It’s that time of year again, when the fans of baseball sit around, eagerly awaiting to find out who the next players are that are being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. As always, debates rage on about the candidacy of the various players, and chuckles are met at seeing certain names on the ballot (for this year, that list includes Brad Radke, Terry Mulholland, and Phil Nevin).
Even though we here at the blog do not have a vote, that is not going to stop us from going over the players we feel should be inducted, and highlighting reasons why some big names should not be. So, enjoy.
The following players should get their due:
1. Jeff Bagwell. Quick question – how many first basemen have 400+ home runs and 200+ stolen bases? Um, that would be Jeff Bagwell. His career WAR of 79.9 ranks 57th all time, ahead of such players as Rod Carew, Ken Griffey Jr, Reggie Jackson, and Robin Yount. He was an MVP and a Gold Glove winner. So why is he not in the Hall? Because, even though he never tested positive for any PEDs, nor was he named in Jose Canseco’s book, he still falls under that cloud. Get over the moral indignation, and let Bagwell in.
2. Barry Larkin. Larkin was overshadowed throughout his entire career by other shortstops: Cal Rpiken and Ozzie Smith at the beginning of his career, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez at the end. Through it all, Larkin managed to be a 12 time All-Star, a three time Gold Glove winner (while Ozzie Smith was playing), won nine silver slugger awards, and was an MVP. He also was a major offensive force, turning in a 30-30 season, being the only shortstop to steal over 50 bases during the entire 1990′s, having a career OPS that was 137 points higher than the average shortstop, and a slugging percentage 83 points higher. Add it all together, and Larkin flat out dominated as a shortstop during his ear. That states hall of Fame player.
3. Rafael Palmeiro. The writers of the BBWAA need to get over themselves. If they are truly going to be outraged over players cheating, then how did they allow Gaylord Perry and Don Sutton into the Hall? Also, they are ignoring the era in which Palmeiro played, where it is believed that roughly 50% of players were on the juice. Despite all that, Palmeiro still managed to be in a tier above, getting over 3000 hits and 500 home runs. Players that hit both of those benchmarks are the truly elite in the game, and deserve enshrinement. Palmeiro, despite the steroids, needs to be inducted.
4. Tim Raines. Everyone knows that Rickey Henderson was the greatest leadoff hitter in the history of the game. But how many people realize that Tim Raines was probably the second best? Raines reached base more times than such players as Tony Gwynn, Honus Wagner, and Lou Brock. In an era when most leadoff hitters were slap singles hitters, Raines had an OPS+ of 123. He finished fifth all time in stolen bases, and, as a leadoff hitter, managed to get intentionally walked 148 times, 47th on the all time list. Raines deserves his due, and is a Hall of Famer.
The following players are not quite Hall of Fame caliber.
1. Mark McGwire. Again, ignore the PED scandal. What you have is a player that was only capable of hitting home runs. Yes, his 583 is an impressive number, but he only had 1043 other hits. In fact, his total of 1626 hits ranks behind Tim Salmon, Eric Young, and Alfredo Griffin, amongst others. None of those players are sniffing the Hall of Fame unless they purchase a ticket. McGwire was also a black hole defensively. If he was not hitting the ball into the stratosphere, he provided absolutely nothing on the field. McGwire was a great power hitter, but he was not a Hall of Fame player.
2. Jack Morris. Morris gets a lot of support for how he pitched in the postseason, specifically for being the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series. These accomplishments overshadow the truth that Morris was not a dominant pitcher in his era. His 3.90 ERA would be the highest of any pitcher enshrined. Morris’ career statistics are actually very similar to both Jamie Moyer and Dennis Martinez. You don’t see a lot of support for those players getting inducted. Basically, his support comes down to a mystique that he truly never deserved. Morris was an innings-eater, and a solid middle of the rotation starter. He was not a Hall of Famer.
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