If I had a Hall of Fame ballot, this is who I’d vote for:
Come back tomorrow for my justifications!
My Hall of Fame Ballot (if I had one)
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Tag Archives: Hall of Fame
GREAT MOMENTS OF 2013: My over-the-top word choice at Kenny Lofton dropping off the HoF ballot
On January 9 of this year, I lamented the fact Kenny Loften had fallen off the Hall of Fame ballot. While my thoughts were legitimate, I think calling it a “tragedy” was a bit over-the-top…
Yes, nobody was elected to the Hall of Fame today, meaning that the only people going into the Hall this summer will be long-dead old-timers. It is sad to see Biggio and Piazza not get in when their connection to the steroid era has been innuendo at most, and for returning candidates like Bagwell, Raines and Jack Morris not to get in either (although Morris, at least, is more of a iffy pick to start with).
But want to know what the true tragedy is? Kenny Lofton just being dropped from the ballot entirely, only receiving 3.2% of the vote, just behind Bernie Williams (who also deserved to remain on the ballot).
Now, I’m not saying Kenny Lofton is a Hall of Famer. He isn’t, but he is not a player who should have been dropped after his first appearance. After all, he was, as I was growing up, a near-constant presence in baseball, seemingly always making the All-Star Game, winning a Gold Glove, or leading off for a playoff contender… and this was after his best years. In 1994, for example, he may well have had a chance to get the MVP if not for the season being cut short. He is 15th in career stolen bases.
In other words, he shouldn’t have just been dropped from the ballot. He never should have been a major threat to make the Hall, but he should have gotten his 15 years on the ballot.
Roy Halladay retires, the three great managers inducted, I feel old
I swear I’m going to get up the latest Bizarre Baseball Culture soon, but today has brought two major news stories:
A) Joe Torre, Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans’ Committee. Marvin Miller wasn’t, but that’s another story.
B) Roy Halladay, the Doctor, has announced his retirement, signing a one-day deal with Toronto to end his career as a Blue Jay.
So, for those keeping score, that means perhaps the three greatest managers of the past 30 years are now in the Hall of Fame, and perhaps the best pitcher of the last 10 or 11 years has retired.
It’s an interesting contrast when you look at it, because while almost everyone expected the three managers to get in the Hall of Fame, it’s unlikely many people expected Roy Halladay would have gone out with such a whimper. Injuries and the cruelty that comes with growing old led to his sharp decline in 2012 and 2013, while the Phillies lack of hitting and the sheer randomness of October left him without a World Series ring.
It’s a stretch to compare Halladay to Sandy Koufax, but there are some similarities, as both came to the big leagues young, with their first few years being rocky as their raw talent was often unable to make up for inexperience. But then, something clicked, and for a span (five or so years for Koufax, ten or so years for Halladay, albeit with a blip in 2004 when he was hurt) they became the best pitchers of their generations. Then, however, injuries forced them into premature retirements (Koufax at only 30, while Halladay at 36 after two years of decline that Koufax never had).
Another thing they will have in common? The Hall of Fame. Matthew Pouliot over at HardballTalk has a good summing up of why, but it essentially comes down to how good he was over that 10-year span, as well as the fact that, for his era, he was an exceptional pitcher, for example throwing almost double the amount of complete games as the next pitcher who remains active.
Crazy Question: Should Surgeons be in the Hall of Fame? (AKA: The Importance of Tommy John Surgery)
A man who had a major impact in baseball passed today, someone who helped teams win championships and aided some of the biggest names in the sport.
That man was Lewis Yocum, and he was a orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports surgeries like Tommy John Surgery, in addition to serving as the team physician for the Angels. His passing has been commented upon by many in the baseball community, with some declaring that they owed him their careers.
Which leads to this: should surgeons and doctors be considered for the Hall of Fame?
Well, the answer is probably no. After all, they aren’t in this for fame, and to try and say what makes a “Hall of Fame Surgeon” is fraught with questions I don’t think can be answered.
But, let’s just consider for a second the impact that some of these surgeons have had on baseball.
Imagine what the world of baseball pitching looked like before Frank Jobe. Who’s Frank Jobe? He’s the guy who first performed ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction surgery, where a UCL is replaced by a tendon from elsewhere. You probably know it as Tommy John Surgery.
Before TJ Surgery, to have a dead arm was a death sentence for a career. Let that sink in and then remember the full implications of that statement:
- Without TJS, Stephen Strasburg‘s career would be done.
- Without TJS, Jim Morris would never have been portrayed by Dennis Quaid in a movie.
- Without TJS, Hyun-Jin Ryu never gets out of high school, much less comes to America and becomes one of the few bright spots of the 2013 Dodgers season.
- Without TJS, Chris Carpenter‘s career probably would have ended on Opening Day, 2007. Adam Wainwright‘s career would have ended in 2011.
- Without TJS, Eric Gagne‘s career probably have ended in the minors. Same goes for Kenny Rogers, C.J. Wilson and David Wells.
