gold star for USAHOF

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.
It is strange to say that Willie Randolph played in a bit of a shadow as he was a long-time Yankee but that is somewhat true.  He was in the shadow of other more flamboyant New York stars, and his strong defensive play never got him a Gold Glove as he played at the same time as Lou Whitaker or Frank White.  Hell, even his current Coaching career seems to overshadow his accomplishments on the diamond.  It shouldn’t though as Willie Randolph was a very good ballplayer.
How is it possible to hit .361 and hit 41 home runs without anyone noticing?  The answer is to perform that incredible feat the same year that Roger Maris hit 61 Home Runs.
One of the more consistent hitters in his era, Carlos Delgado was only named to two All Star teams due to the glut of top tiered First Basemen in his time. He had great power numbers (473 Home Runs and 1,512 Runs Batted In) and had a very good career OPS of .929 which sound like Hall of Fame numbers, but his career WAR of 44.3 while although good, is not on par with a lot of the current players they are looking at.
Virtually every write-up you will find on Rick Reuschel you find the word “portly”. He did have a stocky frame and lived up to his “Big Daddy” nickname, but he was as athletic as they came. Frankly, we think there are better adjectives that should be thought of immediately when you think of Rick Reuschel
Playing all but one game of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Babe Adams was one of the best control Pitchers of his day.
We are going way back for this one, as the career of Tommy Bond began in 1874, where he became the first Irish born baseball player to be a professional.
Mickey Lolich spent most of his career with the Detroit Tigers, where he was a proven starter for a dozen seasons in Motown.
How many times is an athlete described as “small in stature but big in heart”?  This analogy has been used more times than we can determine but far too often but it was an accurate assessment when describing the turn of the century ballplayer, Tommy Leach.
Playing his entire career with the New York Mets, David Wright would become one of the better Third Baseman in his time in baseball.
History has given the pitching staff much of the credit for the World Series Runs of the Baltimore Orioles in 1966 and 1970, but it was the heavy-hitting Boog Powell who was the favorite of the fans in Maryland.
Seriously, is this not the coolest name on this list?  Just that name alone would make him a star in any era.  Make no mistake, Shocker was a star, but as his best years were with the St. Louis Browns, he was often not in the spotlight despite having dominating seasons in the early 1920s.
If you look at the career of Harry Stovey, accumulatively, the offensive statistics seem very good but not Hall of Fame good.  1,775 Hits, 122 Home Runs, and a .288 Batting Average don't stand out, but another look shows that is not the case at all.

PETCO PARK TOURS

Jan 01, 1970

Buy your Tickets to see Petco Park Tours HERE!

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS VS. OAKLAND ATHLETICS

Mar 18, 2024

Buy your Tickets to see Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Oakland Athletics 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

Buy your Tickets to see Tours: Truist Park HERE!

 
Although Wilbur Cooper is considered one of the best pitchers in the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates, it was so long ago, his legacy is often forgotten. From 1917 to 1924, Cooper was at his best and was in the top ten regularly in virtually every pitching category in the National League. He was the first left hander in the NL to hit 200 wins, but his overall total in that department did not exceed much more than that. Advanced metrics have given Cooper a bit more of a look again, but at the very least he should be remembered…
If Baseball truly is an International game, then we would like to name Julio Franco as its Global Ambassador.
Nobody shot out of the gate quicker than Fred Lynn, as he made history when in 1975, he became the first player in Major League history to win the Rookie of the Year and the MVP in the same season.  As the other one who accomplished that feat was Ichiro Suzuki, who was already an established veteran of the Japanese Leagues, this is a beyond spectacular achievement.
Lance Berkman was the third “Killer B” of the Houston Astros, though it was his Comeback Player of the Year season with St. Louis (that also netted him his only World Series Ring) that he might hold most dear.
Paul Konerko is one of the most revered Chicago White Sox players of all-time, and he should be.  Konerko was the heart of a team that won the 2005 World Series winning the ALCS MVP in the process.  Konerko could hit for power (439 Home Runs), had 2,340 Hits, 1,412 RBIs and a .486 Slugging Percentage.  
From 1953 to 1960 there were few in the majors who were as good a line drive hitter as Harvey Kuenn.  From that time period, he won the American League Rookie of the Year and won a Batting Title.  Considering that during the 50’s he only batted under .300 once, it was easy to see how even on average Detroit Tigers teams, he could still make eight All-Star teams.