The 2011 Hall of Fame ballot is a long one. It includes not only the obvious candidates but also “once-and-done” guys – players unlikely to pick up any votes who will disappear after their first year of eligibility. Some one-and-doners on this year’s list are Kirk Rueter and Lenny Harris. Past ballots have included similar immortals such as Dan Plesac and Jim Deshaies. I’m sure all of them were stand-up guys and great teammates. But it seems the nominating committee could really put their time to better use.
Here’s a modest proposal: Instead of taking hours to determine whether these guys should be on the ballot, why doesn’t the screening committee conduct additional due diligence on the major candidates? Once you pare down the list of newly eligible hopefuls, ask each one to undergo an interview with a group of baseball writers, with the transcript publicly available. It’s like the process you’d find at any prestigious club (minus the transcript). Let the candidates make their case. If they won’t submit to an interview, they can stay on the ballot but the silence may be deafening. At the very least, it would give journalists a chance to do what they do best – ask more questions – before their critical vote.
Thursday
Friday
Looking Ahead on the Ballot
With summer heating up, it’s time to look at some of the key newcomers on the 2011 Hall of Fame ballot. One of the more intriguing names expected is Larry Walker, who won an MVP and three batting crowns, plus a HR title in a 17-year career. One of the National League’s most consistent run producers while he played, Walker retired with a .313 batting average and 383 HRs plus had good speed in his prime (230 SBs) and strong enough defense to win 7 Gold Gloves.
And yet…..the numbers don’t tell the whole story. I’m talking about the Coors Field effect. Walker played for the Rockies when Colorado’s offense was stratospheric, perhaps too much so. Due to the mile-high effect and low humidity, baseballs sailed around and out of Coors when Walker played there. Once the team instituted its famous “humidor” in 2002 to store baseballs at a set temperature and humidity, the Rockies’ offense began to look average. Walker’s numbers also declined, in both batting average and homers, before he moved on to St. Louis in 2004.
It’s a little mind-boggling to look at Walker’s Coors Field production. He hit a ridiculous .381 there, with a .710 slugging percentage over his career. His batting average at other parks was a more pedestrian .282. He’s also not alone with this disparity. Coors sluggers of the late 1990s and early 2000s have similar numbers, including Dante Bichette and Vinny Castilla. Perhaps this factored into Walker’s perception among baseball writers. Despite his 1997 MVP, he never came close to the award again despite some monster numbers, including batting averages as high as .379.
It’ll be interesting to see how voters treat Walker, but I’d put his candidacy on the side burner for now.
And yet…..the numbers don’t tell the whole story. I’m talking about the Coors Field effect. Walker played for the Rockies when Colorado’s offense was stratospheric, perhaps too much so. Due to the mile-high effect and low humidity, baseballs sailed around and out of Coors when Walker played there. Once the team instituted its famous “humidor” in 2002 to store baseballs at a set temperature and humidity, the Rockies’ offense began to look average. Walker’s numbers also declined, in both batting average and homers, before he moved on to St. Louis in 2004.
It’s a little mind-boggling to look at Walker’s Coors Field production. He hit a ridiculous .381 there, with a .710 slugging percentage over his career. His batting average at other parks was a more pedestrian .282. He’s also not alone with this disparity. Coors sluggers of the late 1990s and early 2000s have similar numbers, including Dante Bichette and Vinny Castilla. Perhaps this factored into Walker’s perception among baseball writers. Despite his 1997 MVP, he never came close to the award again despite some monster numbers, including batting averages as high as .379.
It’ll be interesting to see how voters treat Walker, but I’d put his candidacy on the side burner for now.
For all the overheated criticism of this week's vote--some of it justified--there is this timely column from Jeff Pearlman at si.com. Fortunately, it's got a healthy dose of humor, especially for those of us not in the BBWAA.
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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