Challenge Accepted!

While I was blogging today, I noticed a conversation on the APBA Facebook Group, the discussion was that of Larry Walker, and the subject of course, is if he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

I have posted many posts through the years, through my ongoing subject "The Ongoing Hall of Fame Debate" posts, so it's no surprise if you have bumped into Larry Walker's name from time to time throughout those posts.

I am not going to go in-depth why he belongs, you can read all about that in those posts.

The reason for this post is that someone in the APBA Facebook Group posted that taking out Walker's inflated numbers due to Coors, you would have a .290 career hitter with 300+ home runs, and stated that there was "Lots of guys like that." ...

Challenge accepted!

My research came up with the following...

There was only 44 players in the history of Major League Baseball that has hit .290 or higher with 300 or more home runs.

Of those 44, 28 of them are already in the Hall of Fame.

Out of the 16 remaining non-Hall of Fame names...

• 5 of them were connected to HGH or steroids: Gary Sheffield, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez & Robinson Cano).
• 3 of the 16 players had Coors Field connections: Matt Holliday, Ellis Burks & Todd Helton.
• The Rest of the list contains a who's who in many Hall of Fame discussions: Dick Allen, Moises Alou, Albert Belle, Lance Berkman, Miguel Cabrera, Juan Gonzalez, Jeff Kent & Mo Vaughn.

Miguel Cabrera will easily be added to the Hall, making him 29 of the 44 from this list in the Hall, as he will be a lock for 1st ballot induction. 

Here is a list of the 16 players....

I put asterisks (*) next to the HGH/steroid guys, while I placed upper arrows (^) next to guys connected with Coors Field.

Larry Walker, by the way batted .313 during his career with 383 HR, so he would be on this list generally speaking -- which would place him 7th on this list, 3rd among non-HGH guys.

It should be noted that Dick Allen is the only player not to debut in 1980 or later on this list.

Simba's Pride

It was announced on the evening of December 8th, that Baseball Hall of Fame's "Modern Era" committee elected catcher Ted Simmons, along with MLB Players Association executive director Marvin Miller, to join the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Of course, this got some baseball fans riled up when they heard that Simmons will be joining the Hall, going as far as saying that the curse of Harold Baines continues. Baines has been a lightning rod in discussions and debates when it comes down to his Hall of Fame merits. For me, it should not have been a surprise that Simmons name was called, since he only missed the Hall by a single vote, the last time the committee met.

The fact of the matter is that Simmons belongs. Simmons ranked 2nd all-time among catchers in hits (2,472), RBI (1,389) & doubles (483). Simmons also batted a lifetime .289 with a .785 OPS (.348 on-base percentage), to go along with 8 All-Star Game appearances.

Comparing Simmons to Gary Carter was another telling tale:

Offense

• Gary Carter: 2,092 hits, .262 BA, 324 HR, 1,225 RBI (.335 OBP / .439 SLG / .773 OPS).

• Ted Simmons: 2,472 hits, .285 BA, 248 HR, 1,389 RBI (.348 OBP / .437 SLG / .785 OPS).

Carter played in 285 more games than Simmons, and only beat Simmons in two of the above offensive categories, homer runs (+76) & by literally a hair with .002+ higher slugging percentage.

Defense

Many people speak harshly about Simmons' defense, but they were thinking more of his later years when he slowed down. This has also been brought up in Bill James' Historical Baseball Abstract. 

• Gary Carter: .991 fielding pct, 1,203 assists, 35% caught stealing, with 121 errors & 1,498 stolen bases allowed.

• Ted Simmons: .987 fielding pct, 915 assists, 34% caught stealing, with 130 errors & 1,188 stolen bases allowed.

Carter and Simmons' defensive numbers were closer than I think most people even realized. Carter had close to 300 more assists, but Carter had more games behind the plate (2,056 to 1,771), so it's safe to say the assists are neck-to-neck, just as the case is with the caught stealing percentages (35% to 34%). Simmons did commit 9 more errors behind the plate, Simmons was sloppier at the other positions comparably to Carter at other positions. Simmons though, had 310 less stolen bases allowed.

My 2019 MLB Hall of Fame Ballot / New Cases

Many of my readers know my thoughts already on many of these potential Hall of Famers. I will first introduce my 2019 MLB Hall of Fame ballot, breaking down my reasons and choices, while I will later introduce other players who have new cases for the Hall of Fame, thanks to recent year inductions of Jack Morris, Gary Carter & Harold Baines.

Major League Baseball will announce on January 22nd, the newest members of the MLB Hall of Fame, to join in the veteran committee's recent additions of Lee Smith & Harold Baines.

My ballot looks like this (no particular order for most part)...

1. Edgar Martinez - DH
2. Larry Walker - OF
3. Fred McGriff - 1B
4. Curt Schilling - SP
5. Mike Mussina - SP
6. Mariano Rivera - RP
7. Roy Halladay - SP
8. Todd Helton - 1B
9. Jeff Kent - 2B

Before I go to obvious additions like Edgar Martinez and Fred McGriff, who I have done plenty of research and articles in my "The Ongoing Hall of Fame Debate" thread. Let's go through some of the other cases that many baseball fans are having more difficult with, or having debates with one another.

Todd Helton was a beast from 1998 to 2007, there was maybe only two hitters that consistently put up better numbers, year-to-year during this stretch, (off the top of my head) and they were Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez. I happened to have all three of these players for my Atlanta Braves, in the APBA computer league with my U.S. Navy buddies at the time, and yes... that trio won me a few championships.

Helton's numbers are ridiculous during the stretch mentioned above, he was also relatively injury-free (averaging 154 games), before injuries started to arrive in 2009...

• Per 162 games: .332 AVG, 32 HR, 113 RBI, 195 hits, 115 runs, 103 BB & 48 doubles, while he had a excellent .432 on-base percentage, added to a .585 slugging which equaled a 1.017 OPS. 

