Cincinnati natives to play for hometown Reds

CINCINNATI -- Not only was Cincinnati the birthplace of professional baseball in 1869, the city and its surrounding area has produced its fair share of Major League players.

For many, it’s special to play in front of the hometown crowd. And for those who achieved excellence as members of the Reds, their names have become synonymous with the city.

Here is a look at Modern Era players who hailed from Cincinnati and played for the Reds at some point in their careers.

Ethan Allen (1926-30)
The first Major Leaguer who graduated from Withrow High School. He batted .300 for his career.

Skeeter Barnes (1983-84, ‘89)
Drafted out of the University of Cincinnati, he batted .152 in 52 games for the Reds.

Tim Belk (1996)
He went 3-for-15 in seven games.

Buddy Bell (1985-88)
A Moeller High School graduate, the son of Reds great Gus Bell and father of former player and Reds manager David Bell and Mike Bell, he hit 43 homers in 386 games for Cincinnati.

Mike Bell (2000)
He followed in his father’s footsteps at Moeller and played 19 games for the Reds in his only big league experience.

Jim Bolger (1950-51, ‘54)
He was 1-for-4 in nine games over parts of three seasons with the Reds.

Jim Brosnan (1959-63)
He was 29-14 with a 3.04 ERA in 190 games for the Reds and he was the first player to publish a tell-all book, “The Long Season,” in 1960.

Jack Bushelman (1909)
He pitched a complete game on the final day of the 1909 season.

Bill Doran (1990-92)
He batted .265 in 260 games, but he missed the 1990 World Series after undergoing back surgery.

Leon Durham (1988)
“Bull” was known for being a longtime Cubs first baseman, but he had a brief stint with his hometown club.

Scooter Gennett (2017-19)
Gennett matched a big league record with four home runs -- and racked up 10 RBIs -- against the Cardinals on June 6, 2017.

Ken Griffey Jr. (2000-08)
Griffey was born in Donora, Pa., the same town that produced his father, Ken Sr., and the great Stan Musial, but the Griffeys moved to Cincinnati when Junior was 6 years old. The younger Griffey slugged 210 homers -- seventh most in club history -- and was a three-time All-Star while playing for his hometown team. Injuries prevented him from doing even more.

Tommy Griffith (1915-18)
He batted .307 in 1915, and thanks to six ties, he played 160 games that year -- six more than the original length of the season.

Heinie Groh (1913-21)
Groh led the Reds to the 1919 National League pennant while batting .310 with an .823 OPS and 21 steals. His 40.6 career bWAR is the best among third basemen in franchise history.

Miller Huggins (1904-09)
The future great Yankees manager, Huggins was a second baseman who led the league in walks in 1905 and ’07.

Tom Hume (1977-87)
The 1982 All-Star recorded 88 saves in Cincinnati, all while posting a 3.83 ERA in 457 games.

Larry Jacobus (1918)
He pitched in five games during the 1918 season.

Brian Koelling (1993)
He went 1-for-15 over seven games.

Barry Larkin (1986-2004)
The Hall of Famer was a 12-time All-Star and the 1995 NL Most Valuable Player. Larkin was also a member of the 1990 World Series championship club and he is part of the Moeller High School big league alumni.

Stephen Larkin (1998)
Barry’s younger brother played one game in the big leagues, going 1-for-3.

Chris Nichting (2001)
He posted a 4.46 ERA in 36 appearances during his lone season in Cincinnati.

Joe Nuxhall (1944, 1952-60, 1962-66)
“The Ol’ Left-hander” remains the youngest person to debut in the Major Leagues, having done so at just 15 years old. A two-time All-Star, he won 130 games in 15 seasons for the Reds and he became a beloved radio voice for the club in retirement.

Ron Oester (1978-90)
The Withrow High School grad played his entire 13-season career at home and he helped Cincinnati win the 1990 World Series.

Dave Parker (1984-87)
Born in Mississippi but raised in Cincinnati, Parker was a two-time All-Star and led the league with 125 RBIs in 1985.

Eduardo Pérez (1996-98)
The son of Hall of Famer Tony Pérez, Eduardo Pérez hit 16 homers for the club during the 1997 season.

Pete Rose (1963-78, 1984-86)
The Western Hills High School product is MLB’s all-time leader with 4,256 hits. Rose racked up 3,358 of those hits during his time with the Reds, while making 13 All-Star appearances and winning the 1973 NL MVP Award. He remains ineligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame for violating rules about gambling.

Pete Rose Jr. (1997)
He played in 11 games for the Reds, going 2-for-14.

Jeff Russell (1983-84)
Russell had an MLB-most 18 losses as a starter in 1984, but he went on to become an All-Star closer for the Rangers.

Admiral Schlei (1904-08)
He batted .239 in five seasons for the Reds as a catcher and first baseman.

Scott Service (1993-94, 1996-97)
The Aiken High School product was 4-4 with a 4.50 ERA in 70 games.

Chris Sexton (2000)
The St. Xavier High School and Miami University (Ohio) product batted .210 in 35 games with the Reds.

Jimmy Shevlin (1932, ’34)
He batted .270 over 25 games in parts of two seasons with Cincinnati.

Kent Tekulve (1989)
The former Pirates closer wrapped his career in Cincinnati, where he recorded the last of his 184 career saves.

Herm Wehmeier (1945-54)
He went 49-69 with a 5.25 ERA over 222 games after debuting at just 18 years old.

Clyde Vollmer (1942, 1946-48)
He hit a home run on the first pitch he saw in the Major Leagues, but he would hit only one more during his time with the Reds.

Don Zimmer (1962)
The future coach and manager had a brief stop in his hometown, where he batted .250 in 63 games.