Tag: Hall of Fame

HOF ’09: Jim Rice

I know it hasn’t happened yet, but I’m optimistic this will be the year Jim Rice finally gets inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame. I’ve got a special place in my heart for Rice, I drafted him with my first rookie draft pick in the Illowa APBA League 35 years ago. My team was in need of pitching, when is more pitching not needed? Well anyway I bypassed my need and took a hitter, not an ordinary hitter, a real HITTER! Using the APBA card based on his 1978 MVP season, when in real life Jim hit 46 homers, drove in 139, and batted .315, he hit 66 round trippers for my Chicago Champions.

Yes, I do understand that APBA is not real life, and a player cannot be inducted into Cooperstown based on his performances at Crackerjack Park, using dice. But you can see why I love this guy! Besides his MVP year, Big Jim put together a pretty impressive career, finishing with a batting average two points below .300, missing out on 400 homers by eighteen, while driving in 1,451 runs, over 14 seasons as a regular with the Red Sox.

This guy was one of the most feared hitters in the game. He was an eight time All Star and a two time Silver Slugger winner. Rice was so strong that he once broke a bat checking his swing, when bats were bats, none of this Maple BS.

Did I tell you he wore my favorite number 14 and was born on the same date as my first girlfriend Alice & Harris Davis?

 

Hall of Fame
 

Hall of Very Good
  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.

HOF ’09: Jay Bell

 

Jay Bell had an auspicious if not ironic start in the majors.  Like Harold Baines, he was drafted in the first round.  The Minnesota Twins turned around and traded him the next year in 1985 to Cleveland for Bert Blyleven (who turns out to be a fellow HOF ’09 candidate).  Bell’s very first at-bat was against Blyleven and he hit it for a home run.  To add more drama to the scenario, that home run was the 47th given up by Blyleven that year which broke the MLB record of 46 allowed by Robin Roberts. 

Bell Facts
  • Drafted First round in 1984 by the Minnesota Twins
  • Played for Cle, Pit, KC, Ari and NYM (1986-2003)
  • Two time All-Star, won one Gold Glove
  • 1999 best offensive year (.289, 38 HR, 112 rbis)

 

  Bell didn’t get much playing time with the Indians though and it wasn’t till he got traded to Pittsburgh that he got some serious at-bats in.  With the exception of ’94-’95, Bell played 150 games from 1990-1999.  He was a solid fielder not so much because of his range but of his knowledge of the hitters. 

jabell With the stick, Bell was mostly a singles and doubles hitter though he toyed with the four-base hit later in his career.  As the Pirates are wont to do, they dumped a player once he came into his own.  When Bell was traded to the Royals, he had a decent offensive year with 21 homers and 92 rbis.  That made him a valuable free agent and the Arizona Diamondbacks took advantage of his availability. 

With Arizona, he had his best offensive year of his career in 1999.  Batting .289, he rapped 38 dingers to go along with his 112 rbis.  Two years later, he helped Arizona in their bid to win the World Series.

Pros:  A “solid” (sorry, that’s the best I can say) hitter for a middle infielder, he did accumulate 1123 career runs, a decent OBP (.343) again for a middle infielder.

Cons:  where do I start?  the stats don’t bear out.  a .265 batting average, he’s a middle infielder without the speed and not much power.

 

  Hall of Fame
 

Hall of Very Good

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.  

HOF ’09: Harold Baines

“(Baines) was on his way to the Hall of Fame. He just stopped by Comiskey Park for 20 years or so.”

GM Paul Richards on the White Sox pick of Harold Baines in the first round of the 1977 draft.

First up in our lineup of HOF09 is Harold Baines.  Now, as a Cub fan, I normally have no use for White Sox players but I have to admit a fondness for Baines.  So, apparently do the Sox who took on Harold for three separate stints.  

Baines Facts
  • Drafted First round in 1977 by the Chicago White Sox
  • Played for ChW, Tex, Oak, Bal, and Cle (1980-2001)
  • Six time All-Star
  • Led AL in Slugging in 1984(.541)
  • 19th all-time in intentional walks (187)

 

Let’s get this out of the way.  Baines won’t be known for his glove.  Though he was a solid outfielder during his first part of his career, an injury and subsequent knee surgery in 1986 pretty much made him useless in the field and relegated him to DH duties thereafter.  So much so, that the This Week in Baseball’s skit where those in on the joke were “trying to find Baines’ glove” is still remembered. 

Yet, some talk about how pure Baines’ swing was.  From the start, he showed he was for real, hitting double figures in homers at the age of 21.  Two years later, he broke out for the Sox with 25 home runs and 105 rbis.  Baines continued his consistent style of hitting always putting up 20+ homers and 90+ rbis. 

10083hb After his 1986 knee surgery and resulting move to the DH role, his hitting numbers didn’t suffer… until 1988 when he banged out only 13 with a subpar .277 average.  The next year came the famous trade to Texas which brought young Sammy Sosa to Chicago. 

