It’s another beautiful day here in New Bern, NC birthplace of Pepsi Cola. Here are my thoughts on former major leaguers who deserve to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as well as a handful who should never be allowed into the Hall without a ticket.
I must be getting mellow in my old age because I now
support the candidacies of Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa
and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. No one can
challenge that these five were among the best to ever play the game.
Charlie Hustle was a marvelous player to watch and he
produced hit numbers that will probably never be matched. His playing career was flawless and he was
never accused of wrongdoing as a player.
Bonds was simply one of the best hitters of any era. Sosa along with Mark McGuire revitalized interest
in the game at a time when baseball was at its nadir.
Roger Clemens is usually ranked among the top ten
pitchers all time. And Joe Jackson was an
unfortunate victim of circumstances.
There are at least three players on the 2021 ballot who
deserve to be enshrined.
1. CurtSchillling was one of the best clutch pitchers ever. This was the guy you wanted on the mound when
the game was on the line. He finished his
career with a .346 ERA and 3116 strikeouts.
Seems his political views offended some.
2.
Gary
Sheffield was as menacing a batter that ever stepped in the
box. Lifetime .294 hitter with 509
homers. I wonder who he offended during
his lifetime.
3.
Jeff Kent had eight seasons where he had 100 RBIs or more. No second baseman in history did better. He
was an adequate fielder who played the game hard. He’s another one of those guys who was not a
fan of the media.
Gil Hodges I would be remiss if I neglected to
mention my all-time favorite player. That oversight can
be fixed by the Golden Era committee, which meets in December for the Class of
2021. This might be Hodges’ last best shot. He is the only player to have
received 60 percent or higher of the BBWAA’s vote three times and not have made
it into the Hall. He was vital cog of
the great Brooklyn Dodgers teams from the late 40’s into the 50’s. He was a
winner among winners. Some accomplishments:
·
He may be the only player in history to have hit four HRs in a
game and also hit for the cycle during his career.
·
His
370 home runs were among the most ever by a right hand batter when he retired.
·
Seven
consecutive years of 100 RBIs or more.
·
Lifetime
OBP of .359
·
Never
struck out 100 times in a year
·
One
of the greatest fielding first basemen of all time.
·
A
leader of men who was instrumental in welcoming and paving the way for Jackie Robinson to be accepted into the MLB fraternity.
·
Under
his management the Mets became a contending team after being a laughing stock for
the early years of their existence.
The
following lists players elected into the Hall who would have fallen snort if
they did not have powerful sponsors:
Phil Rizzuto made the Hall thanks
to pressure exerted by George Steinbrenner. While he was a good player on great Yankee
teams, his career stats do not support inclusion.
Pee Wee Reese was one of my favorite
Dodgers. I believe once Rizzuto was
inducted it was hard to exclude Reese.
His greatest accomplishment may have been accepting and welcoming Jackie
Robinson as a key member of the Dodgers.
Bill Mazeroski was an exceptional fielder
who was a lifetime .260 hitter with a .299 OBP.
Famous for hitting the series winning home-run in the 1960 World
Series. Clearly not Hall of Fame
material.
Ralph Kiner had a relatively short
career of ten years during which time he managed to hit 369 home runs. His
lifetime OBP was a very respectable .398.
He benefited by playing in Forbes field and hitting into Greenberg
Gardens and later Kiner’s Korner. He was
at best a mediocre left fielder who player for terrible Pirates teams. Not once in his career did he play in a
meaningful game.
Harold Baines can thank Jerry
Reinsdorf for his behind the scenes maneuvering. Baines is another one who fails the spit
test.
Let me
take this opportunity to wish everyone a healthy and safe Thanksgiving.
Ray
Ray, very good points of which I agree on almost all.
ReplyDeleteBonds, and bat-throwing, beaning Clemens were great, and Pete Rose should go in while still alive. Even murderers get out of prison eventually, most of the time.
Kiner? I still like him in the Hall, but then Hodges belongs there even more. Maybe not quite the hitter, but what a defender.
Nellie Fox? Should perhaps be on your not-worthy-of_HOF list. Career .288, but just a mid - 3's sug %. Got in no doubt in part due to his insane ability to not strike out...just 2% of his plate appearances. Twelve seasons with 15 or less K's. In 19 seasons, he fanned fewer times (216) than Mark Reynolds did one year (223).
Forgot about Fox. Also check out how few DiMag struck out in his career. Kiner went through his career without playing an important game. Look at the pitchers he had success against. Pirates were so bad that teams could win with second tier arms while saving the big boys for better trams.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff here . . a lot of worthy discussion about both who should be in and who is that shouldn't be. I agree with you on Pete Rose. One of the best hitters and hard nosed baseball players ever. I am still not in on the steroids guys, although I have a gnawing feeling that perhaps I should be and will eventually come around on them.
ReplyDeleteJim Kaat has been my not HOF'er that should be for a long time.