Opening Day Countdown: Quintessential Red #35

For a number in the mid 30s, it's surprising #35 hasn't done more damage. Huge potential here.

5. Johnny Klippstein (5.2 WAR)

Klippstein is the token "guy from the Redlegs era you probably haven't heard of" for today, but he put together a couple of good seasons in his Reds tenure from 1955 to 1958. In '55 and '56, he had maybe his best two seasons of his career, totalling 43 starts (and 33 relief apperances) and a 3.82 ERA. He stuck around in the league for a number of years as a reliever, even making another appearance with the Reds later on.

4. Whitey Moore (2.4 WAR)

Moore was Ohio born and bred, from Tuscarawas. He spent all but 9 games of his career with the Reds, appearing in 124 ballgames, starting almost half of them. He joined the team in 1936 and played with the team though 1942, with his best season coming in 1939. That year, he got 24 starts, and went 13-12 with a 3.45 ERA.

3. Frank Pastore (4.1 WAR)

Pastore pitched for the Reds from 1979 to 1985, mostly as a starter. He was mostly average, but his 1980 season saw him go 13-7 with a 3.27 ERA, leading the starting rotation as a 22-year-old. The best part about Frank Pastore's legacy was his record at the Big Texan Steakhouse, where he ate a 72 oz. steak (and fixins) in 9 and a half minutes. Joey Chestnut broke his record, and he passed away in a motorcycle accident 4 years later in 2012.

2. Harry Perkowski (5.4 WAR)

Perkowski was a lefty pitcher for the Reds from 1947 to 1954. Prior to that, he served in WWII and signed with the Reds out of the war as a 24-year-old. His best success came in the early 50s, though, where he became a starter and pitched over 190 innings for 2 straight seasons.

1. Don Gullett (14.1 WAR)

Gullett pitched for the Reds from 1970 to 1976, providing lots of innings on two World Series winners. He finished in the top 10 for the Cy Young in both '74 and '75, with his '75 campaign being one where he went 15-4 with a 2.42 ERA. Gullett stuck around the organization, becoming the Reds' pitching coach in 1993, a post he held for 12 years.