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On this day in 1883, former Red Eddie Grant was born in Franklin, MA. Grant died fighting in the Argonne Forest during World War I. Bill James believes that Judge Landis included the character clause in the Hall of Fame requirements in an attempt to force Grant's election (Posnanski, SI.com).
On this day in 1930, the Reds second baseman Hughie Critz to the Giants for righty Larry Benton. When I first read about Critz, I assumed his last name was pronounced "Crits" as in ritz. However, I later learned that he pronounced his name, "Crights" as in lights. Baseball-Reference supports the latter pronunciation as well.
On this day in 1938, former Red Silver King died in St. Louis at the age of 70. King threw only 105 innings for the Reds in his career, all of which came in 1893. He is best known for his seasons with the championship St. Louis Browns clubs of the late 1880s.
The 1887 Browns had a player by the name of Bob Caruthers who threw 341 innings of 137 ERA+ ball. On his off days, Caruthers played the outfield and slashed .357/.463/.547 (169 OPS+) in 436 plate appearances. In 1886, Caruthers led the league in OPS+ while posting a 147 ERA+. Caruthers also led the league in ERA+ one season. Not surprisingly, Caruthers is a popular pick for the best 19th century player who isn't in the Hall of Fame.
On this day in 1955, former Red Eddie Milner was born in Columbus, OH. Cincinnati called up Milner at the age of 25. He didn't become a regular until he was 27. Milner broke out in 1983 at the age of 28 with a good season, but was out of the league at 33 despite being a productive player. After the 1983 season, Bill James wrote that Milner was "probably as good defensively as any NL centerfielder, and [it] looks like he will hit enough to say . . . drew 68 walks, swiped 41 bases," which was an accurate description of his skill set (218, The 1984 Bill James Baseball Abstract).
On this day in 1973, former Red Herm Wehmeier died in Dallas, TX at the age of 46. Wehmeier was a native of Cincinnati who graduated from Western Hills. He pitched for the Reds in the 1940s and 50s.
On this day in 1977, the Reds traded righty Santo Alcala to the Expos for players to be named later. Montreal later sent lefties Shane Rawley and Angel Torres to the Queen City to finalize the deal.