Few things cause as much arguing during baseball's offseason as the annual Hall of Fame Ballot. Last week's announcement included 19 newcomers to the ballot and a total field of 34 names. Interestingly, this year's class is pretty loaded (though not quite as loaded as I had suggested it could have been a few years ago).
This is also the season where we hear griping from sportswriters that the wrong people are voting and that the BBWAA should change the rules on who votes (and they have a point). There are also complaints that it's unfair to limit a voter to 10 players on the ballot (I disagree). There are a few easy choices right off the bat (Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas are all no-brainers to me). What to do with the remaining 7 votes is a little trickier. Here's my list of 7 players who would earn a place on my ballot and whether I think they will be inducted.
1. Jack Morris - it's his last year on the ballot. Last year he garnered 67.7% of the vote (2nd highest total). His 254 career wins are a good number but not the automatic induction number that 300 wins represents. If it were any other year without the three clear inductees on the list I would say he has a better chance of getting in. I think he'll still get a lot of votes and may manage to squeak in.
2. Craig Biggio - he had the most votes of any player last year. 3060 hits is good enough in my mind to warrant automatic induction. The big negative - PEDs. Not because he necessarily was guilty but because voters have sought to punish a lot of guys unfairly because of the rampant steroid use of the 90's. If he doesn't make it this year it has more to do with who is getting in rather than a knock against him. It's only his second year so if not this year he should be a favorite to get in next year.
3. Jeff Kent - His 377 career home runs are the highest for any second baseman. However, the Hall tends to overlook second basemen as they are typically valued for their glove more than their bat. That puts guys like Kent at a disadvantage when voters are looking to offensive statistics as a guide to determine whether they are worthy of enshrinement. I think he's got a good case to be inducted in the Hall but he may be waiting a couple of years before that call comes.
4. Tim Raines - along with Rickey Henderson (who's already in the Hall of Fame), Raines was considered one of the preeminent base stealers of his era. His 808 career steals are far above anyone else in this class. He's fifth all time in steals (and coincidentally all four players ahead of him are in the Hall). While it's unlikely to be inducted this year (it's his 7th year of eligibility) I think it's likely to happen at some point in the future.
5. Lee Smith - He's third all time in saves. The two pitchers ahead of him (Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman) are sure to be inducted on their first ballot. .He has nearly 100 more saves than Dennis Eckersley who is in the Hall of Fame. He also happened to be (along with Eckersley) one of the most dominant relievers of his era. His candidacy has suffered in part because of who he has been up against for election. If he doesn't make it in by his final year of eligibility it's a safe bet the Veterans' Committee will vote him in.
6. Jeff Bagwell - A key part of Houston's playoff teams in the late 1990's and 2000's, Bagwell should be eventually enshrined. He spent his entire career in Houston. And although his overall offensive numbers are solid but not spectacular his home run total (477) should be enough to convince voters on the fence that he belongs.
7. Mike Piazza - Another solid player with good but not great numbers. However, he was a prodigious home run hitter (427 for his career) makes him worth consideration. He has two big strikes against him. First, he was primarily a catcher which is a position that is woefully under-represented in the Hall. Second, he played during the Steroid Era and has been treated by many voters as guilty-by-association rather than there being any clear evidence of steroid usage. It will probably take more years than it should for the steroid outrage to die down enough for him to get the consideration he deserves.
Showing posts with label Tom Glavine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tom Glavine. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 03, 2013
Monday, December 08, 2008
Hall of Fame Class of 2014
The announcement over the weekend that Greg Maddux was retiring after recording 355 career victories reminded me of an article I ran across not long ago that looked ahead to the potential Baseball Hall of Fame class of 2014 (which will be Maddux's first year of eligibility). The Hall of Fame rookies for that year could be as follows (assuming that a couple of guys decide to retire before next year):
Tom Glavine*
Randy Johnson*
Ken Griffey, Jr.*
Trevor Hoffman*
Jeff Kent
Greg Maddux
Pedro Martinez*
Mike Mussina
John Smoltz
Frank Thomas*
* indicates player is still active
With Maddux retiring, it would seem fitting for Tom Glavine and John Smoltz to both retire so they could all be inducted into the Hall the same year. Glavine is certainly a lock with 305 wins. One could argue that Smoltz is not as automatic but no one has won over 200 games and notched more than 150 saves.
Even if Randy Johnson retires I think 295 wins is enough to warrant enshrinement. And it's hard for me to see how we're going to see another closer who will earn as many saves as Trevor Hoffman.
Among the sluggers, Griffey is definitely in no matter when he decides to retire. I think Thomas gets in by virtue of his career homer numbers. Jeff Kent also seems to me to be a lock. So that's eight guys in this class that all have career stats that are worthy of the Hall.
The only debateable selections are Mussina and Martinez. Even though neither one hit one of the magic numbers (such as 300 wins) I think they both have had good enough careers to get in at some point. Given the strength of the rookie class it may not be until their second or third year of eligibility that they get in.
Depending on what happens the next couple of months 2014 could shape up as the best Hall of Fame ballot to come along in years. I don't envy the baseball writers who would have determine from that class who would be worthy of selection.
