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.
Torii Hunter had an excellent career, and the man they dubbed "Spider-Man" was a SportsCenter highlight reel with his acrobatic catches. Hunter would win 9 Gold Gloves and was also decent with his bat, earning a pair of Silver Sluggers. Hunter, a five-time All-Star, had very good offensive numbers with 2,452 Hits and 353 Home Runs in a career mostly with the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels.
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, and it was an accurate assessment when describing the turn-of-the-century ballplayer Tommy Leach. “Wee” Tommy Leach was a triples machine and one of the fastest ballplayers of his day. Leach hit a few Home Runs in the dead-ball era, though most of them were of the inside-the-park variety. For all intents and purposes, Leach was a power hitter and often cleared the bases, or would himself get on base for…
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! Olerud came up through the Blue Jays system and would become their starting First Baseman in 1992, after platooning for three years. Having never played a game in the minors, Olerud would help Toronto win the World Series in back-to-back seasons (1992 & 1993), with 1993 being incredibly impressive. In that season, he would win the Batting…
History has given the pitching staff much of the credit for the Baltimore Orioles’ World Series runs in 1966 and 1970, but it was the heavy-hitting Boog Powell who was the favorite of Maryland fans. Boog Powell was built like a bull. The power hitter easily won the hearts of Baltimore with his booming home runs and nice demeanor. He batted cleanup for over a decade and solidified the lineup, providing much-needed offense for the pitching-heavy Orioles. He was a good clutch hitter, and though he committed his share of errors, he was able to prevent many miscues for his…
The Philadelphia Athletics were a powerhouse in the early 1930s, but the Great Depression led owner Connie Mack to 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. Debuting at Leftfield in 1933, Johnson played for the Athletics until 1942. With Philadelphia, he would go to five All-Star Games. With the exception of his last season with the Athletics, he has least 20 Home Runs, with three of those years seeing him exceed 30. From 1935 to 1941, he hit the…
Although Wilbur Cooper is considered one of the best pitchers in Pittsburgh Pirates history, his legacy is often forgotten because it was so long ago. 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 with greater fondness…
If Baseball truly is an International game, then we would like to name Julio Franco as its Global Ambassador. The Dominican-born Franco played professional baseball until age 47 in the United States, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, and his home country. Cooperstown does not recognize accomplishments abroad, but despite playing outside the Majors for an extended period, he still amassed over 2,500 hits. Franco had a strange batting stance, but considering he batted over .300 eight times, a Batting Title, and five Silver Sluggers, it had to be considered effective. Julio Franco may be the ultimate test of whether the 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. The “Quiz” was a control pitcher who rarely struck anyone out. He used a submarine delivery, which features his primary weapon: the sinking fastball. Quisenberry looked to get batters out with weak grounders, and it often worked. He claimed he found “a delivery in his flaw” and for years he kept batters off balance with his style. For a six-year period, there was no closer that was more effective than Dan…
Many baseball players are considered underrated, but we will argue that Buddy Bell is on the Mount Rushmore of that list. That likely happened because he never appeared in a playoff game, and his runs with the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers were with teams that were, overall, not very good. It was also part of his defense that it was his real strength, but while he earned six Gold Gloves, he was also a player who finished first in Defensive bWAR twice and was in the top eight six other times. Bell was not a one-trick player, as he knew…
The first half of Ryan Braun's career looked like it was on a Hall of Fame trajectory. A two-time All-American at the University of Miami, Braun was considered a five-tool prospect and was the fifth overall pick in 2005, and he rose quickly, entering the Majors in 2007. It was a great rookie campaign for Braun, winning the National League Rookie of the Year in a season where he belted 34 Home Runs and won the Slugging Title (.634) in a 113 Game year. Braun was a top star the next five seasons, a perennial All-Star in that span, with him also…
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. Berkman’s overall Hall of Fame candidacy is an interesting one as he is a six-time All-Star, finished in the Top Ten in MVP voting six times, and put up very good power numbers with 366 Home Runs, 1,234 RBIs, and a .934 OPS. His overall numbers, complete with a 52.0 bWAR, are good, but with poor defensive numbers, a relatively low…
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 and won 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. That is the good news. Konerko’s defense was very poor, as was his speed, and he finished his career with a good (though far from Hall of Fame) bWAR of 27.6. Still, this is a popular player with a solid career, and…
Francisco Rodriguez would become one of the game’s better closers and best known almost immediately when he debuted for the Anaheim Angels in 2002. He played only five regular season games that year, and as the team’s set-up man, he played a vital role in their World Series win. Nicknamed K-Rod, he would go to his first All-Star Game in 2004, where he would strike out 123 batters in only 84 Innings. He would become the Angels’ closer, and he would lead the American League in Saves in 2005, 2006 & 2008, the latter seeing him set a record of…
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 Award 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. Kuenn led the league in hits four times, and it seemed like he got those hits in every part of the field possible. In the ’50s, he was the game’s…
Jack Quinn was Jamie Moyer before Jamie Moyer. Debuting in 1909 for the New York Highlanders (Yankees), Moyer would play for seven other teams before retiring in 1933 at the age of 50. Yes, 50. While Quinn could not be classified as an ace, he was a spitballer who used his guile and experience to maintain relevance for years. Quinn had only one 20 Win season (1914 with Baltimore in the Federal League), but he had five 15 Win seasons. Quinn only started 443 of his 756 Games, which was unique for that era. This made Quinn one of the earlier relief pitchers,…
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? It is not widely known, but Rollins holds the Phillies’ franchise record for hits with 2,306. Rollins did almost all of that from the leadoff position, where he batted for the Phils for over a decade. Using his speed, he would lead the National League in Triples four times and would steal 30 or more bases ten times. Named an All-Star three times, Rollins’ best season was actually in 2007, when he wasn’t chosen for…
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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. The Reds did not win the World…
In terms of actual importance in Baseball, Curt Flood is in the top ten, if not the top five, in the game. When Flood challenged the reserve clause in Baseball, objecting to a trade to the Philadelphia Phillies. It led to a lawsuit, and Flood sat out for an extended period, ultimately ending his career. It also led to Free Agency, and every time a baseball player signs a big contract, they should get down on their knees and thank the baseball gods for Curt Flood, who never financially benefited from what he stood for. As a player, Flood was a star…
Jack Clark had the nickname of "Jack the Ripper," which was precisely the moniker that befit a lethal power.
