Trio of Cincinnati Reds Players Could Join Ken Griffey Jr. In HOF

With Ken Griffey Jr. having set the record for highest percentage ever in the voting for the Hall of Fame, three of his former teammates are looking to join him in Cooperstown. Adam Dunn, Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips all played with Junior during his time with the Cincinnati Reds. Each of these players have reason to believe they’ll be there someday and each have a reason for concern.

Dunn, the Donkey, played left field for the Reds from 2001 through 2008. He played a total of 14 MLB seasons and accumulated 462 home runs, or about 33 per season. He was an All-Star in both leagues, and also led both in walks for a single season in his career. Three times with the Reds he hit over 100 RBIs and had over 100 runs scored. His career OBP is .364 and his career OPS is .854. Despite having a solid OPS of .752 in 2014, Dunn did not play in 2015 (age-35 season). His secondary stats should garner him heavy consideration along with his clean power numbers. Retiring without 500 career home runs may keep him out of the Hall.

Phillips’ case is not that different from Dunn’s situation. He is about to play his age-34 season and is two or three seasons away from the stats that usually get a second baseman into Cooperstown. He has blocked two trades this offseason, which could cost him in the end. With 305 hits, 17 HRs and 16 steals, he will join a group of second basemen who are all in the Hall of Fame. Those 305 hits are why he should leave. He will be splitting time with Jose Peraza and Eugenio Suarez in 2016, and more prospects are on the way in 2017. With the shortage of playing time, Phillips will have to play to 2018 or beyond to reach those magical numbers.

Votto just needs to stay healthy. He is signed with the Reds essentially for the rest of his career. If he wants to move on, he can waive his no-trade clause. If not, he will remain a Red past his prime. Votto already has one MVP and may have won another if not for Bryce Harper and the Reds’ awful 2015 season. It’s amazing how poorly the Reds did in 2015 with Votto playing at an MVP level. That could hurt his Hall of Fame legacy, but it didn’t hurt Ryne Sandberg, so Votto should be fine.

My money is on Votto getting in first or just behind Dunn. Phillips needs to leave Cincinnati or play for about four more seasons including two or three as a backup in order to get to 2,000 regular season hits. Votto is trending to be a first or second ballot inductee depending on who else is on the ballot. Dunn will likely take the full 10 years, but advanced analytics like him more every day. Phillips is in need of those magic numbers and appears too stubborn to realize that leaving the Reds is his best option. I’d say there’s about a 50-50 chance that all three make it, but Votto should be watching to see how Griffey handles the big stage. It will be Votto’s before we know it.