My 2011 Hall of Fame post

Sure-fire Hall of Famers in 2011

Bert Blyleven:

After several efforts from the media including the Minnesota Twins, Blyleven should be on his way to Cooperstown. Blyleven ended up only 0.8% away from being inducted last year, and this year should be time for the call. Although Blyleven wasn’t a dominant pitcher when he was playing, he used consistency to pave his way to the Hall. Currently, Blyleven ranks fifth all-time in strikeouts (3,701), ninth in shutouts (60), and 27^th all-time in wins (287). The knocks against Blyleven are his 250 losses, and that he only made two All-Star games. However, after earning only 14.1% of the votes in his second year eligible for the Hall of Fame, Blyleven proved that his consistency over the years was appreciated.

Roberto Alomar:

Similar to Blyleven, Alomar was extremely close to be voted in last year. Alomar missed by 1.3% but this year should make it official. The sad note was that Alomar didn’t get the honor of being a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Alomar was voted into the All-Star game 12 times, ten Gold Gloves (most all-time for second basemen), and four-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2^nd all-time for second basemen). Alomar had a .300 batting average over his career and only had 108 more strikeouts than walks.. Also, Alomar had 474 stolen bases, three 20-home run seasons, and a career .371 on-base percentage. The biggest reason to vote against Alomar was the incident in 1996, where Alomar spat in an umpire’s face after arguing on a third strike. Alomar should easily enter the Hall of Fame, after putting together one of the best careers ever for a second basemen.

Should be in

Jack Morris:

Morris is entering his 12^th season after garnering 52.3% of the votes last year. Morris is one of the most debated about candidates in recent years because his stats can be seen as a case for and against. Morris’ true legacy lies in the 1991 Game 7 of the World Series ten-inning performance that won the Minnesota Twins a championship. Morris was a five-time All-Star, and won the most games in the 1980s. Morris finished in the top-five of Cy Young voting five times, but never won the award. At the end of his 18-season career, Morris won 254 games with 2,478 strikeouts. The major knocks against Morris are his 3.90 ERA, which would be the highest of all the pitchers in the Hall, and that he never had an amazing one season. Another knock is a finding by Bill James that Jack Morris was 92-114 against good teams, and that he beat up on bad teams. Although his ERA was high, and that he never had a single great season, Morris was like Blyleven and had a consistent career, which was worthy of the Hall.

Fred McGriff:

McGriff like other Hall of Fame candidates had great consistency in his career. He was a five-time All Star and three-time Silver Slugger Award winner. Also, McGriff finished in the top-10 of MVP voting seven times. McGriff seems as one of the few players from the 1990s that definitely didn’t take steroids, even though he led the league in home runs twice, and finished with 493 career homers. Also, McGriff sported a career .284 batting average, 2,490 hits, and had eight seasons with over 100 RBIs. Although McGriff wasn’t the most dominant player of his era, he was extremely consistent and the type of player that belongs in the Hall.

Rafael Palmeiro:

Yes, Palmeiro tested positive for steroids near the end of his career, but if I’m going to make a case for Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens when they become eligible in the future, then I have to make a case for Palmeiro. He is one of four players to be in the 500 home run and 3,000 hit club. Palmeiro was voted into four all-star games, and won three Gold Gloves. Take away the positive steroid test, which was further aggravated by the incident at Capitol Hill. Palmeiro’s final numbers ended up with a .288 batting average, 569 home runs, 3,020 hits, and 1,835 RBIs. The knocks against Palmeiro are the positive steroid test, and the fact that he never appeared in a World Series. However, if the steroid test never happened, he would easily be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Will be in eventually

Barry Larkin:

I don’t understand the reasoning of Larkin receiving only 51.6% of the votes last season. He wasn’t the most dominant hitter ever, but his consistency is tough to match. He was selected to 12 All-Star games, won nine Silver Sluggers, three Gold Gloves, a Roberto Clemente Award, a World Series and the 1995 NL MVP. Larkin finished his career with a .295 batting average, 2,340 hits, 379 stolen bases, and over 100 more walks in his career than strikeouts. Historian Bill James named Larkin the sixth best shortstop to ever play, and I don’t see a valid reason that he hasn’t been voted into the Hall of Fame, or the fact that he barely got over half the votes. Once voters review his numbers accordingly, he will be in the Hall of Fame.

Jeff Bagwell:

Bagwell was a good player, but I don’t understand the sentiment that he deserves to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Yes, Bagwell was an excellent player, but he wasn’t the superstar that everyone else makes him sound. Bagwell went to four All-Star games, one Gold Glove, three Silver Sluggers, was in the top-10 of MVP voting five times; winning the 1994 NL MVP. Over his career, Bagwell hit 449 home runs, 1,529 RBIs, a .297 batting average, 202 stolen bases, and 1,401 walks. Yes, I think Bagwell should be a Hall of Famer to reward his consistency and strong numbers on a bad ballclub over his career, but a first-ballot Hall of Famer? Not quite.

Mark McGwire:

Yes, he took steroids throughout his career. However, during that era, I’m not going to judge players based on the facts that they took steroids or not, but rather on the best players of that era. Although, McGwire was one of the most feared hitters of all-time, the one thing that he probably will never receive the due credit for is saving baseball. After the strike in 1994, it was the home run race that McGwire and Sammy Sosa participated in that brought the fans completely back to baseball. It was a daily activity for fans to see if McGwire or Sosa inched closer to 61 home runs, and after McGwire broke Roger Maris’ mark, it put baseball back on the map in the world of sports. McGwire made 12 All-Star games, a Gold Glove, three Silver Sluggers, and the 1987 AL Rookie of the Year. However, the only knocks I have against McGwire is that he never won an MVP in a season, and that although he hit 583 home runs, he only had 1,626 hits in his career. However neither of those knocks are enough to keep McGwire out of the Hall of Fame, unless you discount him for using steroids.

No luck

Juan Gonzalez:

Gonzalez had a productive career with 434 home runs and two MVP awards, but he didn’t have the consistency over his career to warrant a Hall of Fame induction. He was a solid player in his prime, but he faced too many injuries and the saga at the end of his career will probably leave a sour legacy for voters.

Larry Walker

Walker went to five All-Star games, and won one MVP, but didn’t top out as a player that had a career worthy of the Hall of Fame. Also, there is the Coors Field factor that will play against Walker’s offensive numbers, which probably hold true as he hit over 50 points higher in three seasons than his career average. Walker was a good player, but he wasn’t an elite one.

I want to apologize for not blogging for about the past month, but due to finals and then the beginning of my Winter Break, I forgot to blog. However, in the New Year, my goal is to get to blogging on a regular basis, which I feel should be more productive.