Cincinnati Reds 2026 Hall Of Fame Class! Reggie Sanders FINALLY Gets In, Joins LOADED Class!
All right, pleased to be joined by Mike Art, Nick Kirby. Welcome into another edition of Chatterbox Reds. Fun topic of conversation today. Four players elected into the Reds Hall of Fame. One player that oh man, I’ve been advocating for over a decade to get in and he finally is here. I’m excited to talk about that. Mike, my friend, how we doing? >> Oh, I’m great. I’m excited. Uh, you know, Reggie Sanders obviously a great I’m spoiling it for everyone, I guess. But, uh, but, um, you know, the other guys going in too are, you know, real big fan favorites, at least for me. I’m excited about what that ceremony is, what that uh, speech is going to be like as Brandon Phillips is there. See if there’s any friends that come visit, see if Joey Vad’s in the house for it or something like that. That’d be pretty cool. >> Yeah. I mean, this would be a really fun, you know, Hall of Fame class. I I I think that there’s been some in the the past that have been like, “Okay, yeah, this is cool.” You know, but the these are like four guys, I I’d say all four, even even Lou Panella, we’ll talk about a second that are four really just interesting characters in in the Red’s history spanning really like me and your entire lifetime. So, it’s kind of cool that it’s, you know, started from when I was like a baby, Lup Panella, uh all the way up until um I was an adult with with Brandon Phillips. So, uh, cool class. We’ll talk about all that. Before we get to that, just want to real quick remind everyone about our friends over at Omaha Steak. This is actually the last week, Mike, with the Chatterbox discount code. Um, that works before the holidays. So, if you’re looking for a last minute holiday gift, uh, they ship that really quick. Um, orders, I think, before 6 p.m. Same day shipping, which is just crazy. But we’re big fans of Omaha Stakes and uh they have a big sale going on right now, but you can get an extra $35 off on top of that sale with the promo code Chatterbox at checkout. Terms to apply, Casite for details, omahastakes.com, code chatterbox at checkout. Great stuff, great holiday gifts. Make sure you check that out. Well, as mentioned, four players elected into the Reds Hall of Fame. Brandon Phillips, Aaron Herang, Reggie Sanders, and Lou Panella. Um, we’ll start off with Brandon Phillips. I mean, as as surefire of a Red’s Hall of Famer as you’re probably going to get until Joey Evado is elected. Uh, I mean, he’s just he’s one of the the Red’s best uh players, especially best he’s one of the Red’s best second baseman of all time. He was a surefire trip of the Hall of Fame and welld deserved for Brandon Phillips. >> Yeah, I completely agree. Uh, growing up when I was a younger kid, Barry Larkin was my favorite player. And then after he retired, it became Brandon Phillips. Brandon Phillips was just a a walking highlight reel. not only did he uh play with a ton of energy and swag, but he was just like just watching I’m I think of one of the things I’m most excited about is the leadup to this is that we just get to reexperience all these awesome Brandon Phillips highlights, you know, of just him doing ridiculous things uh at second base and welld deserving all of those gold gloves that he got. So, you know, couldn’t be more excited to see that. Um, I think it will be uh it’ll be a fun time at the ballpark when uh Brandon Phillips is there giving his speech about um you know uh being inducted into the Hall of Fame there. >> Yeah. I mean 2007 to 2012 I mean Philip averaged about three and a half wins above replacement. I mean was just a consistent um all-star level player and obviously was a big part of why the Reds teams had so much success in 2010 uh and 2012. I think something that gets under that gets kind of forgotten. Phillips was really good in that 2012 division series. He was batting a lead off. Obviously, a lot of people remember his is they called it a base running blunder in game three as actually someone that I kind of like the aggressiveness. I think a lot of people feel like very hindsight criticism of him, but he was really really good in that series. Unfortunately, obviously it didn’t work out for the Reds, but if the Reds would have advanced, I think it would have been a huge uh memory. He had a big home run uh and I think it was game one after Johnny Quaido got hurt. Um just he was he was a a big piece in that series especially with Joey Vado uh who