Reds' Top 5 righty starters: 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 players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. 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 at this position.

Here is Mark Sheldon’s ranking of the top 5 right-handed starting pitchers in Reds history. Next week: left-handed starters.

• Reds' All-Time Around the Horn Team: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | LF | CF | RF | Bench

1. Bucky Walters, 1938-48
Key fact: Won the pitching Triple Crown in 1939

Walters arrived midseason in a 1938 trade from the second-division Phillies and quickly emerged as one of the National League’s best pitchers. In 1939, he was voted National League MVP, posting league bests with a 2.29 ERA, 27 wins, 137 strikeouts, 319 innings, 36 starts and 31 complete games as the Reds won the pennant. In ’40, as Cincinnati won the World Series, he just missed another Triple Crown after going 22-10 with a 2.48 ERA, 29 complete games and 115 strikeouts over 305 innings.

A five-time All-Star with Cincinnati, Walters led the NL from 1939-46 in wins, innings and complete games (according to SABR research). He hurt his arm during the ’45 season and didn’t make more than 22 starts over his final four seasons in Cincinnati. The Reds inducted him into their Hall of Fame in their inaugural 1958 class.

2. Paul Derringer, 1933-42
Key fact: Started MLB’s first night game, against the Phillies on May 24, 1935, at Crosley Field

Derringer pitched for some poor Reds teams and wasn’t rewarded for his effort much of the time. For example, after his May 7, 1933, trade from the Cardinals to the Reds, he posted a 3.23 ERA but had a 7-25 record. But when Cincinnati turned it around, Derringer was a big part of it. He had three consecutive 20-win seasons from 1938-40, including his going 25-7 with a 2.93 ERA for the '39 pennant winners. He was 20-12 with a 3.06 ERA in ’40 and was the winning pitcher with a complete-game, 2-1 victory over the Tigers in Game 7 of that year’s World Series. His 45.6 fWAR leads all Reds starting pitchers. Like his teammate Walters, he went into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1958.

3. Jim Maloney, 1960-70
Key fact: Led the NL with five shutouts in 1966

In a 1960s pitching-great era that featured the likes of Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver and Juan Marichal, Maloney was often overlooked and made only one NL All-Star team, in 1965 -- when he was 20-9 with a 2.54 ERA. Arm injuries would play a part in his being overshadowed by the future Hall of Famers. But the hard thrower threw two no-hitters and missed out on a third one in the 11th inning. He was 134-81 with a 3.16 ERA in 289 games and is the club’s all-time leader with 1,592 strikeouts.

4. Dolf Luque, 1918-29
Key fact: His 2,668 2/3 innings pitched are the all-time most for the franchise

Luque was one of the few early 20th century Cuban players in Major League Baseball -- long before Jackie Robinson and the 1947 integration of the game -- and the most famous and successful. His best season came in 1923, when Luque led the league with 27 wins, a 1.93 ERA and six shutouts. He was 154-152 with a 3.09 ERA during his 12-year tenure in Cincinnati and pitched five scoreless innings of relief during the controversial 1919 World Series.

5. Mario Soto, 1977-88
Key fact: Was a three-time NL All-Star from 1982-84

Soto had a low-to-mid 90s fastball, but it was his changeup that helped him rack up 1,449 strikeouts that was second only to Maloney’s total for the franchise. From 1981-85, Soto led the Majors in strikeouts during that span -- including a club-record 274 in 1982. He was 100-92 with a 3.47 ERA during his 12 seasons -- all spent with the Reds. Now a Minor League instructor for Cincinnati, Soto has taught the changeup to several pitchers -- including Johnny Cueto.

Honorable mentions
Ewell Blackwell (1942, 1946-52) was a six-time All-Star who had a devastating sidearm sinking fastball that helped him win an NL-best 22 games in 1947. … Gary Nolan (1967-77) was 110-67 with a 3.02 ERA. He had a 1.99 ERA in his 1972 All-Star season and pitched in four World Series. ... Tom Seaver (1977-82) was 75-46 with a 3.18 ERA in 158 starts for the Reds and threw his only career no-hitter in 1978. … José Rijo (1988-95, 2001-02) was the 1990 World Series MVP and was 97-61 with a 2.83 ERA and 1,251 strikeouts in his 10 seasons. … A 2006 All-Star, Bronson Arroyo (2006-13, 2017) threw 200 innings in seven of his nine seasons in Cincinnati, not including his 199 innings in 2011. … Cueto (2008-15) was 92-63 with a 3.21 ERA and 1,115 strikeouts with the Reds. He was 20-9 with a 2.25 ERA in an NL-leading 34 starts and 243 2/3 innings during his 2014 All-Star season.