The 90s didn’t have the luster that the 80s did but Baines always found a way to find playing time as a DH.  I remember being amazed that year in and year out Baines would be in the lineup, busted knees and all.  He traveled from Texas to Oakland to Baltimore (his homestate).  Finally, after a half season stint with Cleveland, he came back to Chicago again where he finished the last two years of his career. 

Pros:  There’s probably no one with better character.  Clutch hitter, his career numbers look decent (1299 runs, 1628 rbis, more rbis than Mantle, (that comment should p–s somebody off).

Cons:  Not a dominating hitter not even in his era (only three 100-rbi seasons, no MVPs, not even close in voting), defense, we’ve already talked about that.

 

As much as I like Baines personally, I don’t see him making the Hall.  If the White Sox have their own Hall, he should be the first one inducted.  He’s Mr White Sox in my book.  But for Cooperstown, there are those with better credentials.  He makes the Hall of Very Good.

 

  Hall of Fame
600px-Red_x.svg

Hall of Very Good
  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.

HOF ’09: Profiling the Candidates

This winter, The Baseball Zealot will be doing profiles of the Hall of Fame candidates for 2009.  In addition, we’ll give our opinion on their inclusion in the Hall.   This post will serve as the entry point for the HOF ’09 series.

Here is the link to all the profiles written to date.  

The results will be announced on January 12th, 2009.  With any luck, we’ll get them all in before then. 

2009 Hall of Fame ballot announced

I was in Cooperstown the last time a left fielder was inducted to the Hall of Fame.  The fact that I was there on my honeymoon shows how often that happens since that was 20 years ago. 

Next year may another chance to welcome a left fielder to the hallowed halls.  Four #7s have their opportunity and two (and some may say three) have a good shot.  The four left fielders are Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice, Tim Raines and Ron Gant. 

It’s Rickey Henderson’s first shot on the ballot and alternatively it will be Jim Rice’s last. 

The full 2009 ballot:
• Harold Baines
• Jay Bell
• Bert Blyleven
• David Cone
• Andre Dawson
• Ron Gant
• Mark Grace
• Rickey Henderson
• Tommy John
• Don Mattingly
• Mark McGwire
• Jack Morris
• Dale Murphy
• Jesse Orosco
• Dave Parker
• Dan Plesac
• Tim Raines
• Jim Rice
• Lee Smith
• Alan Trammell
• Greg Vaughn
• Mo Vaughn
• Matt Williams

All things considered, it’s a strong, especially deep, class. 

Oh, the last left fielder inducted twenty years ago?  Carl Yastrzemski in the summer of 1989.  He was inducted along with Johnny Bench and Red Schoendienst.  I remember distinctly how red the crowd was.  I also remember the Cincinnati Reds booing A. Bart Giamatti and yelling “Free Pete Rose”. 

Mussina: Will he get the call in 5 years?

Since Mike Mussina retired, many pundits have asked the requisite question:  is the Moose Hall of Fame-worthy?

A valid question, to be sure.  We’ve had a few retirees in the last decade who were no-brainers (i.e Ripken, Gwynn etc).  But Mussina doesn’t necessarily fall in the “sure thing” category.  That he isn’t a household name doesn’t mean he shouldn’t warrant consideration though.  Let’s take a look. 

The Over-under on his Overall

His career stats are certainly formidable and fall within the parameters of Hall of Fame caliber pitchers.  

W   L   G   GS  CG SHO  IP     ER   HR  BB   SO    ERA 
----------+---+---+---+---+---+------+----+----+----+-
270 153 537 536  57  23 3562.7 1458 376  785 2813 3.68

A durable pitcher, Moose has pitched the qualifying amount since his second year in the league in 1992.  His 270 wins is tied for 33rd all time.  Winning percentage?  He’s 38th.  In strikeouts, he’s up to 19th. 

While Mussina’s actual ERA of 3.68 puts him  at 549th all-time (tied), his adjusted ERA+ (which is adjusted for the league and ballpark) of 123 moves him up to 78 (tied with Hall of Famer Juan Marichal). 

All of that plus Mussina’s longevity, gives him a decent shot at the Hall. 

The Down Side

But there are the detractors.  There are those who say he never won a Cy Young (he came in 2nd in the voting in 1999).  They say he never won 20 games… well, they USED to say that.  They also point to his 7-9 postseason record. 

These such detractors have dubbed Mussina with the nickname “Mr. Almost” with references to singer Kenny Loggins (due to his song, “I’m Alright”).  Plus the worst insult of all… saying he should be be inducted to the Hall of Very Good. 

Ouch.

Ok, maybe they’re not being fair.  Many defend the Moose, in particular saying that his stats were across the board better (BB/9, WHIP, ERA, even strikeouts) in 2001 than Roger Clemens when Clemens won the Cy Young.  The one thing that Clemens had going for him was his gaudy 20-3 record compared to Mussina’s 17-11. 