Tom Glavine*
Randy Johnson*
Ken Griffey, Jr.*
Trevor Hoffman*
Jeff Kent
Greg Maddux
Pedro Martinez*
Mike Mussina
John Smoltz
Frank Thomas*
* indicates player is still active
With Maddux retiring, it would seem fitting for Tom Glavine and John Smoltz to both retire so they could all be inducted into the Hall the same year. Glavine is certainly a lock with 305 wins. One could argue that Smoltz is not as automatic but no one has won over 200 games and notched more than 150 saves.
Even if Randy Johnson retires I think 295 wins is enough to warrant enshrinement. And it's hard for me to see how we're going to see another closer who will earn as many saves as Trevor Hoffman.
Among the sluggers, Griffey is definitely in no matter when he decides to retire. I think Thomas gets in by virtue of his career homer numbers. Jeff Kent also seems to me to be a lock. So that's eight guys in this class that all have career stats that are worthy of the Hall.
The only debateable selections are Mussina and Martinez. Even though neither one hit one of the magic numbers (such as 300 wins) I think they both have had good enough careers to get in at some point. Given the strength of the rookie class it may not be until their second or third year of eligibility that they get in.
Depending on what happens the next couple of months 2014 could shape up as the best Hall of Fame ballot to come along in years. I don't envy the baseball writers who would have determine from that class who would be worthy of selection.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
300 vs. 756
This has been quite the week for baseball milestones. First, Tom Glavine won his 300th career game against the Cubs on Sunday night. Then last night, Barry Bonds finally broke Hank Aaron's career home run record by hitting number 756. Ironically, the two achievements and the athletes themselves could not be more totally different.
First, there's Barry Bonds. The whole sports media complex spent weeks waiting for him hit the magic home run. ESPN was starting to become the San Francisco Giants television network as they were showing practically every one of their games in the hopes of being able to televise the magic moment. Countless articles have been written (and will continue to be written) about whether Bonds' achievement is legitimate given the rumors of steroid use by the new home run king. There will be many debates in the coming years and nothing less than Bonds' place in baseball history (and ultimately a place in the Hall of Fame) will be at stake. Sure, he may get in but the whispers about performance-enhancing drugs will dog him for the rest of his days. Although he will hit at least a few more home runs before the end of the season (likely his last), Alex Rodriguez has already hit 500 home runs at age 32, earlier than anyone else in baseball history. Assuming he stays healthy, he could break the record in a few years. Plus, he's a much more likeable guy than Bonds and will likely be more accepted as home run king if (and when) he breaks the record.
On the other end of the spectrum is Tom Glavine, who when he went 7-17 in his first full year with the Atlanta Braves in 1988 (for the record, he was 2-4 as a late-season call-up in 1987), few writers would have ever imagined that he would have reached the pinnacle of success for a starting pitcher. 300 wins had only been achieved 22 times before in baseball history and only four other left-handers had accomplished the feat. On Sunday night, Glavine accomplished what was once thought impossible. Ironically, he may be the last pitcher to achieve that feat for years to come. But most impressive is his work ethic. He's become a better pitcher in the past few years than he was at the beginning of his career. He continues to work at being a better pitcher and all without the aid of performance-enhancing drugs. True, he hasn't received the attention that Bonds has this week. Glavine will enter the Hall of Fame with no hints of cheating, no whispers of drug use. In the end, he will be remembered as not just a member of the elite 300 win club, but one of the classiest guys ever to play the game.
Glavine credited much of his success to his family who encouraged him to work hard and pursue his dream of being a major league pitcher. If I had to pick a player for my child to look up to as a role model, I'd take Tom Glavine over Barry Bonds any day.
First, there's Barry Bonds. The whole sports media complex spent weeks waiting for him hit the magic home run. ESPN was starting to become the San Francisco Giants television network as they were showing practically every one of their games in the hopes of being able to televise the magic moment. Countless articles have been written (and will continue to be written) about whether Bonds' achievement is legitimate given the rumors of steroid use by the new home run king. There will be many debates in the coming years and nothing less than Bonds' place in baseball history (and ultimately a place in the Hall of Fame) will be at stake. Sure, he may get in but the whispers about performance-enhancing drugs will dog him for the rest of his days. Although he will hit at least a few more home runs before the end of the season (likely his last), Alex Rodriguez has already hit 500 home runs at age 32, earlier than anyone else in baseball history. Assuming he stays healthy, he could break the record in a few years. Plus, he's a much more likeable guy than Bonds and will likely be more accepted as home run king if (and when) he breaks the record.
On the other end of the spectrum is Tom Glavine, who when he went 7-17 in his first full year with the Atlanta Braves in 1988 (for the record, he was 2-4 as a late-season call-up in 1987), few writers would have ever imagined that he would have reached the pinnacle of success for a starting pitcher. 300 wins had only been achieved 22 times before in baseball history and only four other left-handers had accomplished the feat. On Sunday night, Glavine accomplished what was once thought impossible. Ironically, he may be the last pitcher to achieve that feat for years to come. But most impressive is his work ethic. He's become a better pitcher in the past few years than he was at the beginning of his career. He continues to work at being a better pitcher and all without the aid of performance-enhancing drugs. True, he hasn't received the attention that Bonds has this week. Glavine will enter the Hall of Fame with no hints of cheating, no whispers of drug use. In the end, he will be remembered as not just a member of the elite 300 win club, but one of the classiest guys ever to play the game.
Glavine credited much of his success to his family who encouraged him to work hard and pursue his dream of being a major league pitcher. If I had to pick a player for my child to look up to as a role model, I'd take Tom Glavine over Barry Bonds any day.
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