Loading color scheme
Many who first think of Jim Edmonds and the Hall of Fame may think automatically of what we wrote about Moises Alou and that he is likely a candidate for the “Hall of Very Good”. However, the more we really thought about it, the more we liked “Jimmy Baseball’s” resume.
Although Edmonds is under 2,000 for career hits and his four All-Star appearances are relatively low for a potential Hall of Fame Baseball inductee, he brought a very respectable 393 Home Runs and 1,199 RBIs, and a very good career OPS of .903. Edmonds was more than a hitter; he won the Gold Glove eight times, and with a very good career WAR of 60.3, Jim Edmonds has a list of accomplishments that might make him a dark horse for the Hall of Fame. We will be watching this one intensely.
Gary Sheffield has to be the most interesting candidate who appeared on the 2014 Ballot. Traditionally speaking, Sheffield hit the magical 500 Home Run mark, won a Batting Title, and had five seasons with an OPS over one. His career WAR is respectable, his OPS is in the top fifty, and he also won five Silver Sluggers and played in nine All-Star Games. That’s pretty good, right? Unfortunately, there are a few things to consider.
Sheffield was a defensive liability, so much so that it knocks him off the top 100 in Career bWAR for a position player. He was not the most fan-friendly player, and he was like a baseball vagabond playing for eight different teams. The worst is that he has been linked to Performance Enhancing Drugs, and we all know what that means regarding the Hall of Fame.