The Year: 2026
W/L Record: 114-48
Run Differential: 932 RS vs. 646 RA +286 Runs
Awards: NL RBI Leader: Steve Miller (161), NL ERA Leader: Derek Lammas (1.81), NL Gold Glove: Alfonso Gonzaba (P), Eric Dorman (C), Steve Miller (1B), Mike Gartner (RF)
All Stars: 1B Steve Miller, 2B Steve Kertsman, 3B Marv Eason, SS Larry MacPhater, SP Derek Lammas
League Leading Stat Categories: .60 Away Wins, .360 Team OBP, .811 Team OPS, .451 Team Slugging
Lineup/Bench Rotation/Bullpen
2B Steve Kertsman Derek Lammas
SS Larry MacPhater Vlad Pulgarin
1B Steve Miller Alfonso Gonzaba
3B Marv Eason Dunstan Tuda
RF Mike Gartner Vicente Lingrell
CF Stan Raines CL Rob Wood
LF Carlos Marinas SU Dave Horst
C Eric Dorman SR Joe Olvera
SR Albert Ippolito
MR Bob MacLean
LR Will White
C Eric Baran
OF Brandon Heritage
OF Jorge Linares
OF Denis Otega
IF Wilmer Flores
IF Nelson Sultero
The Key Players: Well let's start this with the man who deserves his own spotlight. Steve "One Man Band" Miller doesn't just have the best nickname in FCM history - the man clobbered the hell out of the baseball at a rate matched by a rare few in our history. Only three players have hit more homeruns, only five have more RBIs, and only two players have a higher career OPS in the FCM Hall of Fame. Needless to say, this guy is mythic in terms of the stamp he left on the league.
In 2026 he wasn't at his best, but Miller's best was borderline inhuman. Steve Miller's 2026 was a career year for almost any mortal baseball player. He hit .330 with 43 homeruns, 130 runs scored, 161 RBI (the third highest single season total of all time), a 65-110 BB-K ratio, and a slash line of .330/.388/,595 for a .983 OPS. He amazingly didn't win the MVP award this year (he won 3 in his career) but he did take the hardware home for the NL Gold Glove at 1B.
I'm two paragraphs in and I've only covered a third of the Hall of Famers in this lineup. Hitting after The One Man Band were his long-time accompanists Marv Eason and Mike Gartner, both of whom made it into the HOF as well. Eason is one of only two third basemen to make it into the hall and his 2026 campaign certainly contributed to his career. He hit .300 with 32 homeruns, 107 runs, 114 RBI, and a slash line of .300/.423/.551 for an OPS of .974.
The third part of this HOF attack was Mike Gartner, but before I get to him it's worth pointing out that these three monsters in the middle were all drafted and home grown by the Reds. The only way to effectively rebuild is to hit on your picks and Cincy did just that - with a 3rd overall (Eason), 8th overall (Miller), and a 10th overall (Gartner) holding down the fort. For his part in 2026, Gartner contributed outstanding RF defense (11 assists) and slugged a slash line of .306/.399/.552 for an OPS of .951, 33 home runs, 33 doubles, 115 RBI, 101 runs, and a 101-89 BB to K ratio.
The rest of the lineup was very good as well. You may remember the name Larry MacPhater from our last write-up, he and Steve Kertsman held down the middle of the infield and the top of the lineup. The two of them were outstanding defensive players who also made significant contributions with their bats. MacPhater hit .334, hit 8 home runs, stole 18 bags, scored 118 runs, drove in 72, all while sporting a .405 OBP. Kertsman hit .310 with 9 homeruns, 38 stolen bases, 133 runs scroed, and 52 RBI. That is outstanding production from two gold glove caliber fielders and very important positions. Rounding out the lineup was a good, but very disappointing CF in Stan Raines. Raines had amazing vitals (96-76-82-98) and great defense, could switch hit, and was a June acquisition for the Reds in 2026. But much like his many other stops, Raines just never lived up to the hype. His 2026 had him hit .290, with 7 home runs, 11 stolen bases, 84 runs, and 79 RBI. LF Carlos Marinas hit .294 with 27 bombs, 8 steals, 78 runs, and 97 RBI. And lastly was defensive specialist, but offensive black hole, Eric Dorman who hit .188 with 8 home runs, 39 runs, and 58 RBI.
Hitting was the name of the game for this club, but it had good pitching as well. Ace Derek Lammas had a career year with the Reds in 2026. He pitched 184 innings, struck out 190, went 16-3, walked only 43, allowed only a .190 on base percentage against, and posted a 1.81 ERA. He was simply outstanding but ultimately lost out on the Cy Young award to Jacob Widdup of the Cubs.
The rest of the rotation was filled out with some serious talent. Vlad Pulgarin was a 1st overall pick by Atlanta that was controversially dealt to the Reds. He was a player whose career failed to live up to expectations, but his performance in 2026 was very good. He threw 200 innings, struck out 95, posted a 2.96 ERA, and an 18-5 record. Second year player Alfonso Gonzaba pitched a whopping 230 innings, struck out 147 batters, posted a 3.60 ERA, and had a 15-9 record. Rounding out the bottom of the rotation was Dunstan Tuda who had a 3.99 ERA in 187 innings and a 16-5 record. Vicente Lingrell as a rookie posted a disappointing 5.26 ERA in 125 innings but did manage to go 10-5.
The bullpen was held down by yet another future HOFer. Rob Wood established himself as a dominant closer in Toronto and then bounced around the league before being dealt by Detroit to the the Reds at the deadline. Wood managed to post a 3.42 ERA and saved 16 out of the 19 chances he had in Cincy. Prior to his addition, Albert Ippolito had held down the closer role but his 4.46 ERA probably helped prompt the team's move. He still saved 26 games in 31 chances while posting a 7-4 record. In the setup role was Dave Horst who pitched 85 innings and posted a 2.31 ERA and went 4-2. Joe Olvera pitched 53 innings and had a 3.40 ERA in the short relief role. The bottom of the pen and mop up role were not high quality players in Bob MacLean (4.88 ERA) and Will White (4.73 ERA)
Interview with the Owner: jps' thoughts
What Sets Them Apart: It could be argued that this was the most fearsome top five in any batting order in FCM history. The production and the talent is eye-popping and it starts and stops with the man who might be on the FCM Mt. Rushmore of hitters in Steve "One Man Band" Miller. It was a lineup that featured a heart of the order composed of three future HOFers. I'm not sure anyone else on this list can boast that claim. While the team lost out in the randomness that is the playoffs, they were no doubt one of the most fearsome collections of talent the league has ever seen.
Coming Next: 14th Best Team in FCM History: Streak Breakers
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