the National League (the American Association would be gone by 1891), shortened their name from the Red Stockings to just the Reds, and had winning records in eight of the ten seasons during the decade. Unfortunately they played in a league dominated by two teams (The Boston Beaneaters won five championships, and the Baltimore Orioles won three during the ten years), and never finished better then third place.

So let’s take a look at the best of the 1890s…..

Catcher – Heinie Peitz came over from the St. Louis Browns in 1896, and was the Reds starting catcher for the final four seasons of the decade. His best season was his first with the franchise, when he .299 and got on base at a .386 clip.

First Base – Hall of Famer Jake Beckley came over to the Reds early in the 1897 season from the New York Giants, and finished off the decade with three solid seasons. He hit .330, .294, and .333 in those seasons, and had no less then twelve triples in any of those seasons. His 243 career triples are good for fourth all time.

Second Base – Bid McPhee is the only Red so far to repeat as an All Decade player. He started at second base in all ten seasons for the Reds, and his best season was 1894, where he hit .304 and had a .420 OBP. He led the team in RBIs with 619 during the 1890s.

Third Base – Arlie Latham manned the hot corner for six seasons for the Reds. His 1894 and 1895 seasons were probably his best, when he hit .313 and .311. His 739 career stolen bases are good for eighth all time.

Shortstop – Germany Smith played six seasons for the Reds, and although he wasn’t the best hitter on the team (.243 career batting average), he did have some pop. In 1892, his eight homers put him at sixth in the league.

Leftfield – This spot was a revolving door, and in several seasons, the Reds didn’t have a consistent starter. I’m going to give Eddie Burke the nod. He played three seasons for the Reds, and in 1896, he hit .340 and scored 120 runs.

Centerfield – Bug Holliday was one of the most potent offensive forces for the team. He played every season during the decade with the exception of 1899. Bug was a career .311 hitter, and his best season was 1894, when he hit .372 and had thirteen homeruns. He led the Reds in hitting (.309) and homeruns (46) during the 1890s, and had two homerun crowns throughout his career.

Rightfield – Dusty Miller was the starting rightfielder from 1895-1899. In his first season with the Reds, he hit .335, and garnered 103 runs and 112 RBIs. His ten homers that season was good for fifth in the league.

Starting Pitcher – Frank Dwyer led all Reds’ pitchers in Wins during the 1890s with 132 over eight seasons. Probably his most interesting season was 1894, when he had an ERA of 5.07. What was interesting about it was the adjusted league ERA was actually 5.53, so he ended up with an ERA+ of 109. His career ERA+ was 115.

Starting Pitcher – Billy Rhines pitched for the Reds from 1890 through 1892, moved on to the Louisville Colonels for a season, and came back to the Reds for three more seasons. His best season by far was his rookie campaign in 1890. He went 28-17 in 46 starts, racked up 401 1/3 innings, and had an ERA of 1.95 (ERA+ of 183). He led the league in WHIP, ERA, ERA+, and was fifth in wins. He was the team leader in strikeouts (499) and ERA (3.28) during the 1890s.

Relief pitchers were still used sporadically, and most of them had ERAs closer to double figures compared to the numbers we’re used to seeing from relievers today.

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