Reds' Top 5 general managers: Sheldon's take
No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five general managers in the history of their franchise. These rankings are for fun and debate purposes only … if you don’t agree with the order, participate in the Twitter poll to vote for your favorite.
Here is Mark Sheldon’s ranking of the top 5 general managers in Reds history.
• Reds' All-Time Team: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | LF | CF | RF | Bench | RHP | LHP | RP | Managers
1. Bob Howsam, 1967-78; '83-84
Key fact: Inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2004
Credited for being the architect of the Big Red Machine dynasty of the 1970s, Howsam was responsible for hiring manager Sparky Anderson in '70 and making some superb trades that morphed the team into perennial playoff contenders: acquiring Joe Morgan, Cesar Geronimo, George Foster and, later, Tom Seaver. He also dealt catcher Johnny Edwards before the ’68 season to clear a starting lineup spot for a young prospect named Johnny Bench. Cincinnati went to four World Series during his tenure, finally breaking through with back-to-back triumphs from '75-76.
“Mr. Howsam was the one who cemented that team together,” right fielder Ken Griffey told the Baseball Hall of Fame, which had Howsam as a finalist for the 2015 Golden Era Ballot.
Howsam, who was the Sporting News Executive of the Year in 1973, eventually added the titles of president and chief operating officer to his resume. He utilized his experiences as owner of the Denver Bears -- a Minor League club -- and the founder of the Denver Broncos football team. Riverfront Stadium -- which opened in '70 -- was known for being a spotless ballpark with friendly employees, and the team was run efficiently.
Howsam expanded the team’s scouting and Minor League system, which included bringing in Sheldon “Chief” Bender as farm director. Bender, who worked for the Cardinals when Howsam was their GM in the '60s, was responsible for the development of players that ranged from Bench to Barry Larkin. Bender later worked for the club as one of its most trusted scouts.
Not everything Howsam did for the Reds was successful, however. He was slow to adjust to the changing times and emergence of free agency in the late 1970s. Cincinnati was averse to spending more money and traded away players like Tony Perez while letting Morgan and Pete Rose depart as free agents. The Reds didn’t sign their first free agent until the 1980s. Howsam was also responsible for the club’s derisive policy against facial hair. But none of that overshadowed the obvious: The Cincinnati Reds teams of the 1970s were one of baseball’s best dynasties, and it was Howsam who put it all together.
2. Warren Giles, 1937-51
Key fact: Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979
Giles inherited a Reds team following the 1936 season that finished in last place in '37 but moved quickly to reverse course. In ’38, he hired manager Bill McKechnie, acquired future All-Stars Bucky Walters and Lonny Frey, and was named Sporting News Executive of the Year when the club won 82 games. Cincinnati won the NL pennant in '39 and the World Series in '40.
In 1951, Giles left the Reds to become the president of the NL and held that post until '69. He even moved the league office from New York to Cincinnati. The current NL trophy for winning the pennant is named in his honor.
3. Garry Herrmann, 1902-27
Key fact: Known as “the father of the World Series”
When Herrmann -- and several others -- purchased the Reds in 1902, he was the club president and shepherded the National Agreement in ’03 that brought peace between the warring NL and AL, leading to the first Interleague games between the champions of each league that fall. Following no postseason series in '04, Herrmann created the makeup and rules for the World Series that began in '05 and served as part of the three-person National Commission that ruled the Major Leagues -- a coalescing of the NL and AL.
Herrmann also led the construction of what became known as Crosley Field, the Reds’ home ballpark from 1912-70. Under his guidance in 1919, the club won its first World Series over the White Sox. But the triumph was diminished by the “Black Sox” scandal when it was determined that eight Chicago players conspired to throw the series for gambling interests. Herrmann and the National Commission agreed to step aside for the good of the game as MLB created the role of a single Commissioner -- Kennesaw Mountain Landis -- in 1920. Herrmann would remain as the Reds' president for the next seven years.
4. Bob Quinn, 1989-92
Key fact: Named Sporting News Executive of the Year in 1990
A third-generation GM and the grandson of a Hall of Fame executive, Quinn took over the Reds after the 1989 season -- amid the fallout of the gambling scandal that resulted in a lifetime ban from baseball for Rose. Quinn in turn hired Lou Piniella to manage, and Cincinnati stunned the baseball world by winning the NL West title in “wire-to-wire” fashion before going on to win the World Series in Piniella's first season. The Reds won 90 games in '92, but Quinn was dismissed following a series of disagreements with owner Marge Schott.
5. Walt Jocketty, 2008-15
Key fact: Named Sporting News Executive of the Year in 2010
Following a successful tenure with the Cardinals, Jocketty became the Reds' president of baseball operations before the 2008 season. Also serving as the team’s GM, he helped put together a run of three postseason appearances in four seasons (2010, '12, '13). During his tenure, Cincinnati signed relievers Aroldis Chapman and Raisel Iglesias out of Cuba, and engineered moves that brought in Scott Rolen, Eugenio Suárez, Ramon Hernandez, Shin-Soo Choo and Anthony DeSclafani.
Honorable mentions
The Reds were not successful under the tenure of Larry MacPhail (1934-36), but the Hall of Fame executive instituted night baseball and airplane travel while with the team. … Gabe Paul (1951-60) ran the club when it signed prospects like Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson, Perez and Rose, and traded for Gus Bell.