Helton seems to suffer from the whole "He played half of his games at Coors" label, just like his former teammate Larry Walker did. Yes, Helton batted .347 at home, but .287 on the road is not lousy by all means, his career OPS on the road is .855.

Just taking Helton's .855 road OPS alone, here is a list of active Hall of Famers with career OPS of .855 or less (That is both home & road combined for these guys)...

• Al Kaline - .855
• Jim Rice - .854
• Eddie Collins - .853
• Billy Williams - .853
• Orlando Cepeda - .853
• Tony Gwynn - .847
• George Sisler - .847
• Reggie Jackson - .846
• Nap Lajoie - .846
• Cap Anson - .841
• Carl Yastrzemski - .841
• Kirby Puckett - .837
• Roberto Clemente - .834
• Ernie Banks - .830
• Yogi Berra - .830
• Dave Winfield - .827
• Rod Carew - .822
• Joe Morgan - .819
• Johnny Bench - .817
• Paul Molitor- .817
• Zack Wheat - .817
• Sam Crawford - .814
• Home Run Baker - .805

... Oh, and there is about 50-60 more hitters below this, that are in the Hall of Fame, it's time for people to put away the Coor's excuse - This is complete evidence of that...

To the people that write off OPS for being a sabermetric or not a Baseball statistic, that is complete rubbish. I don't consider OPS as a sabermetric stat, it's only On-Base Percentage added to Slugging Percentage. 

Every baseball hitter is taught growing up, the most important baseball statistic for a hitter, and that's getting on base... If that means collecting hits, drawing a walk, or getting beaned, so be it. Then you add on slugging, which with OPS, you would have a guy that knows how to get on base, and happens to also be an excellent slugger... which means the higher the OPS, the better all-around player that you are. 

OPS is one of the most accurate statistics in all of baseball, so it's no surprise that Babe Ruth ranks #1 in career OPS, he was the best all-around player to ever play the game.

By the way, Walker's road OPS was .865, if anyone was wondering.

Jeff Kent is an interesting case. To be honest, I was never really a fan of his, nothing real flashy for him, while he was also not the greatest fielder. Early in his career, he played multiple positions and was playing for multiple teams (Blue Jays, Mets, Indians)... all while trying to find his place, somewhere he could fit.

It would all come together for Kent, when he arrived with the San Francisco Giants in 1997, at age 29 (quite a late bloomer). He won the 2000 N.L. Most Valuable Player Award, while being elected as a 5-time All-Star & 4-time Silver Slugger Award winner.

The numbers below (from 1997 to 2005) are Kent's yearly averages...

• .296 AVG, 28 HR, 110 RBI, 40 doubles - .365 OBP / .529 SLG / .895 OPS (147 games).
• Per 162 games: .296 AVG, 31 HR, 122 RBI, 44 doubles & 103 runs.

Prior to 1997: .274 AVG, 21 HR, 86 RBI, 32 doubles - .325 OBP / .777 OPS (Per 162 games).

During this period, Kent also had 8 seasons out of 9 seasons, with 100+ RBI, to put it into perspective. Larry Walker had only 5 100 RBI seasons, all with the Rockies. Kent accomplished this playing 6 seasons for the Giants, 1 of his 2 seasons for the Astros & one season with the Dodgers.

Don't get me wrong, I was hesitant to put Kent on my ballot as a initial reaction, but once I dove into the stats, trying to find a way to disprove he is Hall material, I found myself supporting his causes, because the stats back it up.

Roy Halladay gets his 1st shot at the ballot, I put together these statistical accomplishments in an old post, but here they are repeated for you to enjoy...

He won two Cy Young Awards, one with the Toronto Blue Jays (2003) and later on the National League side with the Philadelphia Phillies (2011). He finished with 203 wins, while winning 20+ games in a single-season, three times... plus a career 64.7 WAR.

To put his 64.7 career WAR in perspective, it's higher than Bob Feller (63.6, granted he had some years serving our country), Vic Willis (63.5), Juan Marichal (63.1), Mickey Welch (63.1), Hal Newhouser (63.0), Clark Griffith (61.8), Early Wynn (61.3), Stan Coveleski (60.2), Dazzy Vance (59.9), Jim Bunning (59.4), Al Spalding (59.0) & Rube Waddell (58.6) who are all Hall of Famers to go along with a small handful of other Hall of Fame pitchers not named ranking below this bunch.

He had a 3.38 career ERA with a very respectable 1.178 WHIP, finishing with 2,117 strikeouts... his strikeout rates was much higher in the later part of his career, as he recorded 200+ strikeouts for four consecutive seasons (2008-2011).

He may have been the best pitcher in all of baseball during his 2008-2011 stretch, which he went 77-37 (.675 winning pct), 2.59 ERA, with 853 K's in 969.1 innings (7.9 K / 1.3 BB per 9 innings). During this stretch, he logged 35 complete games with a 1.065 WHIP, while his ERA+ stood at 160.

In the history of Major League Baseball, there are not much better four-year periods than this, add this to his already impressive accomplishments, we should see him in Cooperstown someday... the sad part is that he won't be able to enjoy this accomplishment down here with the rest of us.

We jump over to another former Philly in Curt Schilling, here is a list of interesting stats for him...

• Didn't get started really until 1992, 1994 & 1995 combines for one season (due to injuries) and he was a consistent force from 92-2007, leading the 93' Phillies to the World Series, while leading the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, 2004 & 2007 Boston Red Sox to World Championships (3 rings).