could get on base but that was literally it because he was playing on one leg. He was playing hurt. Um but yeah, incredible career for Brandon Phillips. Very deserving to get in. Uh Phillips is an interesting player for me just personally. Uh Phillips was like my absolute favorite player. Uh and like I think most people in that 2007 to 2011 range. Then I kind of got more interested in like the advanced stats and Phillips kind of declined very quick at the end. So it was kind of a little bit of a turmoil at the end, but it’s kind of I think one of those things that you know uh even if things end sour with a player, time kind of heals all wounds. I think things did in some ways end sour with Phillips and the Reds. Um I I won’t mention that he’s blocked me on Twitter because of an article that I wrote that he should be dropped in the batting order. I won’t mention that. Um, but I I’m I’m happy for Philip. Philips, if you want to block me, I’m happy to uh uh to to congratulate you on Twitter. >> Yeah, I will always remember the infamous Yadier Molina fight uh where at the beginning of the game where he’s he’s just trying to say, “Hey, good luck.” And Yadier Molina over here decides to start picking a fight that led to uh you know, all hell breaking loose. So, uh, you know, I was very proud that that guy was on my team when, uh, when that happened and we didn’t have those, you know, pompous Cardinals that were, you know, complaining about the little smallest things when all he’s trying to say is, “Hey, good luck. Good game.” You know, come on. Just actively looking for a fight, Yachty. That that was baseball at its best. I mean, that was that was that was just fun. I mean, it was a fun time to to follow the Reds and obviously kind of that that that whole year was wild because the Reds get that that the series was pegged up as this must-win series. You have to win win and the Reds get swept, get absolutely destroyed. I think in the final game, I think it Kobe Rasmus hit a grand slam off Bronson Royal. My sicko brain somehow remembers that. But then what happens? The Reds win the division by like seven games. Like it was never even closed. the Cardinal just completely fell apart after that. But man, that was a fun a fun season. And Phillips was a huge huge part of of that that 2010 team. And the cool thing about Phillips that I I I’ll give him a lot of credit for is he he did wear a lot of hats. Like he batted lead off, he batted cleanup. Um he did do like a lot of different things. He was kind of a different player and for different teams and I I do think he kind of embraced that. >> Yeah. And you know, something to be said too about being the emotional leader of a team. Um, I think we’ve talked about how, you know, as young guys come up, having somebody there that’s, you know, going to be the first one out there if somebody is, uh, you know, trying to start something, but also like, hey, let’s get up off the mat. Let’s go and, you know, I’m going to play hard no matter what. And this is how we do things here in the majors. I think is is great to have on a team to set the tone for some young guys coming up. And that’s why Brandon Phillips was the best, you know, cuz he had that huge huge smile, but man, he was there to work. He was there to uh go and play incredible gold glove defense. I remember I think it was at maybe 2012. So, he won gold glove in 2010, 11, and 13, but didn’t win it in 12. And uh I remember being so upset. I was just like, what are we talking about? How is there anyone in the National League that’s even close to him? And I don’t I don’t remember who it was. I want to say it was >> Darwin Barney is my is my guess from the silly Chicago Cubs is my guess. Uh I was so upset about Darwin. I hope that’s the I hope that’s right. >> You are correct. You’re correct. >> Oh my gosh. I can’t believe that he stole stole the four Pete away from um Brandon Phillips. You know, I also remember he would have like his glove was actually gold, like had the gold webbing, and I was like, “Dude, that’s the coolest thing ever.” He was like, “Yeah, I’m a gold glover.” And here’s how I know. And uh I thought that was so awesome. So, yeah, welld deserving. I’m I’m very excited to to be able to, you know, be I like I’m gonna It’s the type of thing just like let’s try to go to that game, you know? I would love to be able to hear and be there in the crowd when they get to celebrate this guy. >> It was interesting because advanced metrics for uh fielding