Welcome to the Hall Reg

STERLING--After much deliberation, The Powers That Be have decided upon our Hall of Shame inductee for December: Reggie Sanders. The other candidates put forth quite a compelling case, but the damage Reggie did to the Atlanta Braves not only in 2000, but down the road as well put him over the top.

In the offseason of 1999 Reggie Sanders was traded to the Braves as the Padres centerpiece of a six-player trade, with the Padres receiving Bret Boone, Ryan Klesko, and Jason Shiell and Atlanta receiving Quilvio Veras, Wally Joyner, and Reggie. The trade looked promising, as Boone struggled in his only season in Atlanta and Klesko was blocked by Andres Gallaraga and never developed the consistency or big-time power that made him a major prospect with the Braves. Sanders, meanwhile, was expected to replace the eternally mediocre Gerald Williams in left field and be a big veteran bat in the middle of the lineup, having come off several above-average seasons.

In 2000 Sanders, and the weight of his expected contribution, manged to hit .232/.302/.403--good for a 76 OPS+. The man whose production Sanders was traded to replace, Gerald "Ice" Williams, amassed an 86 OPS+. After two to three months of mediocrity he was uncermoniously dropped to 7th or 8th in the order, as the Braves effectively conceded that Sanders sucked.

As is the cases with many Hall of Shame candidates, the damage done to the organization went much deeper than the feebleness of the players themselves. Much of the damage is done in what it took to acquire these floundering veterans. The pieces the Braves traded to acquire Sanders went on to do much greater things. Klesko went on to post three consecutive seasons of an OPS+ of 136 or better, and then of at least 110 in the three years after, all while splitting time between first base and left field--the position Reggie failed to provide any production for whatsoever. Bret Boone--steroids allegations and all--proceded to OPS+ 94 with the Padres but then put up insane numbers for three years with the Mariners, including two seasons of at least 35 homers and two top-ten MVP finishes. Furthermore the trade ate up more than $10 million of payroll between Sanders, Veras, and Joyner, with Sanders making $4 million to put up some of the worst numbers for a starting outfielder in the majors that year.

Thanks to his single season of non-production and the years of cost-effective, MVP-calliber players he cost the Braves, Reggie Sanders earns his spot in the Atlanta Braves Hall of Shame.