• 300 or more strikeouts, 3 times! Back-to-back seasons of the accomplishment for a 619 K's combination in two years!
• 3,116 K's (15th All-Time), 216 career wins with a winning percentage of .597. Sure it's not the magical 300 wins number, but he was a dependable winner. Almost a 1,000 more K's than Jim Palmer, Palmer only had two rings (66' & 83').
• Schilling's ERA of 3.46 was not that of Palmer's 2.86. But here's some food for thought, Palmer didn't get 300 wins either (268) and Schilling has him beat in the WHIP area 1.137 to 1.180.
• Career 79.6 WAR

Fred McGriff is another player who played for numerous teams, that belongs in the Hall of Fame. Playing for 7 MLB teams during his career, while his longest stint was actually with the Atlanta Braves (4 1/2 years), not the Toronto Blue Jays (4 years). Most folks including myself, a fan of the 1990's Atlanta Braves & a former owner of a McGriff Braves' T-Shirt, think of him as a Blue Jay though.

Serious Crime: Why McGriff belongs...

• Just shy of 2,500 career hits (2,490)
• Just shy of the magical lock-in Hall number of 500 homers (493).
• Career .284 hitter 
• 5-Time All-Star (All-Star Game MVP)
• 3-Time Silver Slugger
• 1,550 Career RBI
• .377 career On-Base Percentage (above all players mentioned above, including Oliva).
• .886 Career OPS
• 134 OPS+

As a full-time player, McGriff dipped below an .800 OPS only once! His incredible consistency seemed to play against him, which is simply odd in my opinion. I question if it's the fact that he wasn't flashy or the fact he did not have an outspoken personality in the likes of Reggie Jackson or Barry Bonds, that he's not getting more HOF consideration... or if it's because he has bounced around to many fan bases, that no fan base was allowed to see him long enough, to see him as Hall of Famer? Not sure, but it's an overall crime if McGriff never gets in.


The Jack Morris Effect (His Induction & New Cases)

The 2018 Hall of Fame induction of Jack Morris, is already causing quite an effect, when you consider similar pitchers who now will have a case, thanks to Morris.

Here is list of Morris' statistics...

• 254-186 record (.577 pct)
• Three 20+ win seasons, while leading the league in wins twice.
• 15 seasons with double-digit wins totals.
• Career 3.90 ERA - The highest among those inducted into the Hall of Fame.
• The winningest pitcher of the 1980s: 162 wins (which includes only 6 wins in 1989).
• 2,478 career strikeouts (leading the A.L. with 232 in 1983).
• 175 complete games & 28 shutouts.
• Career 1.296 WHIP
• 3 World Series Rings (84' Tigers, 91' Twins & 92' Blue Jays).
• 5-time All-Star
• Career 43.9 WAR.

I was a huge supporter for Morris, for years, until recent years leading up to the actual induction. It's a mixed bag with me, his career WAR is on the low side, and when you compare him to some of the players posted below, they suddenly have a case for the Hall... Some may make you laugh, but the stats make you think twice.

Jim Kaat

• 283-237 record (.544 pct)
• Three 20+ win seasons - leading the A.L. with 25 wins in 1966.
• 16 seasons with double-digit wins totals.
• Career 3.45 ERA
• 159 wins from 1962-1971. 
• 2,461 career strikeouts
• 180 complete games & 32 shutouts.
• Career 1.259 WHIP
• 1982 World Championship with Cardinals.
• 3-time All-Star
• Career 50.7 WAR
• 16 Gold Glove Awards

Ron Guidry

• 170-91 record (.651 pct)
• Three 20+ win seasons - leading the league twice (25 wins in 1978).
• 9 seasons with double-digit wins totals.
• Career 3.29 ERA
• 163 wins from 1977-1986.
• 1,778 strikeouts 
• 95 complete games & 26 shutouts.
• Career 1.184 WHIP
• 2 World Series Rings (1977 & 1978)
• 4-time All-Star
• Career 48.1 WAR
• 5 Gold Glove Awards
• 1978 A.L. Cy Young winner.

Dave Stieb

• 176-137 record (.562 pct)
• No 20-win seasons.
• 10 double-digit wins totals.
• Career 3.44 ERA (A.L. ERA title - 2.48 in 1985).
• 146 wins from 1981-1990.
• 1,669 strikeouts
• 103 complete games & 30 shutouts.
• Career 1.245 WHIP
• 7-time All-Star
• Career 56.7 WAR
• No World Series rings.

Andy Pettitte

• 256-153 record (.626 pct)
• Two 20+ win seasons - leading the A.L. with 21 in 1996.
• 16 double-digit wins totals.
• Career 3.85 ERA
• 160 wins from 1996-2005.
• 2,448 strikeouts
• Only 26 complete games & 4 shutouts. 
• Career 1.351 WHIP
• 3-time All-Star
• Career 60.3 WAR
• 5 World Series Rings (1996, 1998-2000 & 2009).
• 19-11 Postseason record (.633 pct) with 3.81 ERA.

Roy Oswalt

• 163-102 record (.615 pct)
• Two 20-win seasons - leading the N.L. in 2004.
• 9 double-digit wins totals.
• Career 3.36 ERA (N.L. ERA title - 2.98 in 2006).
• 150 wins from 2001-2010.
• 1,852 strikeouts
• Only 28 complete games & 8 shutouts.
• Career 1.211 WHIP
• 3-time All-Star
• Career 50.1 WAR
• No World Series rings.

First of all, let's note that all of the pitchers listed below Morris here, have higher career WAR. 

Jim Kaat, who I believe has an excellent case, while I believe the veteran's committee will finally reward him with a future HOF induction, especially considering the fact that he won 283 games while playing with a handful of losing teams. Kaat had back-to-back 20-win seasons with two losing Chicago White Sox teams. His 16 Gold Gloves are pretty impressive.

