Chris Sabo

Chris Sabo was a highly recruited baseball and hockey player coming out of high school in Detroit, Michigan. Despite initially wanting to play professional hockey, Sabo ultimately attended the University of Michigan on a baseball scholarship, passing up an opportunity at the big leagues when he was drafted out of high school by the Montreal Expos. After 3 years at Michigan, Sabo was drafted in 1983 by the Cincinnati Reds, where he spent the first six years of his career. After two years in the minors that were average at best, the Reds’ manager Pete Rose finally gave Sabo a shot due to a diminished lineup. Sabo took the opportunity he was given and never looked back. That first year in the bigs Sabo earned National League Rookie of the Year honors with a .271 average, 40 doubles, and 46 stolen bases. With the Reds, Sabo was selected to 3 All Star games and helped lead the team to a World Series victory in 1990. After 9 MLB seasons, the last few of which were plagued with injuries, Sabo hung the cleats up. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2010 and will be forever be adored by Reds fans.