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Awards = HOF? Part Eight: The Silver Slugger (Shortstop) (MLB)

Awards = HOF?  Part Eight: The Silver Slugger (Shortstop) (MLB)
24 Dec
2015
Not in Hall of Fame
We here at Notinhalloffame.com thought it would be fun to take a look at the major awards in North American team sports and see how it translates into Hall of Fame potential.

Needless to say, different awards in different sports yield hall of fame potential.  In basketball, the team sport with the least amount of players on a roster, the dividend for greatness much higher.  In baseball, it is not as much as a great individual season does not have the same impact.

Up next, we are going to take a look at a relatively new award, the Silver Slugger, which is awarded to best offensive player at each position and is voted on by managers and coaches in each Major League Baseball team.

Keep in mind that this award, which has become quite a big deal, is stillrelatively new, only came into existence in 1980.

We are rounding the bases thus far and have already looked at Catcher, First Base and Second Base, so you should know what comes next!

Let’s look at Shortstop and see how many Hall of Famers this position netted.



The following are the past MLB players who have won the Silver Slugger at the Shortstop position who are eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame and have been enshrined.



Robin Yount, Milwaukee Brewers (AL: 1980)

23 HR, 87 RBI, .293/.321/.519 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.  

Robin Yount, Milwaukee Brewers (AL: 1982)

29 HR, 114 RBI, .331/.379/.578 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.  

Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore Orioles (AL: 1983)

27 HR, 102 RBI, .318/.371/.517 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore Orioles (AL: 1984)

27 HR, 86 RBI, .304/.374/.510 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore Orioles (AL: 1985)

26 HR, 110 RBI, .282/.347/.469 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore Orioles (AL: 1986)

25 HR, 81 RBI, .282/.355/.461 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Ozzie Smith, St. Louis Cardinals (NL: 1987)

0 HR, 75 RBI, .303/.392/.383 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.

Barry Larkin, Cincinnati Reds (NL: 1988)

12 HR, 56 RBI, .296/.347/.429 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore Orioles (AL: 1989)

21 HR, 93 RBI, .257/.317/.401 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Barry Larkin, Cincinnati Reds (NL: 1989)

4 HR, 36 RBI, .342/.375/.446 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

Barry Larkin, Cincinnati Reds (NL: 1990)

7 HR, 67 RBI, .301/.358/.396 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore Orioles (AL: 1991)

34 HR, 114 RBI, .323/.374/.566 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Barry Larkin, Cincinnati Reds (NL: 1991)

20 HR, 69 RBI, .302/.378/.506 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

Barry Larkin, Cincinnati Reds (NL: 1992)

12 HR, 78 RBI, .304/.377/.454 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore Orioles (AL: 1993)

24 HR, 90 RBI, .257/.329/.420 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore Orioles (AL: 1994)

13 HR, 75 RBI, .315/.364/.459 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Barry Larkin, Cincinnati Reds (NL: 1995)

15 HR, 66 RBI, .319/.394/.492 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

Barry Larkin, Cincinnati Reds (NL: 1996)

33 HR, 89 RBI, .298/.410/.567 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

Barry Larkin, Cincinnati Reds (NL: 1998)

17 HR, 72 RBI, .309/.397/.504 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

Barry Larkin, Cincinnati Reds (NL: 1989)

12 HR, 75 RBI, .293/.390/.420 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.



Four.  Based on what we have seen so far, this has to be considered good right?

What about those who didn’t make it?



The following are the players who have won the Silver Slugger at the Shortstop position who are eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame and have not been selected:



Garry Templeton, St. Louis Cardinals (NL: 1980)

4 HR, 43 RBI, .319/.342/.417 Slash Line.  He was on the ballot for one year in 1997 and received 0.4% of the vote.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Rick Burleson, California Angels (AL: 1981)

5 HR, 33 RBI, .293/.357/.372 Slash Line.  He was on the ballot for one year in 1993 but did not receive any votes.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com

Dave Concepcion, Cincinnati Reds (NL: 1981)

5 HR, 67 RBI, .306/.358/.409 Slash Line.  He was on the ballot for fifteen years and finished as high as 16.9% in 1998.  Ranked #84 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Dave Concepcion, Cincinnati Reds (NL: 1982)

5 HR, 67 RBI, .306/.358/.409 Slash Line.  He was on the ballot for fifteen years and finished as high as 16.9% in 1998.  Ranked #84 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Dickie Thon, Houston Astros (NL: 1983)

