Just what would Keith Hernandez be most famous for?  Could it be for his eleven consecutive Gold Gloves?  How about his 1979 MVP?  The two World Series rings, perhaps?  Maybe his tenacious play as a Met?  It could also be for his association with cocaine.  Likely, many think of Keith Hernandez and remember that Seinfeld episode instead.  Just as long as it isn’t for those terrible Just for Men commercials.

Although Keith Hernandez had a longer tenure with the Cardinals and won a World Series and MVP there, it can be easily argued that his best days were as a New York Met.  He embodied the party hard, play harder attitude, and quickly became the leader of his second franchise.  Hernandez did not just win Gold Gloves; he reinvented the position.  It was virtually impossible to bunt on him, and his judgments on the field were rarely wrong.  Hernandez was not a power hitter, but a very good contact hitter, and showed a high On Base Percentage when it wasn’t the vogue statistic to have.

What has hampered Hernandez’s Hall of Fame case was the allegations in St. Louis that he was not a hustler (mostly made by his manager, Whitey Herzog) and was a drug abuser.  The latter proved to be true, though the former was accurate as well; it can only be imagined what numbers he would have put up.  Keith Hernandez likely left the ballot after nine years because of those issues, but with the recent surge of sabermetrics, a look at Keith Hernandez should make him an interesting case for future consideration.

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 Quisenberry, and he was a constant threat to win the Cy Young Award.

Strangely, Dan Quisenberry did not make it past the first ballot for the Hall of Fame.  Considering he has similar numbers and came from the same era as Bruce Sutter (who just got in), the low vote tally is even more puzzling.   After 1986, his numbers sharply dropped, and this could be the principal reason he has been omitted as he went from All-Star to liability in a very quick time frame.  Still, when you are the best at your position for multiple years, like Dan Quisenberry, you deserve better than a “one and done” for HOF enshrinement.

The position of third base holds the fewest Hall of Famers in Baseball.  There, however, have been many great ballplayers at the “Hot Corner,” and some even won the MVP award.  Ken Boyer was one such man, as he won that coveted trophy in 1964.

Boyer was not a one-season wonder.   Prior to his MVP year, Boyer had been building up to that season, establishing himself as one of the top third basemen in the league.  He was winning Gold Gloves and was hitting 20 or more home runs while keeping a batting average that rarely left the .300 range.  Despite a quiet demeanor, Boyer was a clubhouse leader who did his talking on the field and led by example.  Boyer led his Cardinals to the World Series, where his clutch hitting helped them win the Fall Classic.

Ken Boyer was not the same player after his stellar ’64 campaign.  Every aspect of his game declined sharply, and he only had two more seasons as a regular.  This rapid descent prevented him from padding career stats, which may have gained him enshrinement.  His jersey was justifiably retired by the St. Louis Cardinals, though this appears to be as far as the honoring of Ken Boyer will go

Hoyt Wilhelm generally receives credit for being the game’s first great reliever.  History may eventually show that Wilhelm was not the only prototype for relievers, as Roy Face deserves to be included in that discussion as well.

Roy Face was the first pitcher to ever record twenty saves in a season.  He would lead the senior circuit in that category three times.  Roy Face still holds the record for the highest winning percentage in a season with a whopping .947 (18 wins to 1 loss).  Face used his forkball to get Pirate teams out of jam after jam and racked up multiple wins and saves all in a relieving role.

The role of the closer is still being sorted out in Baseball’s Hall of Fame, but if a strong case was successfully made for Hoyt Wilhelm, should Roy Face have been this far behind him in consideration?