55 days left, and spring training is just around the corner. Let's get to this list before you freeze to death.
5. Shawn Estes (-0.5 WAR)
Right off the bat, you have someone who was verifiably pretty awful with the Reds in Shawn Estes, so you can tell that this is a pretty short list of #55s. Estes pitched for the Reds for 2 months of the 2002 season, amassing only 6 starts. He gave up 24 runs in 28 innings for a 7.71 ERA, the team didn't make the playoffs, and Estes left at the end of the year. Screw you, Estes.
4. Glenn Sutko (-0.1 WAR)
Sutko is the only player on this list with a World Series ring in the #55 for the Reds. He's included. He got 1 AB in 1990 and a handful in 1991, where he only managed to eke out 1 big league hit. It was in a pinch hitting appearance against the Padres' closer, so there's your trivia question for today.
3. Jim Beauchamp (0.4 WAR)
Beauchamp spent two season with the Reds in the late 60s, and was primarily a bench player for those teams. He ended up hitting .256/.307/.359 in his two seasons in Red, and would end up having 7 other stints with 5 other teams in his long career.
2. Ramon Hernandez (1.6 WAR)
The Clutch Man! You knew he was going to make this list, and was a great addition to the team for his tenure in Cincinnati. He ended his career here with a .761 OPS in Cincinnati, which is good for his second best in his career. He spent last year with the Dodgers, before signing another deal in this offseason, with the Kansas City Royals. We wish him a lot of luck, as we do all of our more recent former catchers*.
1. Mat Latos (8.1 WAR)
Guys. Mat Latos has been really, ridiculously good for the past 2 seasons, to the point where even though Monie has been here longer (as of right now), nobody comes close to the contribution that the current #55 has made since arriving in Cincnnati. So far, Mat has a 3.32 ERA in two full seasons, which could very easily be even better after 2014.
*Miss you, Hanny.