20 HR, 79 RBI, .286/.341/.457 Slash Line.  He was eligible for the Hall of Fame in 1999 but was not on the ballot.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Garry Templeton, San Diego Padres (NL: 1984)

2 HR, 35 RBI, .258/.312/.320 Slash Line.  He was on the ballot for one year in 1997 and received 0.4% of the vote.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Hubie Brooks, Montreal Expos (NL: 1985)

13 HR, 100 RBI, .269/.310/.413 Slash Line.  He was on the ballot for one year in 2000 but did not receive any votes.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Hubie Brooks, Montreal Expos (NL: 1986)

14 HR, 58 RBI, .340/.388/.569 Slash Line.  He was on the ballot for one year in 2000 but did not receive any votes.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Alan Trammell, Detroit Tigers (AL: 1987)

28 HR, 105 RBI, .343/.402/.551 Slash Line.  He is entering his fifteenth and final year on the ballot and finished as high as 36.8% in 2012.  Ranked #13 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Alan Trammell, Detroit Tigers (AL: 1988)

15 HR, 69 RBI, .311/.373/.464 Slash Line.  He is entering his fifteenth and final year on the ballot and finished as high as 36.8% in 2012.  Ranked #13 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Alan Trammell, Detroit Tigers (AL: 1990)

14 HR, 89 RBI, .304/.377/.449 Slash Line.  He is entering his fifteenth and final year on the ballot and finished as high as 36.8% in 2012.  Ranked #13 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Travis Fryman, Detroit Tigers (AL: 1992)

20 HR, 96 RBI, .266/.316/.416 Slash Line.  He was on the ballot for one year in 2008 and received 0.4% of the vote.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Jay Bell, Pittsburgh Pirates (NL: 1993).

9 HR, 51 RBI, .310/.392/.437 Slash Line.  He was on the ballot for one year in 2009 and received 0.4% of the vote.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Wil Cordero, Montreal Expos (NL: 1994)

15 HR, 63 RBI, .294/.363/.489 Slash Line.  He was eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2011 but was not on the ballot.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

John Valentin, Boston Red Sox (AL: 1995)

27 HR, 102 RBI, .298/.399/.533 Slash Line.  He was eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2008 but was not on the ballot.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Nomar Garciaparra, Boston Red Sox (AL: 1997)

30 HR, 98 RBI, .306/.342/.534 Slash Line.  He has been on the ballot for one year (so far) receiving 5.5% in 2015.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Jeff Blauser, Atlanta Braves (NL: 1997)

17 HR, 70 RBI, .308/.405/.482 Slash Line.  He was eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2005 but was not on the ballot.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Rich Aurilia, San Francisco Giants (NL: 2001)

37 HR, 97 RBI, .324/.369/.572 Slash Line.  He was on the ballot for one year n 2015 but did not receive any votes.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.





Alan Trammell has a higher WAR and JAWS of the average Hall of Fame Shortstop, yet he can’t get half of the vote? 

Nomar Garicaparra looked like he was a lock for the Hall of Fame early in his career.  Injuries caught up to him, and he is just hanging on to the ballot.

Dave Concepcion was the Shortstop for the Big Red Machine who went to none All Star Games.  He was a previous Veteran’s Committee nominee.

Jay Bell was only an All Star twice but his bWAR of 36.9 tells people that he was a lot better than most people remember.

Travis Fryman was a popular player who went to five All Star Games, but his bWAR of 34.3 is not Hall of Fame material.

John Valentin did not go to any All Star Game but his bWAR was close to Fryman’s at 32.5.  He was not good enough for the Hall, but better than a lot of people who made the ballot.

Garry Templeton went to three All Star Games and led the National League in Triples three times.  He was good, but his 27.6 bWAR was not close to Hall of Fame good.

Dickie Thon did not make the ballot, but would have mattered?  Probably not.

Rick Burleson was a four time All Star who had a good career but his 22.6 bWAR helps explain why he received no votes.

Rich Aurilia also did not receive a vote, but his Silver Slugger season was one to be proud of leading the National League in Hits.

Two time All Star, Jeff Blauser also did not make the ballot, but he was not likely to receive a vote.

Hubie Brooks did make the ballot (and was also a two time All Star) but had a career bWAR of 12.6.  No votes seems like an appropriate number doesn’t it?