was not exactly wildly accepted then and you only had defensive runs saved. You didn’t have outs above average yet. Um and and Phillips was actually like I don’t know if you remember this Mike but was actually kind of like a confident conf uh yeah confrontational player among that. Um that year that year actually >> I don’t did they not call it defensive run saved? They called it something. No I I’m looking at the wrong one. I I have it here. Darwin Barney is worth 28 defensive runs saved uh that season. Um and Phillips was worth 11. >> I refuse to believe that. I refuse to believe that. It’s a flawed stat. >> It’s a flawed stat. [laughter] [gasps] Yeah. Uh I mean Dari was incredible. I I He couldn’t hit worth a lick and he was one of the worst hitters in baseball. Um but yeah, it would have been interesting. I don’t know if Phillips in some ways I think if kind of was maybe good for him that he kind of will played before like the the advanced stats were maybe uh fully out or maybe they would have showed something different. I don’t know. I don’t know what out of average. I know like kind of I think the the knock on him a lot of people that fully believed in and and digested the defensive runs saved where basically they said that his range wasn’t as good as like your eyes would would tell you. Like he made a lot of incredible highlight plays but he didn’t have the range and that’s just something that you don’t really you know see. I think that’s like kind of like now with with like Matt Mlan and Gavin Lux. Like Gavin Lux might make most of the plays but he has like no range. I think that was kind of the uh the concept but nonetheless he was an incredible defender. Um, Darwin Barney, I don’t know if he deserves deserves shots from us or not. 28 defensive front saved us a lot, Mike. >> Come on now. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Maybe, maybe he deserved a nice little runnerup trophy, but uh, no, I you can’t you can’t take that away from me. Brandon Phillips should have won it in 2012, too. Give me the four Pete. >> Give me the four Pete. All right. I like it. I like it. Um, congrats to Brandon Phillips. Very welld deserved. Um, another player I I’m really excited that that he got voted in, Mike, was was Aaron Herang. Uh, I was a little nervous that Herang would kind of get a knock because his erra is not spectacular. Wins loss record. I think he was sub 500 with the Reds. I I I should have pulled that up. It wasn’t spectacular. I know that that much. Um, and but I was worried like that would get kind of taken against him, which it shouldn’t because of twofold. Number one, he played on terrible Reds teams. when he was good, the Reds were atrocious. So, wins and losses shouldn’t really matter for a pitcher on a team that was terrible. And two, he played at the end of a steroid era. I mean, like the envir the run environment across baseball when Herang was at his best was at unhealthy levels offensively and like if you put up a 4.3 RA, it’s equivalent to a lot of years like what a 3.2 RA might have been. So, um I’m I’m really happy that Aaron Hurring got in an incredible uh pitcher for the Reds that I think very welld deserved. >> Yeah, absolutely. Aaron Herang was he was your prototypical guy. How many how many opening days in a row did he start? It felt like it was just like, hey, this guy is always out here. He’s throwing like from 2005 he threw 2005 to 2009 he threw over 160 innings in every single one of those including 211 234 and 231 in uh 20 2005 through 2007. This was a dude was just a guy who was always available making all his start not you know 32 starts 36 starts 34 starts. So, this was a horse, a guy that was just out there giving you all that um you know, everything that you could for that. Yeah. Some really bad teams. My my favorite my fun Aaron Herang thing is that I have a bobblehead that I had of Aaron Herang that uh was missing when I pulled it out of my bo out of the box. It was uh the right arm was missing. So, he like has the glove up and he’s throwing and then the arm is just missing. So, my Aaron Herang with no with no arm is my uh is the way that I always was. It’s the way I always envision Aaron Herang. I’m sorry. Uh I know you were a great baseball player, but I’ll always envision you as my bobblehead without a right arm that came out uh when I got it with for the Reds. So, um no, this guy, yeah, he was somebody that um I completely agree. Well, well deserving for just like a not great time