Ron Guidry's career is pretty much summed up during a 10-year period from 1977-1986, he was a statistical stud during those years. His career strikeouts (1,778) or 6.7 strikeouts per nine, may not jump out at you... but if you take his 162 K's per season from 77'-86', and make it a 20-year career, you suddenly have 3,240 career strikeouts -- problem is, he did not play 20 seasons. Guidry's career WHIP and ERA though, are better than Morris, plus the others from this list.

I use to write off players like Andy Pettitte, I felt many people gave him a case due to his postseason success, but his career numbers are pretty solid. I don't have him on my ballot due heavily on the HGH connection. If Pettitte was elected, his career ERA and WHIPs will be on the higher end of the Hall of Famers along with Morris. His 60.3 WAR is too difficult to simply ignore, while his 250+ career wins will come up big for those who support that overrated stat. 

Dave Stieb was without a doubt one of the very best pitchers in the 1980's. When I often think of A.L. pitchers in the 80's, I think Roger Clemens, Jack Morris and then Dave Stieb... You may laugh at this, but a few things to consider...

• Career WHIP (1.245) lower than both Morris & Kaat.
• Career WAR (56.7) higher than Morris, Guidry, Kaat & Oswalt.
• Stieb's 30 career shutouts were higher than totals by Morris (28) & Guidry (26).

Just like Guidry & Oswalt, Stieb was solid for only about 10 years.

I was watching MLB Now with Brian Kenny, I caught the tail-end of his support piece for Roy Oswalt.... My initial reaction was you've got to be kidding me? Then I put together these stats listed above, and suddenly he has an arguable case, but once again a lot of this has to do with the recent induction of Jack Morris.

Morris' HOF induction has opened a door for new cases, we'll have to see over time if this was for better or for worse.

The Sum of All Fears (2019 Hall of Fame Results OOTP)

The Hall of Fame Results came back during my 2019 MLB Season via Out of the Park 19, with two players being inducted into Cooperstown, those two players are Mariano Rivera (94.1%) and Roy Halladay (78.7%), accomplishing the goal on their very 1st ballot.

Just missing:

• 1B Todd Helton (74%) on his first ballot, a bit of a surprise that he came that close on his first ballot, I put him on my ballot, but was not expecting the high percentage.
• SP Mike Mussina (66.3%) - 6th year
• OF Barry Bonds (64.8%) - 7th year
• SP Roger Clemens (62.1%) - 7th year

10 ballots & your out...

• DH Edgar Martinez (64.5%)
• 1B Fred McGriff (19.8%)

This is one of my real-life fears, Edgar Martinez not reaching the Hall, that would just be sad. You can check out my views on Edgar & other deserving players like McGriff in the following posts...

• The Everlasting Hall of Fame Debate - Please note that Jack Morris & Alan Trammell have both been inducted since this article.

Sure eventually, Edgar and McGriff could have to depend on the Expansion Era committee in the same way as Morris & Trammell, but it really should not have to come down to that.

Roy 'Doc' Holladay (1977 - 2017)

The baseball world is in mourning, as Roy Halladay perished in a plane crash at age 40.

Halladay was a bit old school compared to the other pitchers in the game during his time, pitching 67 complete games during his career... to put it in perspective, the leading active pitcher in complete games is CC Sabathia with 38, while pitchers like Felix Hernandez (25 CG), Clayton Kershaw (25) & Justin Verlander (23) all further behind.

Many of these above pitchers have a legit argument for their place at Cooperstown, much can be said in the case for Halladay.

He won two Cy Young Awards, one with the Toronto Blue Jays (2003) and later on the National League side with the Philadelphia Phillies (2011). He finished with 203 wins, while winning 20+ games in a single-season, three times... plus a career 64.7 WAR.

To put his 64.7 career WAR in perspective, it's higher than Bob Feller (63.6, granted he had some years serving our country), Vic Willis (63.5), Juan Marichal (63.1), Mickey Welch (63.1), Hal Newhouser (63.0), Clark Griffith (61.8), Early Wynn (61.3), Stan Coveleski (60.2), Dazzy Vance (59.9), Jim Bunning (59.4), Al Spalding (59.0) & Rube Waddell (58.6) who are all Hall of Famers to go along with a small handful of other Hall of Fame pitchers not named ranking below this bunch.

He had a 3.38 career ERA with a very respectable 1.178 WHIP, finishing with 2,117 strikeouts... his strikeout rates was much higher in the later part of his career, as he recorded 200+ strikeouts for four consecutive seasons (2008-2011).

He may have been the best pitcher in all of baseball during his 2008-2011 stretch, which he went 77-37 (.675 winning pct), 2.59 ERA, with 853 K's in 969.1 innings (7.9 K / 1.3 BB per 9 innings). During this stretch, he logged 35 complete games with a 1.065 WHIP, while his ERA+ stood at 160.

In the history of Major League Baseball, there are not much better four-year periods than this, add this to his already impressive accomplishments, we should see him in Cooperstown someday... the sad part is that he won't be able to enjoy this accomplishment down here with the rest of us.

Just recently, my friend Rich Zawadzki won the 2017 Fall/Winter edition of the Chicagoland APBA Baseball Tournament with the 2011 Philadelphia Phillies, a strong 102-win team that in reality probably should have won the World Series (knocked out by St. Louis in LDS), in which Halladay would have gotten his first & only World Series ring.... but a Chicagoland Championship will have to do for the Doc.

It's great when APBA Baseball imitates life, as Halladay went 3-1, with a 2.05 ERA in regular bracket, while he had 0.50 ERA in 2 playoff games.

The Everlasting Hall of Fame Debate (Updated BoS Material)

Through the years, I have made numerous posts on who belongs in Cooperstown & why... With the upcoming inductions of Tim Raines, Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez & Jeff Bagwell, here is an updated accumulation of Boys of Summer material.

No Love for the Tigers

Some Tigers fans, such as myself, have been very outspoken about the fact that Jack Morris, Alan Trammell & Lou Whitaker not being in the Hall of Fame. 

