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.
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.
A four-time All0Star, 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.
In the mid-2000s, Roy Oswalt was considered one of the top pitchers in the National League. “Os” would have five seasons where he was voted in the top five in National League Cy Young balloting and it was his arm that won the NLCS MVP in 2005 getting Houston to their lone World Series appearance.
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 Hall of Fame victim always pointed at about the Black Sox Scandal is "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, but Pitcher, Eddie Cicotte, might have also been cost a Cooperstown plaque.
The Major League career of Johnny Sain began in 1942, where he had a fairly uneventful season with a 4-7 record for the Boston Braves. Like so many other baseball players, Sain served in the U.S. Military during World War II, and he lost three years on the diamond. When he returned to Boston, he quickly became one of the most recognized Pitchers in the game.
A Cleveland Indian for his entire career, Mel Harder debuted for the Tribe in 1928, where he was used in relief in his first two seasons when he was on their main roster and not in the minors.
Johnny Damon came close to getting to the 3,000 Hit mark in his career (2,769) and did have other decent career numbers with 235 Home Runs, 1,139 Runs Batted in, and 408 Stolen Bases. Damon was also a very popular figure who won two World Series (one in Boston and one in New York), but a look at his individual campaigns show that of a statistical compiler, as he never had a top ten MVP season, only made two All-Stars, and only was in the top ten in WAR for Position Players once. Throw in his sub .800 career OPS…
Vida Blue debuted in 1969, where in his 12 Games in Oakland, he was ineffective with a 6.64 ERA. His 1970 callup was different with a 2-0 record over six starts and a pair of Shutouts. 1971 was one of the best seasons ever for an Oakland A’s Pitcher.
Wine and scotch got better with age, and for years the sporting world thought Jamie Moyer did too. He holds multiple pitching records in regards to the oldest pitcher to do (insert accomplishment here) and is one of the rare players to have competed in four decades.
While Jason Giambi is better known for being an inflated PED user, the fact remains that he was a very good hitter who was a former American League MVP. Giambi would go to five consecutive All-Star Games, blasted 440 Home Runs with a .516 career Slugging Percentage over a twenty-year career. He would also show solid plate discipline with three On Base Percentage Titles and retired with a very good 50.4 bWAR.
In 1981, a "mania" took over Los Angeles. Some would say it took over the entire baseball world. That was "Fernandomania" in honor of Mexican hurler, Fernando Valenzuela.
Larry Jackson played for some good teams, but never any great ones (he never played in the postseason). As such, Jackson never made the 200 Win club, but his value as an innings eater was essential to the success that many of his teams had.
Sal Bando was an integral part of the Oakland Athletics dynasty, and he was there when they were toiling in obscurity in Kansas City. When the Athletics’ owner, Charles O. Finlay, relocated the team to Oakland, Bando was at the core of what was poised to become a special team that defined the early 1970s.
A two-time World Series Champion with the Detroit Tigers (the only team he ever played for), Tommy Bridges was a major force in that first championship, winning two games in the Fall Classic. The curveball specialist led the AL in Strikeouts twice and won twenty games three years in a row (1934, 1935 & 1936). Bridges was also a six-time All-Star. Overall, Bridges would have a record of 194-138 with 1,674 Strikeouts.
In terms of actual importance in Baseball, Curt Flood is in the top ten, if not top five in the game.
Francisco Rodriguez would become one of the game’s better closers and best known almost immediately when he debuted for the Anaheim Angels is 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.
There was a time when Nomar Garciaparra owned the city of Boston. The “Nomah" chants rocked Fenway, and he was, at one point, one of the most well-known baseball players around in the game.