- Without TJS, Tim Hudson wouldn’t have won the 55 games he’s won since 2009.
- Without TJS, Phil Humber never has his perfect game. Francisco Liriano doesn’t have his no-hitter. Neither does Anibal Sanchez.
- Without TJS, Kerry Wood‘s career would have been an even bigger “what might have been” than it ended up being.
- Without TJS, John Smoltz‘s career ended in 2000, with 56 wins and 154 saves never happening.
- Without TJS, we MAYBE might never have even heard of Mariano Rivera. (There is some confusion over whether or not Rivera had a TJS in the minors, or if it was a different type of surgery).
Hmm… maybe surgeons should be in the Hall of Fame. At least Jobe should.
Cool Link: Diamond Mines Scouting Reports Database
Continuum Global News has been delayed until the First Anniversary Spectacular this Wednesday. In it’s stead, here is a cool link.
The Hall of Fame is opening an exhibit about scouting, which is neat. But even cooler is that they’ve started a website that has a searchable database of old scouting reports! While there aren’t that many for more recent players (you won’t find any scouting reports for Buster Posey, for example), it’s full of stuff for older players.
Here are some neat ones I’ve found:
A 1985 scouting report of the Cubs’ affiliate in Peoria: Rafael Palmeiro hits well to all fields, but Greg Maddux is not strong enough to be a starter, according to Duffy Dyer.
Orioles scout John Stokoe discusses Mariano Rivera, who he notes threw a rain-shortened no-hitter against Rochester and who he is impressed with. However, he notes that Rivera doesn’t really have any off-speed pitches, and would need one for future success. Turns out he didn’t need a true off-speed pitch. Much like everyone else, Stokoe never sees the cutter coming.
Mariners scouting report declares Alex Rodriguez is “similar to Jeter only bigger and better.”
Satchel Paige‘s faults in 1956? Too old. In 1958, a scouting report on him has “?” for age.
The Royals scout a young amateur Jim Thome… who was a shortstop at the time. Let that sink in. Jim Thome… was a shortstop. Oh, on a similar note, Frank Robinson was a 3B, and Joe Nathan was being scouted as a shortstop.
Mark McGwire pitched a bit in High School, had a body like Dave Kingman and his father was a dentist, according to a 1984 scouting report by Boston scout Joe Stephenson.
And that is just scratching the surface of what this site has… check it out.
Picture of the day: Kirby in Cooperstown
Today would have been Kirby Puckett‘s 53rd birthday. In honor of that, here’s what his plaque in the Hall of Fame reads:
This picture was taken by “Islespunkfan” and is used under a creative commons license.
A proposal to revamp Hall of Fame voting
One of the major gripes with Hall of Fame voting is that it is the Baseball Writers’ Association of America that does the voting. Even some of the writers themselves gripe about it, and many organizations actually forbid their writers from taking part in it, as it is in, a way, a case of newsman actively taking part in making the news.
And, of course, there is the the fact that, unlike, say, MVP voting or Cy Young voting, not every writer necessarily has seen the players on the ballot play, or even been a contemporary of them. While this can, in some cases, be a good thing- it allows for more neutral analysis statistically, for example, it is problematic. In addition, once a person gets a HoF vote, they have it for life, even if they then move on to cover a different topic or retire.
So the question some have is why the BBWAA has this power in the first place. Well, the fact is, when the HoF first opened, the BBWAA was basically the only organization that was around that could have done the job. Remember, it was the 1930s: television didn’t exist commercially, mass travel was not what it is now, and even radio, perhaps the top mass-media of the day, would rarely have covered national games outside of the playoffs. So, in essence, the only people who would have been able to see all of those players were, in essence, the writers and the players themselves. And so, the job was given to the BBWAA.
Now, however, we live in a different world, which is why I have suggestions on how to modernize the HoF vote… after the jump.
The tragedy of today’s HOF voting: Kenny Lofton being dropped
Yes, nobody was elected to the Hall of Fame today, meaning that the only people going into the Hall this summer will be long-dead old-timers. It is sad to see Biggio and Piazza not get in when their connection to the steroid era has been innuendo at most, and for returning candidates like Bagwell, Raines and Jack Morris not to get in either (although Morris, at least, is more of a iffy pick to start with).
But want to know what the true tragedy is? Kenny Lofton just being dropped from the ballot entirely, only receiving 3.2% of the vote, just behind Bernie Williams (who also deserved to remain on the ballot).
Now, I’m not saying Kenny Lofton is a Hall of Famer. He isn’t, but he is not a player who should have been dropped after his first appearance. After all, he was, as I was growing up, a near-constant presence in baseball, seemingly always making the All-Star Game, winning a Gold Glove, or leading off for a playoff contender… and this was after his best years. In 1994, for example, he may well have had a chance to get the MVP if not for the season being cut short. He is 15th in career stolen bases.
In other words, he shouldn’t have just been dropped from the ballot. He never should have been a major threat to make the Hall, but he should have gotten his 15 years on the ballot.