WIl Cordero didn’t even make a double digit career bWAR.  5.9?  Not exactly someone who should be on the ballot is it?



Let’s update our tally shall we?



Award in Question

Percentage of recipients who have entered the HOF

Percentage of recipients by year who have entered the HOF.

NBA MVP

100 %

100 %

NHL Norris

90.5 %

96.4 %

NHL Lady Byng

63.8%

76.0 %

NFL Super Bowl MVP

60.6%

64.9 %

MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Shortstop)

23.5%

52.6 %

MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Catcher)

20.0%

22.5 %

MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Second Base)

16.7%

32.7 %

MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (First Base)

13.6%

14.3 %

MLB (NL/AL) Rookie of the Year

13.3%

13.3 %





So who is up next?



The following are the players who have won the Silver Slugger at the Shortstop position who have retired but have not met the mandatory years out of the game to qualify:



Edgar Renteria, St. Louis Cardinals (NL: 2000)

16 HR, 76 RBI, .278/.346/.423 Slash Line.  Renteria will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Edgar Renteria, St. Louis Cardinals (NL: 2002)

11 HR, 83 RBI, .305/.364/.439 Slash Line.  Renteria will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Edgar Renteria, St. Louis Cardinals (NL: 2003)

13 HR, 100 RBI, .330/.394/.480 Slash Line.  Renteria will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Miguel Tejada, Baltimore Orioles (AL: 2004)

34 HR, 150 RBI, .311/.360/.534 Slash Line.  Tejada will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2019.

Jack Wilson, Pittsburgh Pirates (NL: 2004)

11 HR, 59 RBI, .308/.335/.459 Slash Line.  Wilson will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2018.

Miguel Tejada, Baltimore Orioles (AL: 2005)

26 HR, 98 RBI, .304/.349/.515 Slash Line.  Tejada will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2019.

Felipe Lopez, Cincinnati Reds (NL: 2005)

23 HR, 85 RBI, .291/.352/.486 Slash Line.  Lopez will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (AL: 2006)

14 HR, 97 RBI, .343/.417/.483 Slash Line.  Jeter will be eligible or the Hall of Fame in 2020.

Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (AL: 2007)

12 HR, 73 RBI, .322/.388/.452 Slash Line.  Jeter will be eligible or the Hall of Fame in 2020.

Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (AL: 2008)

11 HR, 69 RBI, .300/.363/.408 Slash Line.  Jeter will be eligible or the Hall of Fame in 2020.

Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (AL: 2009)

18 HR, 66 RBI, .334/.406/.465 Slash Line.  Jeter will be eligible or the Hall of Fame in 2020.

Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (AL: 2012)

15 HR, 58 RBI, .316/.361/.429 Slash Line.  Jeter will be eligible or the Hall of Fame in 2020.







Derek Jeter should be a first ballot inductee, and if he is not, the entire Baseball Hall of Fame system needs to be overhauled.

Miguel Tejada had a very good career with a bWAR in the mid 40’s and a MVP under his belt, but the cloud of PEDs looms large over him.

Edgar Renteria was a very good player who has two World Series Rings, but also a low bWAR in the 30’s.  He won’t get in.

Jack Wilson won’t get in either.  He has a bWAR in the mid 20’s and his Silver Slugger season was by far the best of his career and was not duplicated.

Felipe Lopez won’t make the ballot…period.



The following are the players who have won the Silver Slugger at the Shortstop position who are still active:



Alex Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners (AL: 1996)

36 HR, 123 RBI, .358/.414/.631 Slash Line.  Currently with the New York Yankees. 40 Years Old.

Alex Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners (AL: 1998)

42 HR, 124 RBI, .310/.360/.560 Slash Line.  Currently with the New York Yankees. 40 Years Old.

Alex Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners (AL: 1999)

42 HR, 111 RBI, .285/.357/.586 Slash Line.  Currently with the New York Yankees. 40 Years Old.

Alex Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners (AL: 2000)

41 HR, 132 RBI, .316/.420/.606 Slash Line.  Currently with the New York Yankees. 40 Years Old.

Alex Rodriguez, Texas Rangers (AL: 2001)

52 HR, 135 RBI, .318/.399/.622 Slash Line.  Currently with the New York Yankees. 40 Years Old.

Alex Rodriguez, Texas Rangers (AL: 2002)

57 HR, 142 RBI, .300/.392/.623 Slash Line.  Currently with the New York Yankees. 40 Years Old.

Alex Rodriguez, Texas Rangers (AL: 2003)

47 HR, 118 RBI, .298/.396/.600 Slash Line.  Currently with the New York Yankees. 40 Years Old.

Jose Reyes, New York Mets (NL: 2006)

19 HR, 81 RBI, .300/.354/.487 Slash Line.  Currently with the Colorado Rockies.

Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies (NL: 2007)

30 HR, 94 RBI, .296/.344/.531 Slash Line.  Currently with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  37 Years Old.

Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins (AL: 2008)

33 HR, 67 RBI, .301/.400/.540 Slash Line.  Currently with the Boston Red Sox.  32 Years Old

Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins (AL: 2009)

24 HR, 106 RBI, .342/.410/.543 Slash Line.  Currently with the Boston Red Sox.  32 Years Old

Alexei Ramirez, Chicago White Sox (AL: 2010)

18 HR, 70 RBI, .282/.313/.431 Slash Line.  Currently a Free Agent.  34 Years Old.

Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies (NL: 2010)

27 HR, 95 RBI, .315/.381/.568 Slash Line.  Currently with the Toronto Blue Jays.  31 Years Old

Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland Indians (AL: 2011)

25 HR, 92 RBI, .273/.332/.460 Slash Line.  Currently with the Tampa Bay Rays.  29 Years Old.

Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies (NL: 2011)

30 HR, 105 RBI, .302/.372/.544 Slash Line.  Currently with the Toronto Blue Jays.  31 Years Old

Ian Desmond, Washington Nationals (AL: 2012)

25 HR, 73 RBI, .292/.335/.511 Slash Line.  Currently with the Washington Nationals.  30 Years Old.

J.J. Hardy, Baltimore Orioles (AL: 2013)

25 HR, 76 RBI, .263/.306/.433 Slash Line.  Currently with the Baltimore Orioles.  33 Years Old

Ian Desmond, Washington Nationals (AL: 2013)

20 HR, 80 RBI, .280/.331/.453 Slash Line.  Currently with the Washington Nationals.  30 Years Old.

Alexei Ramirez, Chicago White Sox (AL: 2014)

15 HR, 74 RBI, .273/.305/.408 Slash Line.  Currently a Free Agent.  34 Years Old.

Ian Desmond, Washington Nationals (AL: 2014)

24 HR, 91 RBI, .255/.313/.430 Slash Line.  Currently with the Washington Nationals.  30 Years Old.

Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox.  (AL: 2015)

7 HR, 81 RBI, .320/.355/.421 Slash Line.  Currently with the Boston Red Sox.  23 Years Old.

Brandon Crawford, San Francisco Giants (NL: 2015)

21 HR, 84 RBI, .256/.321/.462 Slash Line.  Currently with the San Francisco Giants.  29 Years Old.



Alex Rodriguez meets every statistical requirement to be first ballot Hall of Fame inductee.  We know why he won’t be thought don’t we?

Could Asdrubal Cabrera make the Hall of Fame?   He still has a lot of time to make a serious case for it.

Jimmy Rollins looked to be making a run at one point.  In his Silver Slugger season, he was the National League MVP.  Right now he has a spot secured into the Hall of Very Good, and that is exactly where he will stay.

Entering the 2016 season, Troy Tulowotzki has a 40.5 bWAR and if he can completely adjust to the American League a run is not out of the question.

Can Hanley Ramirez rebound?  If he does, he better do it soon, as the former Batting Champion has seriously stalled at age 32.

Jose Reyes has a mid 30’s bWAR but he has a lot of work to do.  Considering he appears to be declining the Hall of Fame push may not come.

J.J. Hardy has had a very good career, but his career bWAR is only 26.8 and would have to have a major statistical increase in his mid-30’s to make it.  That isn’t going to happen.

Ian Desmond is having a nice career thus far, but it is not a Hall of Fame one.

Alexei Ramirez has had a good career thus far, but he won’t make the Baseball Hall of Fame.

To date, Brandon Crawford has gotten better every year, but this still is not a Hall of Fame path that he has set for himself.

At 23 years of age, the future is wide open for Xander Bogearts and a Hall of Fame projection cannot be made.



So what’s up next? 

There is only one base left.  Let’s look at Third Base next!. 

Look for that soon and as always we thank you for your support!

Last modified on Monday, 21 November 2016 18:37
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Kirk Buchner, "The Committee Chairman", is the owner and operator of the site.  Kirk can be contacted at [email protected] .

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