When I first saw the name Greg Vaughn listed among the other Hall of Fame eligible players, I thought, what the f***?!?! But then, believe it or not, he had some pretty impressive numbers. It’s kind of like getting set up on a blind date with somebody’s cousin, who has a wonderful personality, and you find out, she ain’t half bad.
Jerry Royster’s & Mo Vaughn’s cousin was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 4th pick in the 1986 draft out of the University of Miami. Greg was an All Star four times, 1993, 96, 98, & 2001, four times he hit 30+ home runs, and three times drove in 100 or more. In 1998 he won a Silver Slugger, was named NL Comeback Player of the Year, hitting 50 home runs, trailing only Ken Griffey, Jr., Sammy Sosa, & Mark McGwire (who set the home run record that season). The next year Vaughn was traded to the Cincinnati Reds where he blasted 45 long balls, to become only the 2nd player in history to hit 40 or more homers for two different ballclubs (Andres Galarraga was the first).
On the downside, he was a poor outfielder, who struck out 100+ times nine different seasons, 1,513 times over 15 seasons, his lifetime average was just .242. Greg Vaughn was ripped at 6’0″ 193 pounds of solid muscle. Still, overall, you have to ask, Why is he even on the ballot?
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Why is he even on the Ballot? |
While we wait for January 12 ballot results, The Baseball Zealot will be profiling those players who are on the 2009 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. Read the rest the of the profiles.
wasn’t his nickname Hootie cuz he sorta looked like the guy from the Blowfish?
And yeah, Greg Vaughn, relatively speaking, is a dime a dozen, fifty homers and all. Say what you want about Plesac and Orosco but at least they were one of the best at what they do.
50 HR a dime a dozen? Come on. Not saying he is a HOFer but not a smart statement.
Todd,
umm, Brady Anderson hit 50.
’nuff said.
I would much rather have the career of Greg Vaughn for my team than the career of Dan Plesac or the career of Jesse Orosco.
DonS
its hard to compare but if you consider the quality of the player replacing them , it’s a tough call.
Nobody better than Orosco and Plesac at being a lefty specialist.
bad fielding slugging firstbasemen who hit can only hit 50 homers in a year when that was only good enough to get you third?
like I said, *relatively speaking*, dime a dozen .
I have a 2001 inaugural first pitch world series ball signed by Greg Vaughn. So im rootin for him to get in, and not just for me, (well, maybe a little, cause I have a collection of autographed Hall Of Famer baseballs). His stats are good enough, maybe not the highest of caliber, but there are people with worst stats in the Hall.
But in all reeality he probably wont make it for a couple of decades with people like Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Lee Smith, etc. With the likes of those players trying to get in , his chances are slim. But I wish him the best.
Plus, I always was a fan of late 80’s early 90’s Red Sox ball, (Mike Greenwell, Mo Vaughn, etc.) And he is Mo Vaughns cousin.