Pete Rose to be inducted into Reds Hall of Fame

The Cincinnati Reds announced this morning that Pete Rose will be inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame this summer. He will be the lone member of the Hall of Fame class of 2016.

Rose’s appeal for reinstatement into baseball and bid for eligibility in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown was denied by the office of Commissioner Rob Manfred earlier this winter. But as Mark Sheldon points out, in Manfred’s statement at the time, he noted that the Reds are free to continue to celebrate Rose’s on field achievements, as long as they receive permission from the commissioner’s office first. Presumably they have done so in this case.

Based on his on field production, there can be little doubt that Rose is a deserving member of the Reds Hall of Fame. He still sits atop the franchise leaderboard in several traditional categories, like hits, doubles, and runs scored. He also leads the franchise in a number of non-traditional statistics as well, such as Win Probability Added, and is still the Reds all time franchise leader in Wins Above Replacement.

The timing of his induction also works out well. As the sole inductee this summer, Rose will not outshine any other deserving inductees who do not have the taint of gambling on his own team’s games and then lying about if for decades on them. Additionally, for the type of fan who is uninterested in following the fortunes of a rebuilding team, this will provide some excitement at the ballpark this summer. Rose’s induction will not overshadow a team in the midst of a pennant race.

It remains to be seen whether Rose’s scandals will be mentioned on his Hall of Fame plaque, however.

Reds Hall of Fame induction weekend will take place June 24 – 26 as the Reds face off against the San Diego Padres.