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20. Gil Hodges

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Gil Hodges

A large contingent of Dodger fans will maintain that Cooperstown’s greatest omission is that of Gil Hodges.  Considering he was one of the most consistent and best Home Run hitters of the 1950’s, these fans have a strong case.

A lot of players get called a model of consistency but Gil Hodges really fit that bill.  For eleven years in a row, he smacked twenty homers and delivered a three digit number Runs Batted In total for seven straight seasons.  He didn’t hit for a high average, but he did walk consistently enough to make up for it.  He was an athletic man and was a huge asset in the field with his fast hands and quick thinking.  Basically, he was the prototype for athletic first basemen that had good power and could bat clean up.

The knock on Hodges is that as proficient as he was for hitting the long ball, he never led the league in that category.  In fact, other than Games Played, Gil Hodges never led the league in any offensive category and though he always received a few MVP votes he was not a serious thought for any of them.  Even though, Hodges put up good power numbers, many have since surpassed but when he retired, everyone who was eligible and had more home runs had been inducted.  Hodges is currently the man who has received the most votes but has yet to be enshrined, and sadly that is the lone record that he does have.  Even sadder, that record seems fairly safe.

 

 

 

 

The Bullet Points:

 

Country of Origin:

Princeton, Indiana, U.S.A.

 

Eligible Since:

1969

 

Position:

1B, OF

 

Played for:

Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers

New York Mets

 

Major Accolades and Awards:

8 Time All Star (1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955 & 1957)

Gold Glove (3) (NL) (1957, 1958 & 1959)

World Series Rings (2) (Brooklyn Dodgers, 1955 & Los Angeles Dodgers, 1959)

 

Other Points of Note:

Top Ten MVP Finishes:

(NL: 1950, 8th) & (NL: 1957, 7th)

Lou Gehrig Memorial Award (1958)

1 Top Ten Finish (Batting Average)

3 Top Ten Finishes (On Base Percentage)

6 Top Ten Finishes (Slugging Percentage)

4 Top Ten Finishes (Runs Scored)

1 Top Ten Finish (Hits)

7 Top Ten Finishes (Total Bases)

1 Top Ten Finish (Doubles)

1 Top Ten Finish (Triples)

10 Top Ten Finishes (Home Runs)

7 Top Ten Finishes (Runs Batted In)

5 Top Ten Finishes (Walks)

1 Top Ten Finish (Stolen Bases)

3 Top Ten Finishes (WAR for Position Players)

6 Top Ten Finishes (OPS)

 

Notable All Time Rankings:

68. Home Runs: 370

 

Vote Percentage Received for the Hall of Fame:

1969: 24.1

1970: 48.3

1971: 50.0

1972: 40.7

1973: 57.4

1974: 54.2

1975: 51.9

1976: 60.1

1977: 58.5

1978: 59.6

1979: 56.0

1980: 59.7

1981: 60.1

1982: 49.4

1983: 63.4

 

Should Be Inducted As A:

Brooklyn Dodger

 

Should Gil Hodges be in the Hall of Fame?

(You must be registered and logged in to vote!)
Definitely put him in! - 46.2%
Maybe, but others deserve it first. - 23.1%
Probably not, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. - 15.4%
No opinion. - 0%
No way! - 15.4%
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Published in Baseball
Tagged under
More in this category: « 19. Edgar Martinez 21. Ted Simmons »

Comments   

 
-1 #1 Darryl Tahirali -0001-11-29 19:00
Gil Hodges is a sentimental favorite for the Hall, as is Ron Santo, both of whom would need the Veterans' Committee to select them. (With either induction being a posthumous one.)Hodges was popular, he served his country during World War II, seeing combat in the Pacific, and he died too young, of a heart attack just shy of his 48th birthday. Those are the personal aspects to him.His military service does make one wonder whether, as was the case with Ted Williams and Bob Feller, his playing record would have been more impressive had he not served. He entered the Marines right at the start of his baseball career, was discharged in 1946, rejoined the Dodgers in 1947, and didn't become a regular in the lineup until 1948, actually moving from catcher (because Roy Campanella had arrived) to first base. So, it's not likely that the military service interruption affected his career numbers.But based on the existing record, is Hodges Hall-worthy? No, he is not. Although I don't want to emphasize the comparisons too much, the fact is that the Hall is overrepresented by power-hitting first basemen, from Gehrig to Foxx to Killebrew to McCovey, and Hodges, or any slugging first baseman, would have to be exceptional to be considered Hall-worthy. Hodges is not. His slugging average is .487, falling between, among others, George Brett and . . . Brad Fullmer. Ouch. I don't want that to be snarky, but it is hard to justify a power-hitting first baseman's inclusion in Cooperstown when his slugging average doesn't even reach .500. Not for a small Hall, anyway, which is my preference.Does his defensive ability bolster his case? Perhaps, although first base in general is the least difficult fielding position, which might be why Hodges's defensive wins above replacement (WAR) is typically low, 4.30; it is two-tenths of win higher than Rafael Palmeiro's, also considered to be a good-fielding first-sacker. (Not commenting on PEDs here.) To put it in perspective, though, none of the HoF first basemen I mentioned above are in the top 1000 of defensive WAR.But defense isn't why they are in the Hall. That corner infield position, unlike the other one, third base, does not require defense. It requires, if trends are to be believed, power and run production. Hodges falls short of greatness there. No way for the Hall. Not necessarily the case for Santo, but that's for another post.
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