I Love The 80s - 1982 Cincinnati Reds

This is a series of posts on a 1980's Frankenset. Each page features a different team, with 9 of my personal favorite cards from that year's team. You might find players repeated, you'll definitely see brands repeated, but hopefully you'll agree that there are some interesting selections from the 1980s!

" . . .  by 1982 the Reds dynasty lay in ruins" -- Anthony Giacalone

"Bards of Cincinnati now prefer the Big Dead Machine" - Bob Kravitz 8/1/1982

1981 saw the Reds very nearly make the post season - they probably should have. They had a better record than both NL play-off teams, but due to the rules set following the strike, they were shut out. They were a half game behind the Dodgers in the first half, and 1.5 games behind Houston in the second half. After finishing with a first place record but still missing the post season, the wheels fell off. 

1982 was the worst performance by a Cincinnati Reds team in franchise history. For a team that keeps records back to 1876, that is saying a lot. So, what went wrong? The team had already adjusted to losing Joe Morgan, Pete Rose and Tony Perez to free agency, but the Big Red Machine was just missing too many parts by 1982.v Before the season started, George Foster and Ken Griffey would also depart, leaving the team scrambling to fill their lineup. To make matters worse, their Hall of Fame Ace was having the worst season of his MLB career. 

The Cards:
Donruss #538 Mike O'Berry - The search for "the next Johnny Bench" began in earnest in 1981 when the Reds added Mike O'Berry. At the very least, O'Berry could provide superior defense to give Bench more rest. Despite his defensive chops behind the plate, he was never really able to master hitting at the MLB level. His career MLB batting average was just .191. O'Berry had a successful run as a minor league manager, winning a championship in the Appalachian League in 1992 with the Orioles. 

Fleer #57 Johnny Bench - The 1968 Rookie of the year, and 2 time League MVP, Johnny Bench was nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career in 1982. he caught 100 or more games for 13 consecutive seasons until the strike shortened 1981. Transitioned from catching to play 3rd Base for the Reds in 1982, Bench still had 13 homers good for 2nd best on the team. His 10 gold gloves as a catcher didn't translate exactly to the hot corner, where he had 19 errors, 5th most in the NL. Bench was one of the first players to have a "farewell tour" announcing his retirement before the end of the 1983 season. Though he was no longer the same player, he was definitely still Johnny Bench, which Cincinnati fans would not soon forget.

Topps #620 Ken Griffey - The outfielders of the Big Red Machine didn't necessarily get the same star treatment as the infield, but they were no less essential to the great Reds teams of the 1970s. In 1976, it was Griffey that hit .336/.401/.450 with 34 stolen bases, and scored 111 runs. He finished 8th in the MVP balloting that year. He had his 3rd All-Star season in 1980, hitting 28 doubles, 10 triples, and 13 homers to go along with 23 steals. In 1981, Griffey hit .311 as the Reds' everyday center fielder. Griffey would be traded following the 1981 season to the Yankees.

Topps #31 Tom Seaver - If you have Tom Seaver at the top of your rotation, what could go wrong? In 1982, just about everything. The 5 time NL stikeout king managed just 62 Ks in 111 innings for the Reds in '82. He would see his ERA climb by more than 3 runs and by any objective measure, the season was a disaster. What made it more shocking was that it came after a season in which he led the NL in victories and finished 2nd in the Cy Young voting to Fernando Valenzuela's historic season. Seaver of course had already won 3 Cy Young awards, and would have a renaissance season with the White Sox in 1985, but his 1982 season was a perfect example of the disaster that befell the Reds organization as a whole this year.

Fleer #630 "Big Red Machine" - George Foster was now with the Mets, Dan Driessen and Concepcion however were still trying to make the Machine hum. Driessen was still just 30 years old and primarily played 1st base for the Reds in 1982. He was the team leader in homers. Driessen was usually not the big power guy like Perez and Bench, and he didn't hit for average, but he did draw a fair number of walks and was tough to strike out. In '82 he had just 64 strikeouts in 606 plate appearances. He would be moving along as well, traded to the Expos in 1984. 

Donruss #421 Dave Concepcion - Though known more for his glove than his bat, the 9 time All-Star Concepcion won his 2nd consecutive Silver Slugger award as a short stop in 1982. He also had a special day during the 1982 All-Star game, hitting the decisive 2 run homer. Concepcion played 2,488 games for the Reds, and earned 5 Gold gloves. His batting similarity scores compares him favorably to Hall of Famers Alan Trammell, Pee Wee Reese, Bobby Wallace, and his hero- fellow Venezuelan Luis Aparicio. 

Donruss #273 George Foster - In 1981, Foster finished 3rd in the MVP race, Seaver was 2nd in the Cy Young Voting, and the team finished in 1st place. In 1982, Seaver had a terrible season, and Foster didn't play a single game for the Reds. It's no wonder the season was a disappointment. Foster did play in 1982, of course, but as a New York Met. While it wasn't his best year, he would find his footing and had several more productive seasons in New York. Foster was the 1977 NL MVP with 52 Homers and 149 RBI. He led the league in those categories and runs scored (124) and total bases (388) and slugging (.631). He was the All-Star MVP in 1976. 

Topps #97 Paul Moskau - Like many of the players on this page, Moskau was playing for a different team in 1982. He was traded to the Orioles before the '82 season, but actually played for the Pirates that year after being selected on waivers. Moskau was a spot starter for the Reds in the late 70s, then used in the bullpen in the 80s. Moskau was part of the "Little Red Wagon" Eugene Emeralds minor league championship team in 1975 while the major league Big Red Machine was in its heyday. Moskau gave an interview for Haught Corner in 2018.