That is just one example but it almost typifies Mussina’s career.  Getting the dirty work done, doing it well, and not getting much of the credit.  We’ll see what happens in five years.  Most certainly he will be on the ballot and the same discussion will be had again. 

I would vote yes but ask me again in 2013.

Buck O’Neil & Black Baseball in Chicago

Last night while watching the Blackhawks win big over Calgary, I was flipping the channel to my TV, and what should I see, but baseball! Needless to say, I stopped flipping, and my eyes became transfixed on the images on the screen. Channel 20 in Chicago was airing the premiere of Buck O’Neil & Black Baseball in Chicago, an encore showing will air November 13th at 7:30 PM, again on channel 20.

The late, great, Buck O’Neil talked about his days in the Negro Leagues and becoming the first African American baseball coach in the major leagues with the Chicago Cubs. O’Neil said, he never really resented not being allowed to play in the big leagues, because the best ballplayers of the day were in the Negro Leagues. Bob Kendrick, the Director of the Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City, stated how upset he was when Buck didn’t make it into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown before his death. Seventeen former Negro Leaguers were inducted in the last induction before O’Neil’s death. Buck didn’t feel sorry for himself at not getting in, but rather was thrilled 17 others had made it, according to Kendrick.

The documentary brings the past to life. It talked about the Double Duty Classic, which features the best young high school African American ballplayers competing in this East/West Classic, named after Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe. It also shows the statue of Buck O’Neil that resides in the HOF, and there’s a lifetime achievement award named after O’Neil. Buck was the first winner of this award. Back in the day, the East/West Classic was the Negro Leagues All Star Game, was played at Comiskey Park in Chicago, would draw 50,000 fans, and featured the best African American ballplayers playing all out.

The show talks about how O’Neil managed Ernie Banks for the Kansas City Monarchs and then coached Banks with the Cubs. Buck also talked Billy Williams out of quitting after experiencing racism in Texas before coming up to the Cubs. Jermaine Dye, of the Chicago White Sox, came up with the Kansas City Royals, commented how fortunate he was to have met Buck O’Neil, while coming up to the big leagues.

There is also mention of the Chicago Baseball Museum, a work in progress, that can be checked out at www.chicagobaseballmuseum.org Also, if you can, checkout Buck O’Neil & Black Baseball in Chicago when its encore performance airs on Thursday the 13th on channel 20.

RIP: Mickey Vernon

James "Mickey" Vernon, the firstbaseman who played for over 20 years in the 40’s and the 50’s passed away Wednesday. 

From all accounts, I always considered Vernon to be one the best players who isn’t in the Hall of Fame. 

That may change though.  Vernon has been selected to the final ballot of the Veterans Committee for the 2008 class.  The results of the ballot will be announced on December 8th. 

Vernon also managed the Washington Senators, the team he played the most, between 1961-1963. 

Ron Santo: The last chance for the Vet Committee to get it right

Santo at the 2008 Cubs Convention

 

Stop me if you heard this one.  Ron Santo was one of ten players selected to this year’s Veteran’s Committee Ballot.  And once again, he will need a 75 percent to make it to the Hall of Fame.  Results will be announced on December 8th.

The kicker is that this is Santo’s last chance.  If he doesn’t get in this year, he will have no chance to be selected to next year’s ballot. 

I won’t bother reciting Santo’s stats.  Anyone who’s followed the issue, is familiar with them.  Or belabor the point that he was playing in a pitcher’s era.  Or go on and on about his defensive prowess.  You all know about that. 

All that doesn’t even take in consideration his work with the Cubs as a broadcaster and all-around ambassador for the game. 

If you’re looking for a good bio, please read Al Yellon’s piece on Bleed Cubbie Blue when he chose Santo as the #7 Cub of all time.  It’s one of most detailed articles you’ll find on him. 

The esteemed Joe Sheehan says that the "omission of Ron Santo is the most egregious mistake ever made by the Baseball Writers Association of America" and calls for the Veterans Committee to rectify that mistake.  On a personal level,  I know a lot of baseball people and almost every I know support Ron Santo for the Hall.  Yes, that includes White Sox fans. 

So Veterans Committee, get it right and get it done.  Vote for Ron Santo. 

RIP Dottie Collins, 84 member of the AAGPBL

17collins.190

National Baseball Hall of Fame Library

 

Dottie Collins, star pitcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, passed away from a stroke Tuesday in Fort Wayne Ind.

Not only was she one of the biggest names in the women’s baseball league and one of the best players, she did a lot to keep the memory of the league alive. 

According to Richard Goldstein in the NYT, she was quite a hurler:

She pitched underhand, sidearm and overhand; she threw curveballs, fastballs and changeups; and in the summer of 1948, she pitched until she was four months pregnant. She won more than 20 games in each of her first four seasons. She threw 17 shutouts and had a league-leading 293 strikeouts in 1945 for the Fort Wayne Daisies, when the women’s game resembled fast-pitch softball.

She also had a lot to do with the Women in Baseball exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Without her, it wouldn’t have happened.