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.
Keeping track of the game's past -- and the Hall of Fame's future
1 comment:
Roberto Alomar is a cinch to go to the Hall, but I wonder if he will go in on the first ballot. In recent years, the BBWAA has reserved first ballot admission for 'legends of the game'. I'm not convinced they will view Roberto as a legend.
Dawson and Blyleven may get the call today. I believe Andre Dawson is on the cusp of Hall of Fame credentials.
His low batting average is part of the reason his obp is so low. A slugger who batted .279 over 21 seasons probably should have posted 500 homeruns. However, his
stolen bases, gold gloves, and 1500
rbis should make up the difference.
In an earlier article, you made an excellent case for Tommy John, comparing his career totals to Bert Blyleven. Again, players who played for 20+ seasons would help their own case if they reached one of the benchmarks that guarantee entry to the Hall. John and Blyleven both hurt themselves by posting low win percentages without
reaching 300 wins. Blyleven will probably gain entrance to the hall
due to his power numbers. 3,000
strikeouts may not be the golden ticket 5oo homeruns is, but historically, they are comparable stats.
I'm glad I stumbled onto your blog. Keep up the good work. Maybe
someday the BBWAA will realize the
act of carving out a productive MLB career for 20+ years in itself
is qualification enough for election to the Hall of Fame (even
for Harold Baines).
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