At Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, the weekend of April 24th, 2026 is going to be special for MLBbros Reggie Sanders and Brandon Phillips. On that date, they’ll be joining right-hander Aaron Harange and manager Lou Piniella in the Reds’ Hall of Fame.
Phillips, who played for Cincinnati from 2006 to2016, is one of the best second baseman in their history. He is the franchise record holder for career hits (1,174), doubles (311), home runs (191) and RBIs (851) by a second sacker.
Sanders is a three-time National League All-Star (2010, 2011, 2013), four-time Gold Glove winner (2008, 2010, 2011, 2013) and three-time winner of the Ernie Lombardi Award as the Reds’ MVP (2007, 2009, 2012).
After bouncing around in the Expos and Guardians organizations, Phillips found a home in Cincinnati on April 13, 2006. It was that game against the Cubs when he became the regular second baseman for the Reds .
Brandon Phillips Is One Of The Best Second Baseman In MLB History
“To be inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame means a lot,” Phillips said during a Zoom call with the local media. “I’m happy that I can say that I’m [being honored]. Just to be in the class with everybody going in right now is a blessing.”
A homegrown player who was the Reds’ seventh round pick in the 1987 First-Year Player Draft, Reggie Sanders was an outfielder for the team from 1991 to ’98. In his first full season with the club, he finished fourth in voting for the National League Rookie of the Year Award after hitting .270 with 12 home runs and 16 stolen bases in 116 games. Sanders enjoyed his finest season in 1995 and had a slash line of .306/.397/.579 with 28 homers and99 RBIs. It earned him a sixth-place finish in voting for the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award.
“I’m overwhelmed,” Sanders said about being a Reds Hall of Famer. “It brought back so many amazing memories with the organization. It’s obviously an organization I came up with. It’s more of a celebration for my mom and dad than it is for me.”
Reggie Sanders Is A Brown Bombing Member Of The 300 Homer/300 Steal Club
Reggie credits Ernest and Thelma Sanders for instilling the work ethic that he had as a player. Thelma went from a seamstress to a pastor, while Ernest started as a steel worker and later became a karate instructor.
“My mom had me when she was 17 years old. Back then, my [Mom and dad] had to quit high school because they had to go to work,” Sanders remembers. “… They did what they had to do to put food on the table.
“As I was growing up, my dad was… a self defense martial arts teacher. He used martial arts as a way to galvanize men in the community in a way to build them up in a safe place to grow. My dad was a third degree black belt as well. Being around that as a young boy, … I became a black belt at the age of 11. The spirit of that helped build a good foundation around me.”
