The Sunshine Rule
In his si.com column this week, Tom Verducci outlines a strong Hall of Fame case for long-time Blue Jay and current Met 1B Carlos Delgado. This blog also recently identified Delgado as a potentially strong Hall candidate (Feb. 9). Verducci’s piece is interesting especially because he’s looking for an unsung power hitter, untainted by performance-enhancing drugs, during the steroid era. The column includes an interview with Delgado, who talks about how he has stayed away from steroids both for health reasons and because he considers it cheating.
In the fallout from the A-Rod saga, I think more players who aspire to the Hall of Fame simply are going to have to sit down and agree to interviews about their careers – including the question of whether they used performance enhancers. The board of the Baseball Writers Association of America even could require an interview for all new candidates on the ballot. Players could opt out, of course. But in this environment, they’d do so at their own peril.
Thursday
Tuesday
Time for Full Disclosure
It’s a sad day to hear Alex Rodriguez admit to the use of performance-enhancing drugs from 2001 to 2003. But it’s important now to release the other names on the list of 104 who tested positive in 2003. We’ll never know the whole truth of steroids in baseball, of course. But we all would benefit from greater disclosure to properly judge the accomplishments of players from this era, and to see that we don't penalize those who followed the rules.
It’s a sad day to hear Alex Rodriguez admit to the use of performance-enhancing drugs from 2001 to 2003. But it’s important now to release the other names on the list of 104 who tested positive in 2003. We’ll never know the whole truth of steroids in baseball, of course. But we all would benefit from greater disclosure to properly judge the accomplishments of players from this era, and to see that we don't penalize those who followed the rules.
Monday
Spring Training Round-Up!
With pitchers and catchers reporting this week, it’s a good time to take a look at the Hall credentials of some current players – including a few who may not be on your radar screen:
Jamie Moyer – From all indications, Moyer’s a great person and a fascinating story. That he won 16 games last year, at age 46, was an inspiration to us all. Still, he’d need about four more of those seasons to get to the Hall. It’s certainly possible but not likely.
Johnny Damon – Never thought of him as a Hall of Famer, and still don’t. Still, he’s only 700 hits from 3,000 and, despite injuries, continues to play 140+ games a year. He may be the Vada Pinson of his era, with 2,700+ hits but little else that entices a Hall of Fame voter.
Chipper Jones – Last year’s batting title should have sealed it. But given Hall voters’ notoriously stingy position on third basemen (noted here and elsewhere), one can never be sure. The .310 career BA and 400+ home runs are impressive. Fortunately, he has a couple years left to improve his case.
Carlos Delgado – New Yorkers called him toast, and he responded with a big year. Another guy I’ve never considered a Hall of Famer, but he'll be a strong candidate if he stays productive. He’s at 469 HRs now, at age 36. Has only two All-Star appearances, which supports the idea that he flies under the radar.
Michael Young – Sort of a poor man’s Derek Jeter. Last year saw a noticeable decline in batting average and a dip in RBIs. Will have to return to his 2005-’06 production to have a decent shot.
Pedro Martinez – Hope he ends up in L.A. or somewhere else so he can add to his win total. Still, Martinez should have no problem getting to Cooperstown. His ERAs from ’97 to 2003 are incredible. Take 2000 for example – Pedro’s ERA: 1.74; the league ERA: 5.07.
Ichiro – Had his second lowest BA in 2008 since coming to the U.S. With 1,805 hits, still needs some strong seasons to make his case. A better supporting cast in Seattle would definitely help.
Lance Berkman – Strong all-around player whose year-to-year consistency brings him into the conversation. Bet you didn’t know he has a higher career OPS than A-Rod. The next few years are critical.
Jim Edmonds – An underrated player, Edmonds may get to 400 HRs if he finds a team this spring. But the Hall’s a stretch at this point.
Josh Beckett – With all the attention he gets, it’s hard to believe he only has 89 career victories. He’ll need a few impressive injury-free seasons to build his resume. According to baseball-reference.com, the player he most resembles through age 28 is….Kevin Millwood.
With pitchers and catchers reporting this week, it’s a good time to take a look at the Hall credentials of some current players – including a few who may not be on your radar screen:
Jamie Moyer – From all indications, Moyer’s a great person and a fascinating story. That he won 16 games last year, at age 46, was an inspiration to us all. Still, he’d need about four more of those seasons to get to the Hall. It’s certainly possible but not likely.
