2017 Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Bobbleheads Preview

The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum have announced what bobbleheads they will be giving to fans during the 2017 season. For the first time since 2012, the Reds Hall of Fame will be giving out six bobbleheads as opposed to the usual five. This series of Reds nodders will feature players from a few different eras that celebrate the rich history of the Cincinnati Reds franchise. In this post, I will discuss the six bobbleheads that the Reds Hall of Fame will be giving away and share my thoughts on them.

The first bobblehead the Reds Hall of Fame will be giving out is Leo Cardenas. The former Reds shortstop from the 1960s will be given out during the month of April. Known as “Chico” and “Mr. Automatic,” Cardenas was a four time All-Star and is an excellent choice to be featured as a bobblehead.

The second bobblehead of the 2017 season will be given out during the month of May and will showcase former Reds second baseman Tommy Helms. The 1966 Rookie of the Year was a huge fan favorite, and many members of Reds Country were sad to see him dealt to the Houston Astros for future hall of famer Joe Morgan. While Morgan has been featured as a bobblehead many times, Helms has never been immortalized as a Reds nodder, and it is good to see the Reds Hall of Fame honor Helms with a bobblehead.

The third nodder will be of Pete Rose, and it shall be distributed in June. I am not excited for this bobblehead. Don’t get me wrong. I am a huge fan of Pete Rose. Charlie Hustle is undoubtedly the biggest baseball star to emerge from the Queen City, and I firmly believe he deserves to be in the hall of fame. That being said, I think the Reds should have chosen somebody else for the bobblehead. Rose has been featured on a Reds bobblehead every year since 2014. Instead of once again showcasing Rose, the team could have picked somebody who has not been featured such as Jose Rijo or Aaron Boone.

Fourth will be former Reds second baseman Ron Oester. The 2014 Reds Hall of Fame inductee is a Cincinnati native and was a member of the 1990 team that won the World Series. Despite losing his starting role to Mariano Duncan, Oester was a key pinch hitter and sported a batting average of .299. I think he is a solid choice to be featured as a bobblehead, and I plan on adding it to my collection.

Fifth in the Reds Hall of Fame series of bobbles is Dave Parker. Known as “The Cobra,” Parker was a fan favorite who won multiple awards during his playing days. He was a seven time All-Star, the 1978 National League MVP, and earned two World Series rings with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Oakland Athletics. I got to meet him at Redsfest 2016, and I was able to easily see why he was a fan favorite. I think I am the most excited for his bobblehead, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

The sixth and final bobblehead of the year will feature former outfielder and 1977 National League MVP George Foster. Known for his powerful bat, Foster was instrumental in helping the Big Red Machine win back-to-back World Series Championships in 1975 and in 1976. The Reds Hall of Fame previously gave out a bobblehead of Foster in 2012, but it was a mini bobblehead that did not match the size of most modern nodders. Should this bobblehead be a regular sized nodder, I will add to my collection to replace the 2012 mini bobblehead.

That is the line up for the 2017 Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame series of bobbleheads. Overall, it is a solid series that features four players that have never been immortalized as a nodders. While I would have preferred to see two other players take the place of the already featured Rose and Foster, the selections of Cardenas, Oester, Helms, and Parker are stellar nonetheless. I plan on visiting the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum this season to add some of these Reds bobbleheads to my collection. Stay tuned for those unboxing videos!

Go Redlegs!