 Fleer #67 Ken Griffey - I just liked this card - it's like Griffey is floating in mid-air with the blue sky and fluffy clouds in the background. Just like Concepcion and Foster, Griffey was an All-Star MVP as a Red. For Griffey, the game was 1980, going 2-3 with a homer as a reserve behind Dave Kingman. Griffey would go on to hit a home run back to back with his son, the "other" Ken Griffey, in 1991. He and his son have the most career hits of any father son duo in MLB history. While he did not win a Gold Glove, he was known as an excellent defender, and compares similarly to hitters Melky Cabrera, Amos Otis, Carney Lansford and Keith Hernandez.  

I Love The 80's: The 1981 Cincinnati Reds

Last time in this Series, we looked at the San Francisco Giants, who were turning the page on a rough decade of baseball in the 1970s. In this installment, we switch to one of the dynasties of the 1970s,the Cincinnati Reds. Of course, this is "I Love The 80s" which were a mixed bag for the club. Franchise building blocks Tony Perez, Joe Morgan, and Pete Rose were now gone. They closed out the 1970s with another Division title, but were bounced out of the playoffs by the Pirates. The Reds began to show their age in 1980, finishing 3rd. In 1981, they displayed their wisdom, experience, and pedigree, finishing first in the NL West standings. They missed the playoffs due to the oddness of a strike shortened, split season, however. They were 2nd in the first half to the Dodgers, and 2nd in the second half to the Expos, so despite the best record in the division, they were on the outside looking in. 

Here are the cards!

here are the backs . . .

Topps #201 Johnny Bench - 1980 would be the final season for the great Johnny Bench behind the plate, but he made the most of the opportunity, become the All-Time Home Run King at the position. In 1981, Bench played less often, but the rest on his legs resulted in a fine season percentage wise. His batting average leapt up 60 points from the year before, and he saw modest gains in all three triple slash ranks. 

Fleer Star Stickers #101 Dave Concepcion - Similar to Bench, Concepcion had a big bump in his rate stats from 1980 to 1981. The difference was that Concepcion was still manning Short, and played healthy all season. He finished 4th in the MVP voting in 81, after a career high in batting average and OPS+. Concepcion also won his first of 2 Silver Slugger awards in 1981, while making the All-Star squad for the 8th straight year. He was player of the Month in April of 81.

Topps #126 Charlie Leibrandt - The 23 year old rookie won 10 games in 1980 for the Reds, then scuffled with injuries and ineffectiveness. He resurfaced a few years later in Kansas City and was one of the anchors of the mid 80s Royals Rotation. As a Twins fan growing up, the sharpest memory I have of Leibrandt is from Game 6 of the 1991 World Series, as he was on the mound when Kirby Puckett hit his game winning home run. For his career, he won 140 games and was a solid mid rotation starter.

Donruss #64 Doug Bair - Bair's first season with the Reds in 1978 was tremendous. He took the role of closer for the team and pitched to a 1.97 ERA and saved 28 games. It would prove to be the best season of his career, though he was good enough to stick with various major league bullpens until 1990. His second best season may well have been his age 39 season, working in the Pirates bullpen in 1989. He appeared in 44 games and had a 2.27 ERA. He was a member of the 1982 Cardinals and 1984 Tigers World Series Champions. 

Fleer #202 George Foster - Foster hit his prime in the late 1970s, the Big Red Machine ran on Foster's bat in those years. He was the NL MVP in 1977, with a tremendous year. He led the Senior Circuit in Runs Scored (124), Home Runs (52), and RBI (149). As you might imagine, those also helped him lead the league in Slugging, OPS and total bases. Concepcion finished 4th in the MVP vote in 1981, Foster was 3rd. He also won a Silver Slugger award in 1981, the only of his career. 

Donruss #422 Tom Seaver - Another Red, more MVP votes! Seaver in 1981 was 10th in the MVP voting, and 2nd in the Cy Young Voting, despite a season that wasn't particularly impressive beyond his W-L record. Seaver did lead the NL in Wins with 14, but his strikeout rate had dropped precipitously since his heyday with the Mets. Seaver had matured greatly from his flamethrowing days, however, and was keeping runners off the bases with improved control and limited damage when they did make contact. After the highs of 1981, Seaver's final year in a Reds uni did not go as well. He would continue to pitch until 1986, winning over 300 games and joining the Hall of Fame in 1992, missing a unanimous election by just 5 ballots.

Fleer #212 Joe Nolan - How'd you like to be the guy that has to replace Johnny Bench? He was a mid season pick up in 1980 after being released by the Braves. Nolan was probably happy to no longer have to chase after Niekro's Knuckleballs (He led the NL in passed balls in 1978).  He responded to his good fortune by hitting .312 for the Reds in 53 games after joining in June, and it was good enough to make him the regular in 1981 for Cincinnati. He had another .300 plus season, but was traded to the Orioles in Spring Training before the 1982 season. The Reds decided to roll with youngster Alex Trevino. It would work out in Nolan's favor as well, as he was Rick Dempsey's back up in Baltimore when the Orioles won the Series in 83.    

Donruss #65 George Foster - I had to add another Foster card, I was a big fan of the flip down shades and the Wrigley Field Ivy in the background. 

Topps #325 Ray Knight - Knight was an All-Star in 1980, and was in his prime during his years with the Reds. He's probably best known for his great hitting in the 1986 World Series (.391/.440/.565), he was the MVP of the Series, after all. He was not fleet of foot (14 career steals), and he didn't hit for power, but he was what you could call "pesky."