Johnny Damon – Never thought of him as a Hall of Famer, and still don’t. Still, he’s only 700 hits from 3,000 and, despite injuries, continues to play 140+ games a year. He may be the Vada Pinson of his era, with 2,700+ hits but little else that entices a Hall of Fame voter.
Chipper Jones – Last year’s batting title should have sealed it. But given Hall voters’ notoriously stingy position on third basemen (noted here and elsewhere), one can never be sure. The .310 career BA and 400+ home runs are impressive. Fortunately, he has a couple years left to improve his case.
Carlos Delgado – New Yorkers called him toast, and he responded with a big year. Another guy I’ve never considered a Hall of Famer, but he'll be a strong candidate if he stays productive. He’s at 469 HRs now, at age 36. Has only two All-Star appearances, which supports the idea that he flies under the radar.
Michael Young – Sort of a poor man’s Derek Jeter. Last year saw a noticeable decline in batting average and a dip in RBIs. Will have to return to his 2005-’06 production to have a decent shot.
Pedro Martinez – Hope he ends up in L.A. or somewhere else so he can add to his win total. Still, Martinez should have no problem getting to Cooperstown. His ERAs from ’97 to 2003 are incredible. Take 2000 for example – Pedro’s ERA: 1.74; the league ERA: 5.07.
Ichiro – Had his second lowest BA in 2008 since coming to the U.S. With 1,805 hits, still needs some strong seasons to make his case. A better supporting cast in Seattle would definitely help.
Lance Berkman – Strong all-around player whose year-to-year consistency brings him into the conversation. Bet you didn’t know he has a higher career OPS than A-Rod. The next few years are critical.
Jim Edmonds – An underrated player, Edmonds may get to 400 HRs if he finds a team this spring. But the Hall’s a stretch at this point.
Josh Beckett – With all the attention he gets, it’s hard to believe he only has 89 career victories. He’ll need a few impressive injury-free seasons to build his resume. According to baseball-reference.com, the player he most resembles through age 28 is….Kevin Millwood.
Kent’s Place in History
It’s interesting to read the accolades given to Jeff Kent on his retirement. Esteemed writers such as Tim Kurkjian have lavished praise on Kent, a slugging 2nd baseman and the 2000 NL MVP. But I’m more inclined to follow those who say, let’s wait and see. After all, there’s a good reason why the Hall of Fame has a five-year waiting period before possible enshrinement.
Kent has hit the most home runs among second basemen, and he has 1,500+ RBIs. But I can’t agree with some commentators who rank him as the top 2B of the last 25 years. In my book, he’s a shade behind the top three: Roberto Alomar, Ryne Sandberg and Craig Biggio. Alomar was an acrobat at 2B, with a dazzling combination of speed and power during his prime. Sandberg set the gold standard for defense and was, for his era, a slugger as respected as Kent. After starting out as a catcher, Biggio became a Gold Glove 2nd baseman and offensive catalyst with more than 3,000 hits and 1,800 runs scored – among the tops of all time. Each one of these players had at least 300 steals, led by Alomar's 474. Thet also combined for 23 Gold Gloves, while the workmanlike Kent never won that honor.
The bottom line: Kent may well earn a plaque in Cooperstown, but there’s no harm in waiting to consider the case.
It’s interesting to read the accolades given to Jeff Kent on his retirement. Esteemed writers such as Tim Kurkjian have lavished praise on Kent, a slugging 2nd baseman and the 2000 NL MVP. But I’m more inclined to follow those who say, let’s wait and see. After all, there’s a good reason why the Hall of Fame has a five-year waiting period before possible enshrinement.
Kent has hit the most home runs among second basemen, and he has 1,500+ RBIs. But I can’t agree with some commentators who rank him as the top 2B of the last 25 years. In my book, he’s a shade behind the top three: Roberto Alomar, Ryne Sandberg and Craig Biggio. Alomar was an acrobat at 2B, with a dazzling combination of speed and power during his prime. Sandberg set the gold standard for defense and was, for his era, a slugger as respected as Kent. After starting out as a catcher, Biggio became a Gold Glove 2nd baseman and offensive catalyst with more than 3,000 hits and 1,800 runs scored – among the tops of all time. Each one of these players had at least 300 steals, led by Alomar's 474. Thet also combined for 23 Gold Gloves, while the workmanlike Kent never won that honor.
The bottom line: Kent may well earn a plaque in Cooperstown, but there’s no harm in waiting to consider the case.
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