1876
The National League’s inaugural season was not kind to Major League Baseball’s oldest franchise, the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds managed only 9 wins against 56 losses while only winning back-to-back games twice during the year. The anemic offense shouldered much of the blame with an anemic team average of just .234. Outfielder, Charley Jones, placed first in average, home runs and RBIs with .286/4/38. No other Reds player would muster a long ball throughout the season.
Manager, Charlie Gould’s pitching staff posted a respectable 3.62 ERA, but lack of run production would limit the group’s success. Starters, Dory Dean and Cherokee Fisher would post respectable ERAs (3.73/3.02) but Dean would finish with 4 wins in 30 decisions and Fisher with 4 wins in 24 outcomes. The Reds would not win a single game in 20 tries against the White Stockings of Chicago or the Red Caps of Boston.
1877
The 1877 version of the Reds showed marginal improvement from the previous year. This Reds team won 15 games while losing 42 on the year. The Reds would cycle through three different player/managers to no avail. Player/Manager Lip Pike was signed away from the St. Louis Brown Stockings and hit a respectable .298 with 23 RBIs and a league leading 4 home runs.
N. L. Home Run Leader (4)
Lip Pike (CIN)
After a 3-11 start to the season, offseason acquisition Bob Addy, replaced Pike as player/manager. Addy contributes a .278 average and 31 runs batted in. During Addy’s stint as Manager, the Reds won 5 and lost 19 and he was replaced by shortstop Jack Manning. Manning guided the Reds to a 7-12 record through their final nineteen games. Charley Jones once again fueled the offense with a line of .310/2/36.
On the pitching staff, offseason acquisitions Candy Cummings and Bobby Mathews combined to win 8 and lose 26. The only starter with a winning record was lefthander Bobby Mitchell who won 6 and lost 5 with a 3.51 ERA.
1878
The 1878 Reds showed marked improvement finishing in second place in the National League, four game back of the Boston Red Stockings. A busy offseason breathed new life into the Reds as they acquired Third Baseman/Manager Cal McVey from Chicago. They also acquired the 1877 batting champion in catcher Deacon White from the Red Caps. Young righthander Will White was also signed to bolster the pitching staff.
White would pair with lefty Bobby Mitchell to form a formidable one-two punch. White would post a 30-21 record with 169 strikeouts and a paltry 1.79 ERA. Mitchell would win seven of nine decisions with a meager 2.14 earned run average. Cal McVey and Deacon White also contributed with a combined 10-10 record.
White contributed offensively as well leading all Reds batsmen with a .314 average. Outfielder, Charley Jones, sparked the team slashing .310/3/39. Rookie outfielder, King Kelly recorded a .283 average and 27 RBIs in his first taste of the big leagues. The Reds started the year posting a 15-5 record in their first 20 games. A six-game losing streak would move the Reds out of first place. A late summer winning streak of nine straight was not enough to overtake the Red Stockings.
1879
The 1879 season saw regression for the Cincinnati ballclub. They finished the season six games above the .500 mark but dropped to fifth place in the National League, fourteen games behind the champion Providence Grays. Deacon White started the year as player/manager and posted a .330 average with one round-tripper and 52 runs plated. White was replaced as manager by first baseman Cal McVey after eighteen games. Third-sacker, King Kelly, provided offensive lift slashing .348/2/47. Youngster, Buttercup Dickerson also hit two long balls and led the National League in triples with 14.
N. L. Triples Leader (14)
Buttercup Dickerson (CIN)
Workhorse starting pitcher, Will White, started and completed 75 games posting a 43-31 record. White pitched a league high 680 innings including 49 wild pitches for most in the senior circuit. Blondie Purcell, Cal McVey, Jack Neagle and Harry Wheeler would combine to start six games on the bump, none achieving a favorable decision. This incarnation of the Reds would dissolve after the 1879 season.
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