Cincinnati Reds - The Roaring Twenties (1920-1929)

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1920

Decade

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Titles:

Top Reds Players of the Twenties

None

Pitchers:

Ballpark:

Eppa Rixey (37.27) - 108

Redland Park

Dolph Luque (37.22) - 98

Pete Donohue (17.11) - 83

Team Name:

Red Lucas (13.93) - 42

Redlegs

Jakie May (10.02) - 29

Carl Mays (8.73) - 26

Owners:

Rube Benton (4.69) - 18

Consortium led by Garry Herrmann (1920-1927)

Rube Marquard (2.6) - 14

CJ McDiamid (1927-1928)

Ray Kolp (5.69) - 14

Sidney Weil (1929)

Jimmy Ring (-0.61) - 13

Dutch Ruether (4.64) - 12

General Managers:

None

Catchers:

Bubbles Hargrave - 52

Managers:

Ivy Wingo (2.58) - 14

Pat Moran (1920-23)

Val Piccinich (2.67) - 10

Jack Hendricks (1924-1929)

First Basemen:

Hall of Famers:

Jake Daubert (9.95) - 25

Rube Marquard

George Highpockets Kelly (3.08) - 15

Eppa Rixey

Wally Pipp (2.46) - 13

George Kelly

Edd Roush

Second Basemen:

Hughie Critz (12.18) - 27

MVP

None

ShortStop:

Sam Bohne (7.91) - 20

No Hitters:

Ike Caveny (4.42) - 11

None

Hod Ford (5.34) - 10

Notable Events:

Third Base:

Babe Pinelli (6.31) - 25

1920 - In the aftermanth of the Black Sox scandal, a number of players are

Chuck Dressen (9.03) - 23

brought to trial - all on the White Sox. None are convicted but nine end up

Heinie Groh (6.79) - 14

being suspended from baseball for life. As the Twenties unfold, info and

Lew Fonseca (3.61) - 6

rumors emerge about widespread gambling throughout baseball as well

as players gifting others to encourage them to beat rivals. It was all pretty

Outfield:

messy. Several others ended up being suspended - there was a feeling that

Edd Roush (24.21) - 81

a lot more could have been. The Reds World Series victory was tainted -

Curt Walker (16.85) - 54

unfairly to them - who's to say they wouldn't have won anyway?

Rube Bressler (10.59) - 26

Pat Duncan (8.8) - 26

1920 - Coming fresh off of a World Series title, Cincinnati has a formidable young

Ethan Allen (2.24) - 18

club. The talent will carry them well into the Twenties. The Reds finished second

George Burns (3.21) - 16

three times and third twice during the first seven years of the decade, but they

Evar Swanson (1.42) - 11

only had a couple of years where they seriously challenged for the title. The 1920

roster had a number of good young players moving forward:

Notable Events:

□ Edd Roush, 27, outfield ==> dealt to the Giants at the end of the decade

□ Heinie Groh, 30, third base ==> dealt to the Giants

1922 - Roush holds out until late July

□ Greasy Neale, 28, outfield ==> dealt to the Phillies

□ Rube Bressler, 25, outfielder / pitcher

1924 - Manager Pat Moran dies at the age of forty eight.

□ Dutch Ruether, 26, lefthander ==> dealt to Brooklyn

This was a big loss for the Reds as Moran was a big part

□ Jimmy Ring, 25, righthander ==> dealt to the Phillies

of keeping Cincinnati near the top of the standings.

□ Hod Eller, 25 righthander ==> Hurt his arm

□ Dolph Luque, 29, righthander stayed with the Reds

1924 - Twenty seven year old outfielder Curt Walker is

obtained from the Phillies in a trade. He goes on to have

1921 - Garry Herrmann, unfamiliar with paying a winning team its due, has

seven productive seasons in Cincinnati

dual holdouts in Roush and Groh. Roush returns in May. Groh returns in June

only on the stipulation that he gets traded at season's end. He does, back to

1924 - First Baseman Jake Daubert dies at the age of forty

McGraw and the Giants. Herrmann's attitude towards paying his players

was the big reason Cincinnati never got over the hump to win any titles in

1927 - Edd Roush is dealt to the Giants for George Kelly.

the Twenties despite a nice core of young players. The salary thing was a big

Roush's departure signals the Reds descent from the

factor in trades in the early part of the decade.

upper half of the league's teams to the bottom half.

1921 - Ace righthander Jimmy Ring and outfielder Greasy Neale are dealt to the

1927 - Righthander Pete Donohue loses his effectiveness. He won

Phillies for lefthander Eppa Rixey. This deal has the earmarks of Herrmann not

twenty in three of the previous four seasons, but now goes 6-16. He

wanting to meet the salary demands of these two star players. Anyway, it

never recovers his effectiveness and the Reds don't recover either.

turned out to be a great deal for the Reds because despite his relatively advanced

age of thirty, Rixey goes on to pitch effectively for the next ten years for the Reds.

1927 - President Garry Herrmann steps down citing ill health.

He was losing his hearing, not such a bad thing for a married guy.

1921 - Ace twenty six year old lefthander Dutch Ruether is dealt to the Dodgers in

The initial sale is to club attorney CJ Johnson. When the dust settles,

exchange for thirty four year old lefthander Rube Marquard. Altho' a great pitcher in

CJ McDiamid is the principal owner.

his day, no way do you give up a young stud like Ruether for the eight years older

Marquard. This deal is inexplicable except for the idea that it had to do with another

1929 - Auto dealer Sid Weil buys the Reds. He reportedly overpays

star's salary demands. Marquard wins 17, but is dealt to the Braves after the season

for Reds stock and pays his existing players top dollar. He also

brings in a couple of veterans in Bob Meusel and Harry Heilman.

1921 - Twenty year old righthander Pete Donohue is signed as an amateur free

However, the stock market crashes in September and Weil goes

agent out of TCU. He immediately becomes a part of the rotation where he is a

belly up, leading to a prolonged and pronounced austerity

mainstay thru the end of the decade

for the Reds.