The 1900s was not a good decade for the Reds. They finished the decade 705-769, they had only four winning seasons, and they never finished better then third (1904) in the National League. Most of the seasons they were fourth or worse, and in 1901 they finished dead last. The 1901 team had the worst pitching staff of any team in the decade as they finished with a 4.17 ERA.

One thing to note regards a player that was part of the Reds franchise, but never played for them until his final season. Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson was traded to the New York Giants in 1900 for Amos Rusie, who pitched in all of three games for Reds before retiring. Mathewson finished his career with a 373-188 record, and notched a career 2.13 ERA in his fine career. Ironically he’d be traded back to the Reds in his final season (1916) and he started one whole game for the Reds (he won despite giving up eight runs) before retiring.

Who were the best of this rather mediocre decade for the Reds? Let’s take a look.

Catcher – Admiral Schlei was the Reds primary catcher between 1904 and 1908. His best season was 1906. He only had a .245 average, but he was eighth in the league in Home Runs (4) and he set career high marks in RBIs (54) and slugging (.354).

First Base – Hall of Famer Jake Beckley played first base for the Reds from 1900 through 1903. He hit over .300 and had better then a .400 slugging percentage in all four of those seasons. 1900 was his best season. He put together a .341/.389/.434 season, scored 98 runs, and drove in 94. Beckley is ninth all time in being hit by a pitch (183) and is fourth all time in triples (243).

Second Base – Another Hall of Famer (as a manager though), switch hitter Miller Huggins played second base for the Reds from 1904 through 1909. In three of those seasons, Huggins finished in the top ten in the NL in OBP, and he led the league in walks in both 1905 and 1907. 1905 was Huggins best season. He finished third in the league with 117 runs and he finished second in the league by reaching base 264 times. Huggins led the Reds with 150 stolen bases during the 1900s.

Third Base – Harry Steinfeldt manned the hot corner for the Reds from 1900 through 1905. In 1903 he led the league with 32 doubles and he was fifth in the league with a .481 slugging percentage. Steinfeldt was a very versatile player because he put in time at all four infield positions and each of the three outfield spots while with the Reds.

Shortstop – Tommy Corcorcan wasn’t spectacular at the plate for the Reds, but he played shortstop for them from 1900-1906. He did have some nice seasons, but most of them were before he came over to the Reds. His best season during the 1900s was probably 1905 when he played in 151 games and had a 72 OPS+ with 85 RBIs. He did finish the decade leading the Reds in RBIs with 388.

Left Field – This was probably the toughest spot to fill because it was somewhat of a revolving door. I’ll give the nod to Hall of Famer Joe Kelley. He played for the Reds from 1902 through 1906, and like Huggins, had most of his best seasons before the came to Cincinnati. 1903 was his best season with the Reds. He hit .316/.402/.418, scored 85 times, and hit three homers. Kelley also managed the team from 1902 through 1905.

Centerfield – Cy Seymour was probably the best player of the decade for the Reds. He led the team in batting average (.322) during the 1900s, and he also tied Sam Crawford for homeruns (26) during the decade. 1905 was a career year for Seymour as he just fell short of winning the triple crown. He led the league in hitting (.377), RBIs (121) and just about every other offensive category from doubles and triples to OPS and hits. Ironically it was teammate Fred Odwell who cost him the triple crown as his nine homers was one better then Seymour’s eight. But check out this league leader board. He’s at or near the top in everything.

Right Field – Hall of Famer Wahoo Sam Crawford played for the Reds from 1900 through 1902 and even though that covers only three seasons, he was one of the best players in the National League in 1901 and 1902. In 1901, Crawford hit a then unheard of 16 homers for the Reds, and despite playing only a small portion of the decade, he was tied with Cy Seymour with 26 homers during the 1900s. Crawford is the all time leader in triples with 309.

The Reds lost Crawford in 1903. Prior to the unification of the two leagues, Crawford had signed contracts with both the Reds and the Detroit Tigers. Because he signed the contract with Detroit first he was awarded to the Tigers. It’s hard to believe what kind of team the Reds would have had if they had kept Christy Mathewson and not lost Crawford to Detroit.

Pitcher – Noodles Hahn was the best pitcher the Reds had in the first part of the decade. Hahn threw for the Reds through 1905 and he had four great seasons for the Reds during that time. 1901 was his best season. He led the league in strikeouts (239), innings (375 1/3) and K/BB ratio (3.46/1). Hahn’s career prematurely ended due to what was called “lame arm.” He was released by the Reds in 1905, and while he attempted a come back, he never recovered.

Pitcher – Bob Ewing led the Reds in Wins (108), ERA (2.36) and strikouts (884) during the 1900s. He threw from 1902 through 1909 for the Reds and was very solid in all of them. 1905 was his best season as he won 20 games for the only time in his career. He also finished fourth in strikeouts (164) and ninth in ERA+ (131).

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