of Cincinnati Reds baseball. Uh, so I’m glad that we’re able to recognize and get him in there. You know, like a 5.3 war season in ‘ 06, a 6.0 season, war season in 07. Like this guy was this guy was very good for a team that, you know, didn’t have much going for it. >> Finished fourth in the Sai Young voting in 2007, which is pretty rare for the Reds. Obviously, Trevor Bower won in 2020, the the COVID shortened season. Um, but outside of uh Bower in 2020, uh, Quato finished second in 2014, uh, before that, the the most recent time before that was, uh, Pete Shurik finishing second in 1995. That was the top five finishes. So, pretty rare that that a Red’s pitcher um, you know, pitches that well is is at that that high of the height of the game. So, uh, yeah, congrats to to Aaron Herang. Absolutely. Uh, very uh, welld deserved. Any final thoughts on her ring? >> No, I’m just uh you know, another guy that it’s crazy that the people that we grew up watching are the ones getting in the Hall of Fame now. It’s just like, man, you know, you’re old when that’s the case. It’s just like, oh yeah, it’s like I have childhood memories of listening to Aaron Rang on the radio with Marty and Joe and it’s like, oh, these guys are these guys are long gone and retired now. I guess they’re getting old. Deep South Commodities is a proud supporter of Chatterbox Reds and our deep drive of the day. And DSC is a leader in renewable commodities for bofuel production, specializing in used cooking oil collection, aggregation, and sales. Visit www.deepsouthcommodmodities.com for more information. Thanks as always to our friends at DSC. And we also want to remind you that you can call or text 988 anytime, day or night. The 98 suicide and crisis lifeline is a place to get support for anything related to mental health. Whether it’s an immediate crisis, simply wanting to find out how to connect with care, or anything in between, it’s a 100% confidential, secure, and anonymous way to reach out for help when you don’t know where else to turn. To connect, call or text 988 or visit mantherapy.org to get help. It’s okay not to be okay. All right, now to a player that I’m incredibly excited got finally got into the Reds Hall of Fame. Uh Reggie Sanders, a player that it was an absolute travesty that he wasn’t in the Hall of Fame, one of the Red’s best outfielders in franchise history, uh was incredible in 1995. I know Barry Larkin won the MVP that year, but if you look at any advance if you there’s no way Larkin finishes ahead of Reggie Sanders if the voting happened today because every advanced stat would have pointed Reggie Sanders had a much more productive um regular season than Larkin. This isn’t taking anything away from Larkin. He’s a Hall of Famer and welldeserving. But that’s just how good Reggie Sanders was. And that obviously was the the best Reds team that we’ve had in our lifetime since uh uh since 1990. Um I I don’t know. I’m just I’m just thrilled for Reggie. Uh I hope he actually comes. I’m assuming he probably will. Um but an honor that that that’s long overdue and glad they finally got it right. >> Yeah, I uh I don’t have too many memories of, you know, Reggie Sanders that way. um you know watching him uh but boy just yeah that 6.6 war that 95 season and um I read a certain article that was written maybe even 10 years ago laying out the case that uh you know you know made a pretty good case and brought some pretty good numbers about um a guy that produced and was um you know well deserving of being in the in the hall. Yeah, Sanders unfortunately got a lot of uh heat for uh 1995 when the Reds got swept by the Braves in the NLCS. I mean, he just absolutely uh got blown away in that series. Could not hit an up and in fast ball. Um might be important to remind people that the pitchers we were facing uh were Glavin, uh Smoltz, and Maddox who are all in Coopertown. And Steve Avery was a pretty good pitcher as well who just casually pitched I think in game four. Um but the whole rest of the team outside of Barry Larkin was was terrible. No one could hit anything. Uh Sanders did have a huge home run in uh in game two um of the NL Diaz against the Dodgers that the Reds swept. That was obviously the last time the Reds have advanced in the playoffs. So I think that’s an important piece of that as well. Um but yeah, I mean just the overall numbers. I mean he’s top 10 in Red’s outfielders all time and wins above replacement. It just that kind of player should be in in the