Friday
Thursday
The Results Are In
Congratulations to Andre Dawson on his deserved election to the Hall of Fame. The rest of the results had a few surprises, chiefly the inexplicable snub of Roberto Alomar. Apparently enough voters held the spitting incident against him to a degree that deprived him of joining the elite group of players elected in their first year of eligibility. It’s hard to justify that view, since by any estimation Alomar is one of the greatest 2nd basemen of the past 100 years. And while I haven’t touted Bert Blyleven’s candidacy, I’m surprised he fell short as well.
Farther down the ballot, one of the most interesting results is the one for first-timer Edgar Martinez. The Mariners DH did a more-than-respectable 36 percent on his first ballot, nearly half of the way to election. Once he settled in as a full-time DH, Martinez had many excellent seasons in his 30s. But Martinez got six times the votes of Harold Baines, another DH with some vastly superior career numbers, and nearly twice as many votes as Fred McGriff, a home run champ in each league with nearly 500 in his career. We’ll try to do more analysis of this vote in the coming week.
Farther down the ballot, one of the most interesting results is the one for first-timer Edgar Martinez. The Mariners DH did a more-than-respectable 36 percent on his first ballot, nearly half of the way to election. Once he settled in as a full-time DH, Martinez had many excellent seasons in his 30s. But Martinez got six times the votes of Harold Baines, another DH with some vastly superior career numbers, and nearly twice as many votes as Fred McGriff, a home run champ in each league with nearly 500 in his career. We’ll try to do more analysis of this vote in the coming week.
Monday
One Fan's Ballot
With the Hall of Fame results just days away, here are my thoughts on key candidates this year.
A Yes Vote
Roberto Alomar – An easy vote for one of the best 2B of all time.
Andre Dawson – Never mind the low on-base percentage (GMs and managers at the time didn’t worry about it either). Only Mays and Barry Bonds have hit 400 HRs and stolen 300 bases. He was a dominant slugger in his era.
Jack Morris – He was the ace of three World Series champs, and his heroic Game 7 in 1991 was a classic. With 254 victories, he’s more than qualified.
Others
Barry Larkin – A player should be in the hands-down elite category to win election his first year on the ballot. Larkin’s not quite in that category, but I expect I’d vote for him in the near future. An underrated, perennial All-Star.
Dave Parker – Never gave him much attention until Jim Rice’s election last year. With more hits, RBIs, batting titles and Gold Gloves than Rice, he’s got a pretty strong case. Both players had a significantly high share of the MVP vote during their careers, which attest to their statures within the game. I think I’m evolving into a yes vote…maybe next year.
Fred McGriff – Arguably the most interesting new name on this year's ballot. Since McGwire’s 583 HRs are viewed as tarnished but Rice’s 382 HRs are plenty good enough, what should we make of McGriff’s scandal-free 493 homers? Wouldn’t vote for him at this point but would like to see him stay on the ballot a while.
Bert Blyleven – See prior entry. Probably a good selection for the Veterans Committee as opposed to the writers.
A Yes Vote
Roberto Alomar – An easy vote for one of the best 2B of all time.
Andre Dawson – Never mind the low on-base percentage (GMs and managers at the time didn’t worry about it either). Only Mays and Barry Bonds have hit 400 HRs and stolen 300 bases. He was a dominant slugger in his era.
Jack Morris – He was the ace of three World Series champs, and his heroic Game 7 in 1991 was a classic. With 254 victories, he’s more than qualified.
Others
Barry Larkin – A player should be in the hands-down elite category to win election his first year on the ballot. Larkin’s not quite in that category, but I expect I’d vote for him in the near future. An underrated, perennial All-Star.
Dave Parker – Never gave him much attention until Jim Rice’s election last year. With more hits, RBIs, batting titles and Gold Gloves than Rice, he’s got a pretty strong case. Both players had a significantly high share of the MVP vote during their careers, which attest to their statures within the game. I think I’m evolving into a yes vote…maybe next year.
Fred McGriff – Arguably the most interesting new name on this year's ballot. Since McGwire’s 583 HRs are viewed as tarnished but Rice’s 382 HRs are plenty good enough, what should we make of McGriff’s scandal-free 493 homers? Wouldn’t vote for him at this point but would like to see him stay on the ballot a while.
Bert Blyleven – See prior entry. Probably a good selection for the Veterans Committee as opposed to the writers.
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