One of the guys in the Facebook Group went on to say: Morris was not quite HOF material. He had a career 3.90 ERA, and went on to mention the silly Curt Schilling assessment,"If you have to think about whether a player is a Hall of Famer or not, he's not." The person also went on to mention that not only is Morris not a candidate, but Jeff Bagwell, Jeff Kent, and Mike Mussina were not HOF'ers as well, despite their good career numbers... Hmm.. Guess who's getting inducted later this week? Mr. Bagwell!
He goes on to say you can't make the remark "that so-and-so is in the HOF, so so-and-so should be as well." Yes & No, I say to that. Yeah, we can't do anything about Rabbit Maranville or Dave Bancroft, or a good handful of others, at the same time you have to look at some (not all) of these guys as representatives of it's era. Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers & Frank Chance are also three that, stat-wise would not be in the Hall of Fame. My old man had a wacky idea when it comes to the Hall of Fame, do a rotating (ever-evolving) 26-30 man roster (or bigger), and when one came around, another got bumped out -- Maybe make the Hall a perfect 300, and bump people out afterwards, sure that sounds crazy. 

Overall, the damage has been done, it's funny to me that Tinker-Evers-Chance basically got in for the famous poem about them. They were great fielders for it's time, and fielding conditions were far worse then, before the day & age of ground's crews. I believe Tinker, Evers & Chance are more deserving than the likes of Maranville or Bancroft, but we can't change history. We can't change the fact that they are in, but I feel they DO represent the era, an era in which mostly are pitching dominant figures, the only offensive guys that really stood out in the first 1900-1910 decade was Ty Cobb & Honus Wagner.

So if Tinker-Evers-Chance are in for representing their eras, than Alan Trammell & Lou Whitaker should be in, right? There is plenty of rumblings that Trammell & Whitaker's time of overdue respect is coming, with the Expansion Era Committee; This committee votes every three years, and with the upcoming 2019 ballot, there's been talk of Trammell & Whitaker gaining some steam. 

The criteria of being eligible for this ballot, is that each retired ballplayer played at least 10 MLB Seasons & retired for 16 years or more; Managers & umpires with 10 or more years in baseball, must be retired for at least 5 years (candidates who are 65 years or older are eligible six months following retirement); executives retired for at least five years. Active executives 65 years or older are eligible for consideration.

The thing is this, I want to note, although Morris won the most games in the 1980's, 5-time All-Star, 4-time World Champion, 1991 World Series MVP, a career no-hitter & 2-time Babe Ruth Award Winner (for best Post-season, in 1984 & 1991)... As time has gone on through the years, I have faded on my stance of Morris (his career WAR of 44.1 troubles me a bit), but Trammell & Whitaker are no-brainers, I often wonder if they wore Yankee pinstripes, would they already be in?

By the way, you can check out an old article here, "Big Mistake" on my old argument in favor of Morris, it's definitely got its points on why...

Curt Schilling (1988-2007)

Baltimore (A.L.) 1988-1990, Houston (N.L.) 1991,

Philadelphia (N.L.) 1992-2000, Arizona (N.L.) 2000-2003

Boston (A.L.) 2004-2007

The interesting thing about Curt Schilling's assessment (that I mentioned earlier) on Hall of Fame careers, is that his own career is not so cut-and-dry, people looking at his career may have to "stop and think" about his great career, with the end result being overlooked as well.

Here's an interesting argument in favor for Schilling...

• Didn't get started really until 1992, 1994 & 1995 combines for one season (due to injuries) and he was a consistent force from 92-2007, leading the 93' Phillies to the World Series, while leading the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, 2004 & 2007 Boston Red Sox to World Championships (3 rings).

• 300 or more strikeouts, 3 times! Back-to-back seasons of the accomplishment for a 619 K's combination in two years!
• 3,116 K's (15th All-Time), 216 career wins with a winning percentage of .597. Sure it's not the magical 300 wins number, but he was a dependable winner. Almost a 1,000 more K's than Jim Palmer, Palmer only had two rings (66' & 83').
• Schilling's ERA of 3.46 was not that of Palmer's 2.86. But here's some food for thought, Palmer didn't get 300 wins either (268) and Schilling has him beat in the WHIP area 1.137 to 1.180!

The Palmer Measuring Stick

I have grown accustomed to using WAR as a measuring stick for careers, I don't pay as much attention to single-seasons using this tool, but I feel it does a great job at getting the overall talent of the player's career. 

I brought up the career WAR's over Jim Palmer of players NOT in the Hall of Fame. Of course, players such as Albert Pujols & Adrian Beltre are not retired yet.

• Alex Rodriguez (117.7)
• Albert Pujols (100.1)
• Adrian Beltre (91.5)
• Chipper Jones (85.0)
• Curt Schilling (79.9)
• Pete Rose (79.4)
• Bill Dahlen (75.3)
• Lou Whitaker (74.8)
• Larry Walker (72.6)
• Derek Jeter (71.8)
• Rafael Palmeiro (71.8)
• Bobby Grich (71.0)
• Alan Trammell (70.4)
• Scott Rolen (70.0)
• Manny Ramirez (69.1)
• Edgar Martinez (68.3)

The WARs of Jeff Bagwell (79.5), Tim Raines (69.1) & Ivan Rodriguez (68.3) who are getting inducted this upcoming week.

Now here is a list of MLB Hall of Famers below the career (70.0) WAR mark, to go along with Raines & Rodriguez. 

• Gary Carter
• Ed Delahanty
• Tony Gwynn
• Al Simmons
• Carlton Fisk
• Eddie Murray
• Fred Clarke
• Ryne Sandberg
• Roberto Alomar
• Duke Snider
• Joe Cronin
• Pee Wee Reese
• Goose Goslin
• Andre Dawson
• Willie McCovey
• Dave Winfield
• Billy Williams
• Richie Ashburn
• Billy Hamilton
• Lou Boudreau

and much more...