Hall of Fame. It’d be interesting. I know he dealt with a lot of injuries. I think that also kind of slowed him down a little bit in his career. I’m I’m curious because I I don’t Mike, you probably were a little too young, but that that series really like left kind of a stain on him in his fan base in some ways. Um and I wonder if that series hasn’t happened if he ends up playing longer with the Reds, like if if they would have kind of viewed him differently. Um obviously went on to win a World Series with the Diamondbacks in 2001. Did he win a World Series with the Cardinals as well? I mean, he was on some really really good teams um after his career ended with the Reds. Yeah, I was I I was a little too young to to read about the discourse of uh of Reggie Sanders and his playoff performance, but I do remember the trade because he was traded to the Padres’s that brought over Greg Vaughn, who was a who’s pivotal for that 1999 season uh that the Reds had in their um unfortunate oneame loss to All Lighter and the Mets. But uh I I think that that was that was very that was an interesting that’s an interesting thought of just like how one series perception can really drive that and um but ultimately like he went on to be productive in San Diego. So I think it was one of those rare you know trades that I think both sides would be pretty happy with. Right. I know we only got one year of Greg Vaughn, but I think he was, you know, a lot of people talk about how instrumental he was in that magical 1999 season. So, yeah, it’s one of those things that, yeah, maybe it didn’t it didn’t have the perfect, you know, Hollywood ending on everything that he did. Uh, and that’s probably why it’s been so long before him for him to actually get into this Hall of Fame. But I think ultimately when you take away any of that, you look at just the statistics or just, you know, what he meant to the team and to Cincinnati in his time here, I think it’s welld deserving. And I’m I’m I’m glad that they’re finally writing this uh egregious uh absence uh for, you know, my friend Nick specifically, but also the whole uh city of Cincinnati. >> Very egregious, for sure. Um, yeah, interesting enough, uh, Sanders actually had a higher wins about replacement than Greg Vaughn in 1999. Uh, now Greg Vaughn was, I think, a big emotional leader. I know that’s been discussed a lot and it’s hard to quantify that. Obviously, Greg Vaughn was incredible, um, too. Hit hit uh, just a casual 45 home runs. Um, was worth 3.4 baseball reference wins of replacement. Sanders was worth uh, 4.1 that year. Um, hit for a much higher average of 50 points higher. um and uh sold 36 bases, hit 26 home runs um himself. So yeah, and Sanders ended up being on the the 2002 uh Giants that uh almost won the World Series as well. I mean, this guy, right? >> He was on the 2001 Diamondbacks that won the World Series. He goes to the the Giants the next year. Um they go to seventh game of the World Series. Um and then he was on the the Cardinals in 24 2004 2005. uh which I believe those teams were were pretty good as well. So he had a he had a pretty he certainly had a pretty good uh uh pretty good run. Yeah, 2004 Cardinals won the World Series. So yeah, he was on three world two World Series winners and uh one World Series runner up um post Red’s career. So not too bad. >> Yeah, not bad at all. >> 2004 Cardinal didn’t win the World Series. They lost the World Series to the Red Sox, of course. >> Very famously, I guess. [laughter] Yeah. >> But he went to the World Series three times. So shout out to uh shout out to Reggie Sanders. Uh, last but not least, Lou Panella uh gets in. Um, I think it’s pretty fair, Mike, if uh you’re a manager of Red’s team that wins the World Series, it kind of feels like you probably should get an automatic uh ticket uh into the Red’s Hall of Fame. Um, congrats to Lou Panella. I I don’t really know or remember a whole lot about him. Um, it sounds like he was probably like many managers, uh, Davy Johnson, rest in peace, as well. um unfairly dismissed early from the Reds by uh uh by uh Marge Shot. Um but obviously led the 1990 team to the World Series, a team that had no expectations whatsoever of winning the World Series. L Padella is weird for me because my memories of Lu Panella or when he was the manager of the Cubs uh when they stunk uh when the Reds were really good uh around 2010 and it [laughter] felt like Lu Panella was like mailing it in then with the Cubs. It was kind of interesting