2012 Reds Best in 36 Years

The Reds go into play Tuesday night with a five-game lead in the NL Central.  The 2012 edition currently has a 69-46 record and is playing .600 baseball.

The last Reds team to play .600 baseball or better was the 1981 team, that played just 108 games due to the player's strike that year.  The 1981 edition did not make the playoffs because it did not win either half of the make-shift playoff set up.  The Dodgers and Astros each won a half but the Reds had a better season record than both of them.

The last time the Reds played .600 baseball or better was the 1976 Big Red Machine World Champion.
Sparky Anderson's team played .600 baseball for five straight seasons (1972 through 1976).  They also played .630 baseball in 1970.

The 2012 team will win 97 games at their current pace.  By going 28-19 the rest of the season they will reach the 97 mark.

The 1999 Reds won 96 games but finished second in the Central Division to Houston.  The Reds tied with Tuesday's opponent, the New York Mets, and lost a one-game playoff at Riverfront Stadium.

The 1999 team was 68-47 after 115 games.  Jack McKeon managed the Reds that season.

A lot of fans have been calling for Drew Stubbs to be benched, sent down, traded etc. but let's compare Mike Cameron, who roamed centerfield for the 1999 Reds, to Stubbs.

Cameron played in 146 games.  He hit .253.  He scored 93 runs, hit 21 home runs and drove in 66.  Cameron stole 38 bases (caught 12 times).  His on-base-percentage was .357.

So far Stubbs has played in 96 games.  He is currently hitting .228.  He has touched home plate 66 times, hit 14 home runs and driven home 36.  He has stolen 27 bases in 33 attempts.  His OBP is .298.

For those that say Stubbs strikes out too much and Dusty Baker agrees with you but Mike Cameron fanned a whopping 145 times.  Stubbs is at 111 currently.

Both were more valuable on defense than on offense.