Before there was Larkin, before there was Concepcion, there was Roy McMillan. Two-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop for the Reds, McMillan was known more for his fielding than his offense. When the Gold Glove was instituted in 1957, it was for all of baseball and McMillan won it at the shortstop position. The next year (and each year after) the award was given to a player in each league at each position, McMillan winning the NL award in 1958 and 1959.
In 1957, McMillan was one of seven Reds voted to start the All-Star game by fans. The only non-winning position was first base. Commissioner Ford Frick believed the ballot box stuffing needed to be corrected, so he removed one Red (Wally Post) from the roster, and placed another (Gus Bell) on the bench, replacing them with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. As a result of the ballot box stuffing, players, coaches, and managers were given the responsibility of selecting the starting lineups until 1970 when the midsummer classic came, ironically enough, to Cincinnati.
McMillan has been a member of the Reds Hall of Fame since 1971. He passed away in November, 1997.
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