Let's go to Richie Ashburn, now...

He had 2,574 career hits, a .306 career batting average, and an outstanding On-Base Percentage of .396! He was an outfielder in a HOF field that had many outfielders, with a career OPS of .778, with only 29 career HR's from a "power position".

Now back to Alan Trammell, enter him into the equation...

He had 2,365 career hits, I think sometimes people look at hits too much, in the same way people read career wins for a pitcher, you need to look at the other numbers people.

Let's point out that his WAR (70.4) is higher than Ashburn's & Barry Larkin (70.2), the Hall-of-Fame shortstop. Trammell had 185 career HRs for a position until the 1980's was not known for having pop. Trammell didn't hit double-digits in HR's until 1983, and got the bulk of his HR's between 1983 & 1990. Trammell's 236 career steals, beats Ashburn by 2. Trammell also had a respectable .286 career average, not Ashburn's .306, but certainly better than HOF'er Gary Carter's .262!

Lou & Tram: Bless You Boys!

Trammell had a career OPS of .767, Carter had .773 & Ashburn .778. People often harp on the fact that Trammell was injured a lot at the end of his career, and that he was beyond his peak years for some time, yet that never stopped Carter from being elected, who was clearly past his prime after 1987, while sticking around until 1992.

Someone else brought up points in what faith do we have in WAR when Lou Whitaker's WAR is higher than that of Ryne Sandberg and Roberto Alomar. Simple, Sandberg really was compacted to a period from 1982-1992, he was basically a ten-year deal.... where Lou was consistent as well, and was more a factor longer from 1978-1993. Roberto was a factor from 1988-2001, he stuck around until 2004, and probably had negative WARs to drain his career WAR. 

I don't think anyone thinks Whitaker was better than Alomar, as a Tiger fan I could argue that Whitaker was just as relevant for the Tigers as Sandberg was to the Cubs, and for American League 2B standards, Whitaker was really the Joe Morgan of the American League league (with far fewer steals). Until the 1990's came around offensive second basemen were unheard of, unless you dig towards the Eddie Collins or Rogers Hornsby days. Ryne Sandberg's period of 1990-1992, is what makes the difference in the argument between Sandberg & Whitaker -- I would personally draft Alomar over these two, who was the most complete second baseman (not named Joe Morgan) of the Expansion Era.

Ryno vs Sweet Lou...

• Whitaker: .276 AVG, 244 HR's, 2,369 hits & career .789 OPS.
• Sandberg: .285 AVG, 282 HR's, 2,386 hits & career .795 OPS. Note: Sandberg, got 92 of his career HR's from 1990-1992.

Sandberg also narrowly beats Whitaker in fielding pct (.989 to .984). Sandberg does beat him in Gold Gloves 11 to 3, just off the top of my head I do want to think Whitaker had stiffer competition at the position, but I could be wrong. The Gold Glove is rewarded for the silliest things anyways, offensive stats at a position come into factor, and it's a bit of a popularity contest.

Brother to Brother

In a post named "Hall Chat Between Brothers", my brother Chris & I, had an email discussion in which we were speaking of debatable Hall of Fame careers. During this discussion, names such as Dave Parker, Tony Oliva, Vada Pinson, Bill Madlock & Fred McGriff came up, while we weighed them up against guys who are already enshrined in Cooperstown.

Through the years, it's become an interesting ballot for me. There was a time that I argued in support for those like Jack Morris until I was red in the face, as the years passed on, my case for Morris has somewhat diminished... then there are other cases that I used to scoff at, such as the case for Dave Parker, which gains more & more steam for me, while I also have found the stats to back such a case.

Dave Parker (1973-1991)

Pittsburgh (N.L.) 1973-1983,

Cincinnati (N.L.) 1984-1987,

Oakland (A.L.) 1988-1989, Milwaukee (A.L.) 1990,

California (A.L.) & Toronto (A.L.) 1991

• .290 Career Batting Average
• 2-Time N.L. Batting Champion.
• 1978 N.L. MVP Season: Batting Title (.334), while leading league in Slugging & OPS.
• Career OBP (.339) not superb, but better than Andre Dawson's (Hall of Famer) .323 OBP, while Dawson was a career .279 hitter; Parker's career .810 OPS also edges Dawson's .806
• 7-Time All-Star with 3 Gold Gloves.
• 2,774 career hits

Andre Dawson & Gary Carter's HOF Inductions opened many doors to many debates, that said, I do believe they deserve to be in the Hall of Fame... I just think it has created more murky Hall discussions, and makes more cases for players like Vada Pinson, for example. Speaking of Pinson, I believe what hurts him compared to the likes of Parker & Dawson is the lack of HR & power, his career OPS+ stands at 111+, compared to Dawson's 119+ & Parker's 121+. 

Dawson opening doors.

Of course, not everybody has power that is in the Hall of Fame, like Luis Aparicio and Ozzie Smith -- then again, most of those powerless, lack of offense guys were usually slick-fielding shortstops and not from a position like the outfield that usually packs power. It seems unfair that players like Omar Vizquel tend to gain more traction in this disputes (over players like Pinson) for not fielding at a tougher position.

I think the major thing that is hurting Bill Madlock, another Pirate that tends to be brought up in Hall of Fame debates, is the fact that he only averaged 120 games per season. Obviously, if he was to play at least another 20 games per season, he would have seen a hike in his 2,008 career hits -- if he was closer to the 3,000 hits side of the spectrum, he would get more leeway in the argument. Other than those negatives, his positives speak loudly in his career Batting Average (.305), On-Base Percentage (.365) & OPS (.830); His OPS & OPS+ (123+) was actually better than Dave Parker (.810 / 121+)... who would have ever thought such a thing?! Madlock was a gifted hitter that won 4 batting titles, the most times for a non-Hall of Fame Inductee.

