Top 5 debut seasons in Reds history

CINCINNATI -- Fresh faces often invigorate a roster with great performances. Over the years, the Reds have had several players arrive and make instant impacts as they become favorites of the fans and the city.

Whether they arrived as rookies, via trades or as free agents, here are the Top 5 debut seasons among Reds players.

1) Frank Robinson, 1956
As a 20-year-old rookie, Robinson hit 38 home runs and led the National League with 122 runs scored -- both served as his career highs until he eclipsed them in 1962. He also batted .290/.379/.558 with an OPS+ of 143, 166 hits, 27 doubles, six triples and 83 RBIs. Robinson established franchise rookie records in homers, slugging percentage, runs (122) and hit by pitches (20).

The season won Robinson the NL Rookie of the Year Award, and it marked the start of a Hall of Fame career that saw him go on to win two MVP Awards and a Triple Crown Award before pioneering a second career as baseball’s first African American manager.

2) Tom Seaver, 1977
Called the “Midnight Massacre” in Mets circles, Seaver was one of several stars traded in the summer of 1977 in the name of payroll reduction. A future Hall of Famer, Seaver had a contract dispute with management going back to the ’76 season. On June 15, 1977, New York dealt him to the Reds for four players -- Doug Flynn, Pat Zachry, Dan Norman and Steve Henderson.

In 20 starts for the Reds after the trade, Seaver was 14-3 with a 2.34 ERA. Over 165 1/3 innings, he allowed 120 hits and 38 walks while striking out 124 batters. His ERA+ was 168. For the season overall, Seaver was 21-6 with a 2.58 ERA, and he finished third in NL Cy Young Award balloting.

3) Greg Vaughn, 1999
Just before Spring Training opened, the Reds acquired Vaughn and Mark Sweeney from the Padres for Reggie Sanders, Damian Jackson and a Minor Leaguer. Cincinnati gained an immediate lineup impact and clubhouse leadership as Vaughn slugged 45 home runs with 118 RBIs and 3.4 bWAR. The Reds won 99 games but fell short of an NL Wild Card spot when they lost to the Mets in a Game 163 tiebreaker.

Vaughn had only one season with the Reds before he signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent. But he had a lasting impact still felt today when he broke the club’s longstanding policy against facial hair. Vaughn did not want to shave his goatee and owner Marge Schott relented, opening the door for follicles to grow wild on players’ faces.

4) Danny Jackson, 1988
Jackson was 9-18 with a 4.02 ERA during the 1987 season with the Royals and was acquired by Cincinnati for Ted Power and Kurt Stillwell after the season. The change of scenery did wonders for Jackson, who was 23-8 with a 2.73 ERA and 161 strikeouts in 33 starts and 260 2/3 innings with a Major League-best 15 complete games.

Besides being an All-Star in 1988 (he did not appear in the game held in Cincinnati), Jackson finished second to Orel Hershiser in NL Cy Young Award voting. By '90, Jackson helped get the Reds to a World Series win.

5) Randy Myers, 1990
During the Winter Meetings on Dec. 6, 1989, the Reds and Mets swapped star left-handed closers. Cincinnati acquired Myers and Kip Gross from the Mets for John Franco and a Minor Leaguer.

Myers posted a 2.08 ERA and 31 saves in 66 games during his 1990 All-Star season. The Reds went wire-to-wire on their way to winning the World Series with a sweep of Oakland. Myers earned the NL Championship Series MVP Award with three saves vs. the Pirates.

Honorable mention

Ken Griffey Jr., 2000
A hometown-raised superstar center fielder, Griffey was acquired from the Mariners on Feb. 10, 2000, for four players. He hit 40 homers with 118 RBIs during his first season with Cincinnati while batting .271 with a .942 OPS in 145 games.