Dateline: Cincinnati
Reggie Sanders will join the Reds elite when he is inducted into the team's Hall of Fame on Saturday (042526) before the game with the Detroit Tigers.
Sanders, the likeable Reds' outfieler from 1991 through 1999 returns home to Cincinnati. He was the ultimate team player working in the shadows while contributing to a lot of winning teams in his career.
The Reds drafted him in the seventh round of the 1987 draft from Spartansburg Methodist College, which he attended after his graduation from Wilson High School in Florence, Alabama. He played in nine games for the Reds in 1991 as a 23-year old prospect. His first game was on August 22 against the Atlanta Braves. Sanders hit his first of his 125 home runs as a Red on September 29 off Armando Reynoso of the Atlanta Braves.The best of his eight seasons with the Reds was in 1995, when Sanders roamed right field for the Reds Division winning team. He hit .306 with 36 doubles, six triples, 28 home runs, stole 36 bases and drove in 99 runs. He was a National League All-Star and finished sixth in the voting for the league's most valuable player.Sanders led the team in RBI but was largely over shadowed by Barry Larkins, MVP year. In his eight seasons with the Reds, Sannders hit .217 with 152 doubles, 33 triples, 125 home runs and 158 stolen bases. He drove in 431 runs. He had a .353 on-base-percentage and .476 slugging percentage all at Riverfront Stadium.The Reds traded Sanders to the San Diego Padres for Greg Vaughn in February 1999 before spring training.From there Sanders went to the Atlanta Braves, who were the a playoff team. Sanders was in the playoffs two years in a row with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He hit .304 against the New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series. He reached the World Series again with Dusty Baker and the San Francisco Giants in 2002. Sanders hit two home runs against the Anaheim Angels. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2003 and although thatat Great American Ball Park on opening day.
After the game, he was interviewed about the game and alluded to how streaky he was.
A young reporter asked him point blank, "Are you a streak hitter?"Sanders smiled and asked,"You're new around here, aren't you?"
From Pittsburgh, Sanders went to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004 and 2005. He played in the 2004 World Series against the Boston Red Sox managed by Terry Francona. Sanders was 0-for-9 in the four games with one stolen base.
Sanders finished his 17-year career with two seasons with the Kansas City Royals. He finished in 2007 by hitting .315 and hit the last two of his 305 career home runs. He just missed the 1,000 RBI plateau with 987 career runs batted in. He also stole 305 bases with a success rate of 72.6%.
Sanders was always a smiling face in the background, not flashing but effective. His key phrase when asked about a topic, was, "Exactly Right," with a drawn out riiiight.
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