Madlock's 3 All-Star Appearances does not seem like a lot, but he did win an All-Star MVP Game Honors once. People also need to keep in mind, that he was often overshadowed by talented teammates & the N.L. just featured many talented All-Stars, it's tough to make the All-Star Game on the N.L. side, when you have to compete against a player named Mike Schmidt every single season.

Tony Oliva honored with statue outside Target Field.

Then there is Tony Oliva, his name is praised by many that watched him play in his day, many speak volumes of Oliva. What jumps out quickly is his career 131 OPS+, which is 10 more than Parker's 121+ and 12 more than Andre Dawson! The knocker is the fact that he was off-the-charts stellar for only a seven-year arc from 1964-1971. Then again, his drop-off in 1972 & the remainder of his career was due to obvious knee & shoulder injuries that plagued him. Another amazing fact about Oliva is the simple fact that he produced these amazing stats during the "second deadball era".

Oliva was an 8-time A.L. All-Star, with 3 career Batting Titles (1964-65, 1971) and may have won 3 straight batting titles if it were not for a 3-for-30 slump in the middle of September in 1966; Oliva also won the 1964 A.L. Rookie of the Year Award & a Gold Glove in his tremendous career.

Earlier, I mentioned that Morris' WAR of 44.3 troubles me, yet Oliva (43.0) & Parker had lower career WAR (39.9).

I was glad to see that Tim Raines finally got the recognition that he has long deserved, by being inducted in the 2017 Hall of Fame class, along with Ivan 'Pudge' Rodriguez & Jeff Bagwell. Raines has long been overlooked, and I question sometimes if the sports writers hold grudges against players who have played with numerous teams. The sports writer seems to be infatuated with players that have played their careers mostly for one team. 

Fred McGriff (1986-2004)

Toronto (A.L.) 1986-1990, San Diego (N.L.) 1991-1993,

Atlanta (N.L.) 1993-1997, Tampa Bay (A.L.) 1998-2001, 2004

Chicago (N.L.) 2001-2002, Los Angeles (N.L.) 2003

Another player who played for numerous teams, that belongs in the Hall of Fame, is Fred McGriff. McGriff played for 7 MLB teams during his career, while his longest stint was actually with the Atlanta Braves (4 1/2 years), not the Toronto Blue Jays (4 years). Most folks including myself, a fan of the 1990's Atlanta Braves & a former owner of a McGriff Braves' T-Shirt, think of him as a Blue Jay though.

Serious Crime: Why McGriff belongs...

• Just shy of 2,500 career hits (2,490)
• Just shy of the magical lock-in Hall number of 500 homers (493).
• Career .284 hitter 
• 5-Time All-Star (All-Star Game MVP)
• 3-Time Silver Slugger
• 1,550 Career RBI
• .377 career On-Base Percentage (above all players mentioned above, including Oliva).
• .886 Career OPS
• 134 OPS+

As a full-time player, McGriff dipped below an .800 OPS only once! His incredible consistency seemed to play against him, which is simply odd in my opinion, I am not sure if it's because he was not an obnoxious, arrogant slugger like Barry Bonds, the whole not-staying-in-one-place thing, or the fact he had no flash to his game... but he did everything that was asked of him as a big leaguer, and it's a complete crime against Baseball that McGriff is not in the Hall of Fame.

Another player that should be in, is...

Edgar Martinez (1987-2004)

Seattle (A.L.)

Edgar Martinez is a representative of the DH era, and he did not get his first actual break until age 27! He was the solid force behind the emergence of the Seattle Mariners franchise, he had 5 seasons over a 1.000 OPS (Bagwell had 5, Piazza had 4 -- to put it in perspective). Edgar & other Designated Hitters are suffering the same stigma as a NFL punter, Mitch Williams, former reliever for the Philadelphia Phillies & current MLB analyst said it best, "If there is a position created in the game of baseball, such as the DH, then there needs to be a position for that in the Hall of Fame as well." I should add since my original article, that Frank Thomas was voted in, and is considered the Hall of Fame's first Designated Hitter.

Edgar Martinez is among the 4th best all-time in OBP for players who made the Major League debuts after World War II (.418). To put it in perspective for Edgar's career, think about the season that Victor Martinez had with the 2014 Detroit Tigers -- V-Mart led the A.L. with a .974 OPS; Edgar surpasses Victor Martinez's career year, with 10 total seasons that were better than that.... that's just flat-out nuts!

His 147+ OPS just trails that of Joe DiMaggio (155+) and is right with Mike Schmidt (147+). He is a career .312 hitter with a .933 OPS.

Now when people keep discussing Designated Hitters, everyone and their mother would mention David Ortiz & how Ortiz will represent the DH in the Hall of Fame. If they did their research, They would see that Edgar has him beat in many categories. Ortiz' stats definitely scream Hall of Fame, but let's make sure Edgar gets in as well... plus Edgar was not linked to any PED speculation like "Big Papi" was.

• Go to this  article - "An Accumulation of HOF material on BoS"

That completes this compilation of material, to read them all individually, you can click on the topic "The Ongoing Hall of Fame Debate".


Coming up: The continuation of my HOF Set project, and my latest experience at Comerica Park as I was at the Tigers game on July 16th.

Hall Chat Between Brothers

So during one of my previous blog posts, I mentioned that my little bro Chris messaged me about the Hall of Fame Inductions & as always, this time of year, we went over some interesting cases for the Hall or 'close-enough, but no cigar' choices.

Through the years, it's become an interesting ballot for me. There was a time that I argued in support for those like Jack Morris until I was red in the face, as the years passed on, my case for Morris has somewhat diminished... then there are other cases that I used to scoff at, such as the case for Dave Parker, which gains more & more steam for me, while I also have found the stats to back such a case.