your perspective, you know, depending on when you watch. I’m sure people that that that were, you know, alive and well in 1990 and and watched every game probably are a lot more fond of Lup Panella, but that’s kind of only my memories of him. >> Yeah. I mean, also I I guess I think of him as in with the Mariners because he was with the Mariners when Iro came over with Ken Griffy Jr. and A-Rod I believe all over or all over there underneath the toutelage of um Lupinella was the manager of that 116 win season in 2001 for the Mariners. So um uh that yeah I I was not I was I don’t remember the time of Sweet Lou but and even in his three years they won 91 games, 74 games and 90 games. So you know was and a World Series. So, wasn’t here for very long, but boy, you win a World Series with a team, that wire-to-wire team just um you know, that’s I think that you’re right. That’s enough to to get memorialized with the Reds. >> Yeah, it’s a good point that they did win 90 games in uh in 1992 with with Lou Panel, his final year with the Reds. Um, it’s kind of crazy that a team went won uh 90 games and and finished eight games out of a playoff spot. But that was unfortunately the reality of of uh of baseball uh back in in 1992. And if if the playoff structure was different, who knows what could have happened um um that year. But yeah, certainly uh congrats to L Panel and congrats to all four of of these guys. Going to be a a really exciting Hall of Fame. It’s April 24th, I believe. I should have this up. Uh, but it’s uh it is the uh April 25th I think is the announcement. I think it’s a whole weekend celebration. The 24th through the 26 that Saturday is the uh um is the uh the the actual ceremony um at the stadium. So, yeah, really looking forward to this. This will be a cool weekend for the Reds and uh um yeah, I’m I’m just excited about it. Yeah, I I think uh I think we’ll get some good we’ll get some good sound bites that you’ll be able to you’ll have and I’m sure that Chatterbox will be covering and posting some of those funny things that Brandon Phillips who I think is the owner of the Florence Yaws now. I think he >> is he really >> I I think he is either the owner or like in ownership of the that independent team in Florence. Um, I hope I didn’t just completely miss mis m miss m miss m miss m miss m miss m miss m miss m miss m miss m miss miss m miss m miss miss m miss m miss miss m miss m miss miss m miss m miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss misspeak here >> I don’t know I’m I’m googling it now I I am was played be played briefly for the freedom in a comeback attempt in 2020 >> um >> I don’t know I don’t know >> maybe I maybe I was maybe I’m I misspoke there >> maybe he’s a player owner maybe it was a player owner you know Okay, that that would >> somebody somebody there that’s typing into their into the comments is like, “No, it was actually this or this guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” And I’m sorry. I’m sorry. >> He also made a comeback attempt with the Lexington Legends. >> Legends. I see that. Yes. >> Yeah. He was he was he tried tried them all in the area. Um shout out to that dude BP. All right. Well, for Mike Cart, I’m Nick Kirby. Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of Chatterbox Reds. for watching on YouTube. Be sure to hit that like button. If you’re listening to podcast form, leave us a fivestar review. Say something nice about us. We would really appreciate that. And until next time, go Reds. [music] Hey, [music] hey, [music] hey.
Nick Kirby and Mike Hart break down the newest class being inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, featuring Brandon Phillips, Reggie Sanders, Aaron Harang, and Lou Piniella. The guys dive into what each inductee meant to the Reds organization, their impact on winning in Cincinnati, and the legacy they leave behind.
From Brandon Phillips’ Gold Glove defense and infectious energy, to Reggie Sanders’ all-around production and postseason moments, to Aaron Harang’s role as a workhorse starter during the mid-2000s, and Lou Piniella’s fiery leadership that helped shape Reds baseball, this episode takes a full look at why this group earned their place in Reds history.
The discussion also touches on how each era of Reds baseball is represented in this Hall of Fame class and what it says about the franchise’s identity over the years. Subscribe for more in-depth Cincinnati Reds coverage, analysis, and history from Chatterbox Reds.