Baseball
Established in 1936, and currently based in Cooperstown, New York, the Baseball Hall of Fame may be the most prestigious of any Sports Hall of Fame. Although Baseball may have taken a backseat to Football in recent years, there is no doubt that Baseball’s version of the Hall of Fame is by far the most relevant and the most difficult to get enshrined in. At present, a player has to receive seventy five percent of the votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America, which has proven to be no easy task. Failing that, a player could be inducted by the Veterans committee, though few have been inducted this way. Our list will focus on the players only, and although we could easily do a tally focusing on mangers, broadcasters or other vital personnel, as always it is far more enjoyable to discuss the merits of those on the field as oppose to those off of it.Until Then, Let’s get some peanuts and cracker jacks and cast some votes of our own!
Sincerely,
The Not in Hall of Committee.
There was a time that Dwight Gooden was the best Pitcher in baseball, but as we know, drug use rendered him a shell of what he was well before his time. One of the incredible things about his career, though, was how long he played and remained a serviceable hurler.
Don Newcombe was more than a great Pitcher, as he was a trailblazer in terms of African Americans in baseball.
Generally, the mold of the Relief Pitcher is a blazing fastball and a powerful delivery. Dan Quisenberry did not fit that mold…or any other one for that matter.
There are many people who think of John Olerud only as the guy who wore a batting helmet in the field, which he did so to protect his skull as (he had a brain aneurysm as a teenager. He was undoubtedly a lot more than that!
The baseball historians have been batting a kind eye to Jack Glasscock, who many have regarded as the best defensive infielder of the 1880s.
Many baseball players are considered underrated, but we will argue that Buddy Bell is on the Mount Rushmore of that list.
Torii Hunter had an excellent career, and the man they dubbed "Spider-Man" was a SportsCenter highlight reel with his acrobat catches. Hunter would win 9 Gold Gloves and was also decent with his bat, earning a pair of Silver Sluggers.
Frank Tanana won 240 career games, yet never seemed to be on the tip of the tongue when you think of all time great pitchers; or even really good ones. Yet, a closer look at the Michigan native shows a Pitcher whose career was a lot better than you may initially think.
The Philadelphia Athletics had a powerhouse team in the early 1930s, but the Great Depression would see the owner, Connie Mack, unload his best players to keep the team afloat. As such, there was not a lot of talent left for the Athletics afterward, but Bob Johnson was an exception to that rule.
How does a guy with a lifetime Batting Average of .250, who never received a single vote for the Hall even make this list? It reminds of us a band that fails to generate any real respect, but in retrospect is viewed as ahead of their time by the generation that follows. The metaphor is we are talking about is Jim Wynn, the man dubbed the “Toy Cannon”.
While Miguel Tejada is a former MVP in Major League Baseball he is also known PED user; a label that has kept PED users out of the Hall of Fame.
YANKEE STADIUM PREGAME TOUR
Jan 01, 1970
Buy your Tickets to see Yankee Stadium Pregame Tour HERE!
PREGAME GLIMPSE OF GREATNESS
Jan 01, 1970
Buy your Tickets to see Pregame Glimpse of Greatness HERE!
CLASSIC TOUR AT YANKEE STADIUM
Jan 01, 1970
Buy your Tickets to see Classic Tour at Yankee Stadium HERE!
TOURS: TRUIST PARK
Jan 01, 1970
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Bringing a strong power game to all four of the Major League teams he played for (Texas, Atlanta, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees) Mark Teixeira would go deep 409 times in his career including winning the Home Run Title in 2009 (39) with eight other seasons of 30 or more. A three-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger, Teixeira also showed off good defensive skill at First Base as he was a five-time Gold Glove winner. It should also be noted just how strong his 2009 season was where he helped his Yankees win the World Series and was the…
Sadly, like our Notinhalloffame entry for Whitesnake brings about thoughts of Tawny Kitaen; our Chuck Finley Baseball entry conjures up the same image; although this image is not her straddling a sports car, but hitting a Pitcher over the head with a stiletto.
In this era of the overpriced, overpampered, selfish athlete, we can’t help but like a player who was nicknamed “Mr. Team”. This isn’t to say that Bob Elliott did not still rack up some impressive individual accolades as he certainly did just that.
Throughout the first decade of the 2000’s, it could be argued that Jimmy Rollins was the heart of the Philadelphia Phillies…or was he the motor?
A vital part of the Big Red Machine that had the most success of any other team in the National League, George Foster debuted in 1969 (with San Francisco); George Foster broke through in 1975 with a 23 Home Run year. Helping the Reds win the World Series that year, Foster won the RBI Title in 1976 with 29 Home Runs and a .306 Batting Average. This would usher in the first of five All-Star Games, and four in the next five years. Foster again helped them win the World Series, and he was second in MVP voting.
A four-time All-Star, Tim Hudson spread those accolades over three teams (Oakland, Atlanta & San Francisco). Hudson would finish in the top ten in Cy Young voting four times, including a runner-up run in 2000. He would also finish in the top ten bWAR for Pitcher seven times. The sinkerball specialist would win 223 Games, an excellent number for his era, and most notably, made history by becoming the oldest Pitcher to start a Game 7 in the World Series, a game that his San Francisco Giants won, giving him his lone World Series ring.
Another very interesting name eligible for the 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame vote is Luis Gonzalez. “Gonzo” has very good career numbers, with 2,591 Hits, 354 Home Runs and 1,439 RBI’s. His 48.0 career bWAR is nothing to sneeze at either. The question that arises with Gonzalez is the major spike in his power numbers in his 30’s and that he had his best seasons in his second decade in the Majors. Although his name has never been associated with PEDs, he is often lumped in that category. As it stands, Gonzalez is probably a bubble candidate before the alleged…