In this post, we will go over our email discussion and where I sit with the following players, I will also go over my case for others & what my current ballot looks like. The on-the-fence guys that I want to go over are some of the following players: Parker, Vada Pinson, Tony Oliva, Bill Madlock & others....

First off, let's start with Dave Parker...

• .290 Career Batting Average
• 2-Time N.L. Batting Champion.
• 1978 N.L. MVP Season: Batting Title (.334), while leading league in Slugging & OPS.
• Career OBP (.339) not superb, but better than Andre Dawson's (Hall of Famer) .323 OBP, while Dawson was a career .279 hitter; Parker's career .810 OPS also edges Dawson's .806
• 7-Time All-Star with 3 Gold Gloves.
• 2,774 career hits

Andre Dawson & Gary Carter's HOF Inductions opened many doors to many debates, that said, I do believe they deserve to be in the Hall of Fame... I just think it has created more murky Hall discussions, and makes more cases for players like Vada Pinson, for example. Speaking of Pinson, I believe what hurts him compared to the likes of Parker & Dawson is the lack of HR & power, his career OPS+ stands at 111+, compared to Dawson's 119+ & Parker's 121+. 

Dawson opening doors.

Of course, not everybody has power that is in the Hall of Fame, like Luis Aparicio and Ozzie Smith -- then again, most of those powerless, lack of offense guys were usually slick-fielding shortstops and not from a position like the outfield that usually packs power. It seems unfair that players like Omar Vizquel tend to gain more traction in this disputes (over players like Pinson) for not fielding at a tougher position.

I think the major thing that is hurting Bill Madlock, another Pirate that tends to be brought up in Hall of Fame debates, is the fact that he only averaged 120 games per season. Obviously, if he was to play at least another 20 games per season, he would have seen a hike in his 2,008 career hits -- if he was closer to the 3,000 hits side of the spectrum, he would get more leeway in the argument. Other than those negatives, his positives speak loudly in his career Batting Average (.305), On-Base Percentage (.365) & OPS (.830); His OPS & OPS+ (123+) was actually better than Dave Parker (.810 / 121+)... who would have ever thought such a thing?! Madlock was a gifted hitter that won 4 batting titles, the most times for a non-Hall of Fame Inductee.

Madlock's 3 All-Star Appearances does not seem like a lot, but he did win an All-Star MVP Game Honors once. People also need to keep in mind, that he was often overshadowed by talented teammates & the N.L. just featured many talented All-Stars, it's tough to make the All-Star Game on the N.L. side, when you have to compete against a player named Mike Schmidt every single season.

Tony Oliva honored with statue outside Target Field.

Then there is Tony Oliva, his name is praised by many that watched him play in his day, many speak volumes of Oliva. What jumps out quickly is his career 131 OPS+, which is 10 more than Parker's 121+ and 12 more than Andre Dawson! The knocker is the fact that he was off-the-charts stellar for only a seven-year arc from 1964-1971. Then again, his drop-off in 1972 & the remainder of his career was due to obvious knee & shoulder injuries that plagued him. Another amazing fact about Oliva is the simple fact that he produced these amazing stats during the "second deadball era".

Oliva was an 8-time A.L. All-Star, with 3 career Batting Titles (1964-65, 1971) and may have won 3 straight batting titles if it were not for a 3-for-30 slump in the middle of September in 1966; Oliva also won the 1964 A.L. Rookie of the Year Award & a Gold Glove in his tremendous career.

I was glad to see that Tim Raines finally got the recognition that he has long deserved, by being inducted in the 2017 Hall of Fame class, along with Ivan 'Pudge' Rodriguez & Jeff Bagwell. Raines has long been overlooked, and I question sometimes if the sports writers hold grudges against players who have played with numerous teams. The sports writer seems to be infatuated with players that have played their careers mostly for one team. 

Another player who played for numerous teams, that belongs in the Hall of Fame, is Fred McGriff. McGriff played for 7 MLB teams during his career, while his longest stint was actually with the Atlanta Braves (4 1/2 years), not the Toronto Blue Jays (4 years). Most folks including myself, a fan of the 1990's Atlanta Braves & a former owner of a McGriff Braves' T-Shirt, think of him as a Blue Jay though.

Serious Crime: Why McGriff belongs...

• Just shy of 2,500 career hits (2,490)
• Just shy of the magical lock-in Hall number of 500 homers (493).
• Career .284 hitter 
• 5-Time All-Star (All-Star Game MVP)
• 3-Time Silver Slugger
• 1,550 Career RBI
• .377 career On-Base Percentage (above all players mentioned above, including Oliva).
• .886 Career OPS
• 134 OPS+

As a full-time player, McGriff dipped below an .800 OPS only once! His incredible consistency seemed to play against him, which is simply odd in my opinion, I am not sure if it's because he was not an obnoxious, arrogant slugger like Barry Bonds, the whole not-staying-in-one-place thing, or the fact he had no flash to his game... but he did everything that was asked of him as a big leaguer, and it's a complete crime against Baseball that McGriff is not in the Hall of Fame.

Other players that need to be simply in....

• Alan Trammell & Lou Whitaker (MLB's greatest & longest DP combination from the Detroit Tigers).
• Edgar Martinez - He should be in before David Ortiz (due to Ortiz's HGH connections); Had 5 Seasons over 1.000 OPS, while his career OPS is .933, while his OPS+ was 141!
• Larry Walker - Coors seems to be playing against him.
• Albert Belle - It was a short career (but so was Ralph Kiner's), but it is a no-brainer that his bad relationship with the press has come back to bite him.

Coming up in a future article, we got more 80's stars in Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy & Keith Hernandez and where I think they stack up -- plus why are the 1980's stars often overlooked?