I’ll have another post later on the Hall of Fame.
Winter Meetings Action and Reaction: Part 2
Part of a feature in which I react to the news coming from the Winter Meetings.
Action:
Hall of Fame 16 member pre-integration committee elected three new members: Hank O’Day (umpire), Jacob Ruppert (Yankees owner), Deacon White
— Scott Miller (@ScottMCBS) December 3, 2012
Reaction: An umpire, an owner and a player. The biggest surprise though is that more than one person was elected by the Veterans Committee- previously they haven’t put in this many.
Action:
Mike Napoli has deal in place with #RedSox. Source confirms @peteabe report of high AAV 3-year deal.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 3, 2012
Reaction: Well, I guess the Red Sox are back to their old ways. The large amounts of salary they dumped on the Dodgers earlier this year means that they they once again will be able to spend. Mike Napoli has long been a good hitter, and although he likely is now on the downward part of his career, he should be a good fit in Fenway.
More actions and reactions will come semi-regularly throughout the Winter Meetings.
A detailed look at the BBWAA HoF ballot, Part 1: The Unquestionable and the guys who may have been HoF before alleged drug use and so may make it anyway
In a world without steroids, where all of the magic numbers of the 1990s and early 2000s were just because of superhuman ability and extremely hard work, this is how this article would start:
“Bonds, Clemens, Piazza, Sosa, Biggio, and perhaps Schilling. That’s five, maybe six sure-fire HoFers coming onto the ballot this year, and Kenny Lofton, while not a Hall of Famer in my opinion, should certainly be expected to stick around the ballot for awhile. Not to mention this could be the year Jack Morris gets in. The biggest worry, really, is whether it’s possible to get more than three or four of them in this year and whether the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce can handle the pilgrimage that will besiege the village, likely the largest group since Cal Ripken, Tony Gwynn and Mark McGwire were inducted in 2007…”
Of course, steroids did and do exist, so instead of having five or six sure-fire Hall of Famers on the ballot, it’s a picture that is far less clear. Oh, and Mark McGwire? He wasn’t inducted in 2007. In fact, he’s still on the ballot right now, and likely will remain. Same goes for Rafael Palmeiro, who has even less of a chance than McGwire of one day having a plaque up in Cooperstown’s halls. Both of them would have already been inducted, probably in their first year, had it not been for steroids.
So, instead, we have many categories and shades of grey. Over the next few days, I’ll take a look at those categories.
Unquestionably Hall of Fame, Probably First Ballot:
Craig Biggio: Only three men have had 3000+ hits, 200+ home runs, and 400+ stolen bases. Two of them are Paul Molitor and Rickey Henderson. The third is Craig Biggio. Add in his defensive flexibility (he played 2B, C and OF during his career) and the fact that there isn’t a whiff of steroid scandal around him, and he’s a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame.
Mike Piazza: Piazza has had some steroid stuff around him, but it’s generally been hearsay (he had back acne, according to some people) and general innuendo about the fact that he played during the steroid era. That’s not enough for me, and I don’t think it’ll be enough for the voters. Piazza was, quite simply, the best power-hitting catcher in history. He had more home runs than any other catcher, had a career .308 BA, and made 12 all-star teams.
(Alleged) Steroid-users that may make the Hall of Fame anyway:
Barry Bonds: Without the steroid allegations, Bonds would be so much a slam dunk first-ballot Hall of Famer that the only question would be whether his prickly reputation with the media would keep him from getting 97% or more of the vote. In fact, had he retired after the 1998 season (he allegedly began taking steroids shortly after 1998, partially because of his envy of the attention that Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were getting), he would have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer. After all, he’d have retired with 411 HRs, 1216 RBIs, eight All-Star wins, three MVPs, eight Gold Gloves, seven Silver Sluggers, and an OPS of .966 that would be 15th all-time today, ahead of such immortals as Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Ty Cobb and Duke Snider. Had he kept going after 1998 without (alleged) steroid-use, he still likely would have gotten to 500 HRs, possibly even 600.
Of course, he did end up (allegedly) using steroids, and as a result he grew from being “merely” the best baseball player since Frank Robinson to being the best baseball player since Ted Williams or Babe Ruth. The question is: does the fact he would have been a HoF before his alleged use of PEDs make up for the fact that, well, he allegedly used PEDs? And… I don’t know.
Roger Clemens: Much like Bonds, the question of Clemens will depend on whether voters consider him as having been good enough of a player before his (alleged) drug use. Clemens (allegedly) began using during his time in Toronto, so let’s just question what would have happened if he had had a career-ending injury in a freak accident shortly after the 1996 season ended in. He would have ended his career with a 192-111 record, a 3.06 ERA, 2590 strikeouts and 100 complete games. He also would have three Cy Youngs to his name, as well as an MVP and five All-Star Games. He almost certainly would be elected to the Hall of Fame.
But, once again, his career didn’t stop there. He went on, and (allegedly) made some bad decisions. So the question is far more difficult.
Come back tomorrow for more.
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