How we assembled the list of Cincinnati's greatest big-league players

Don’t look now, but the Cincinnati Reds will have two local products on the Opening Day roster for the first time in recent memory – three if you count the manager, Moeller grad David Bell. And they almost had a fourth.

Covington Catholic catcher Luke Maile and Moeller left-hander Brent Suter already were locked into roster spots as spring training opened, and Princeton infielder Josh Harrison was in camp vying for the last bench spot until he opted out of his contract this week and re-entered the free agent market.

That got some of us at the Press Box Wag bureau of The Enquirer thinking about just how rich the baseball history is in the birthplace of the sport’s first professional team and specifically how much talent has come out of Greater Cincinnati over those past 150 years or so.

Who are the best baseball players from Cincinnati?

“A lot. A lot of really good names, too,” said Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Erik Swanson, who went to Mariemont High School and played for Cincinnati’s powerful Midland travel teams. “Griffey, Barry Larkin – and then you talk about the guys that are playing right now and are very prevalent in the game. (Andrew) Benintendi, (Kyle) Schwarber.

“I know I’m missing a bunch.“

So many that when we put together a 40-man roster of all-time Cincinnati baseball players, Swanson just got squeezed out – despite producing a 1.68 ERA in 57 appearances for Seattle in 2022, followed by 2.97 in 69 with the Jays last year.

That’s right, we're talking about a 40-man, all-time, all-Cincinnati baseball team – with star power and depth that rivals any city its size and many larger cities.

Mobile, Alabama, claims Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige and Billy Williams among its long list of local legends.

St. Paul, Minnesota, has four Hall of Famers with this year’s induction of catcher Joe Mauer (also Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor and Jack Morris).

But get a load of a Cincinnati roster that includes Ken Griffey Jr., Larkin, Pete Rose, Buddy Bell, Dave Parker, David Justice and, yes, Benintendi and Schwarber.

How did we compile the best MLB players from Cincinnati?

Before explaining the methodology behind settling on the 40 on our list, huge shoutouts to Enquirer colleagues Scott Springer, Kyle Brown, Mike Ball and Jason Williams for checking the list as it evolved and correcting oversights.

This does not claim to be an all-inclusive list of area athletes to play in the big leagues. It’s our 40-man roster with a nod to overall value (the top 15 Cincinnati-area players in WAR we could identify are on the list) and prime-year performance.

That’s how former Loveland center fielder Adam Engel and Swanson just missed making the cut. They were the first two out on the all-Cincinnati bubble.

Gold Glove shortstop Eddie Brinkman (Western Hills) and one-time All-Star Scooter Gennett were the last two in.

All three of the hometown Reds who were in Reds camp this spring make the all-Cincinnati roster, including Maile as one of three catchers – the top backup to Jim Leyritz (Turpin).

“Really?” Maile deadpanned. “By default, huh?”

Red Dooin, a Xavier star in the late 1800s, is the third catcher.

A look at the breakdown shows a clear position-player lean (albeit, yes, a little light on all-star catching) on the roster because – much like the best Reds teams of all-time – the area has produced a deeper cast of hitters than pitchers.

Who are the best MLB players from Cincinnati?

That said, don’t sleep on ace Jim Bunning, the Hall of Fame pitcher and Congressman from just across the river – who’s capable of winning a Game 1 playoff start for this group and arguing the appeal of a Game 2 loss.

As for the methodology, primary consideration was given to players’ peak performance years when making close calls – with Harrison earning the starting nod at second over Bill Doran on the strength of a prime that included a pair of All-Star seasons vs. Doran’s durability and lengthy run as a big-league starter.

On the other hand, Don Zimmer’s career value as a mostly part-time player trumped his lone season as an All-Star – though his managerial and coaching acumen after his playing days puts him on our field staff as the bench coach for this team.

The geographical boundaries roughly approximate the Enquirer’s coverage area – though we cheated by just a few miles on that to steal the front office boss demanded by such an impressive group of players, managers and coaches.

With that, the all-Cincinnati team includes the only baseball Hall of Famer to also serve as a U.S. Senator, the Phillies’ record holder for most strikeouts in a nine-inning game, three Hall of Famers, a second baseman who tied the major league record for home runs in a game, two members of the same family, a direct descendent of Daniel Boone, a seven-man starting rotation and a Cobra, a Raptor, a Rosebud and a Toy Cannon.

Need a hit? We’ve got the guy with more than any in big-league history. Need some power? How about the guy with 630 home runs?

Need a guy off the bench with the bases loaded? How about the guy with the best production in baseball history in that situation?

And a little advice if you’re playing against this team: Don’t bother hitting the ball to the left side of the infield, with nine combined Gold Gloves sucking up anything on the ground over there. Also: Don’t hit it to center (10 Gold Gloves).

Oh, and don’t run on the right fielder.

In other words, when it comes to baseball, don’t tread on Cincinnati.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati baseball's best 40 big-league players