For much of my decade-plus writing about the Cincinnati Reds here at Red Reporter, I’ve had the luxury of selecting an engaging photo and diving straight into the accompanying article.
Recently, however, SB Nation’s decision to remove header images from article pages means that if you came across this piece from anywhere other than the Red Reporter homepage, you missed seeing Pokey Reese enjoying the Findlay Market Parade on Opening Day 2024.
Here’s the photo for your reference:
Hello, Pokey!
Now 51, Reese was once a highly touted shortstop prospect for the Reds. Drafted in the first round of 1991, he was a fixture in Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects for five years before making his major league debut with the Reds in 1997.
At that time, future Hall of Famer Barry Larkin was still with the Reds (when healthy), which meant Pokey spent much of his early Reds career playing second base. The Reds eventually traded him to the Rockies in 2001, and he was then moved to the Red Sox the following day in a deal that brought future Red Scott Hatteberg to Cincinnati.
Reese earned Gold Glove Awards in 1999 and 2000 and had a standout year in 1999 with a 4.0 bWAR. Over his career with the Reds, he batted .250, hit 15 triples, and launched 36 home runs.
This brings us to the title of this article: The Elly De La Cruz Statistic of the Day. The current Reds shortstop, Elly De La Cruz, is in the midst of an impressive season, potentially finishing with a 5+ bWAR or 7 fWAR in his first full season. What caught my attention was a comparison of his career numbers to Pokey’s. To date, Elly has a .250 batting average, 15 triples, and 36 home runs, mirroring Pokey’s stats exactly. As Elly’s career progresses, he might well match or exceed Pokey’s achievements, including a couple of Gold Glove Awards.
