Tag: hof09

HOF ’09: Jack Morris

It’s a way to stay alive, a way to survive as a pitcher. If you didn’t do it, you either had phenomenal control, or you didn’t last.

Jack Morris

I admit, I didn’t know a whole lot about Jack Morris until doing research for this article.  The one thing I DID know as most baseball people do, is that Morris won more games than any pitcher in the 80’s.  Yes, wins aren’t a perfect stat but let’s keep that in mind. 

Morris Facts
  • Drafted 5th round in 1976 by the Detroit Tigers
  • Attended Brigham Young University
  • Played for Det, Min, Tor, Cle (1977-1994)
  • 5 time All-Star
  • pitched no-hitter April 7, 1984 for Detroit vs ChiA
  • led AL in WP six times

 

First and foremost, Jack Morris was a Tiger.  He was drafted by them in 1976 and played for them for 14 of his 18 years.  He was a workhorse by today’s standards, pitching over 240 innings nine times.  Not only that, he had 175 complete games (remember those?). 

Morris hit the 20 mark in wins three times in his career all pretty much spaced out over his career… 1983, 1986 and 1992.  It’s actually pretty amazing that he holds that 80s record but you can attribute to consistent play throughout the decade (aside from 1989 when he only garnered 6 wins). 

jmorris Due to his high inning totals, you’ll see Morris up there in the all-time leader boards.  He’s 14th in home runs allowed (389), 36th in GS (527), 8th in wild pitches (206) and 19th in walks (1390). 

But he also has 254 wins (to 186 losses) to which kinda surprised me when I looked it up.  Not only that, he had a tasty 7-4 record in the postseason.  Morris helped the Tigers win the World Series against the San Diego Padres in ’84.  His experience was helpful for Minnesota in 1991 when they went all the way and the next year, Toronto rented his services and won another crown.  

Morris’ career 3.90 ERA is a bit high.  It’s actually higher than the league average when he was playing.  But no doubt about it, he was a winner. 

    

  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: Mark McGwire

 

“Any time a guy that big steps up to the plate – they’re very few and far between, thank God – it’s kind of hard not to notice him standing there. The sun just disappears for a while.”

Kevin Brown on Mark McGwire

 

Oh what to do with Mark McGwire and the Hall of Fame!  He was denied entry the past two years, some say because of allegations of use of performance enhancers, others might just just say because of his one-sided talent.  But just how one-sided was it?  And if so, does it really matter?

markmcgwire Let’s get the big stats out of the way.  Sixteen seasons, 583 homeruns, 1414 rbis, 1167 runs… and six triples. 

His 1596 strikeouts was accompanied by 1317 walks.  Not a bad ratio by any means… he knew how to take a walk or maybe more accurately, the opposing pitchers knew when to pitch around him. 

McGwire played for the Oakland Athletics from 1986-1997 when for most of the time, he was paired up with Jose Canseco to form the famed “Bash Brothers”.  Ironically, if you look at the Similar Batters list in Baseball Reference, Canseco heads the list. 

When firstbasemen get old, they tend to head to the AL.  Not McGwire… he did it in reverse.  In 1997 at the age of 33, he was traded to the St Louis Cardinals for three players.  Now in this era of free agency and with most players heading toward this time in their career, most players are considering this as a career move but I honestly think Mark McGwire loved playing in St Louis. 

At the time, the year of 1998 did much for baseball.  Living in downstate Illinois put me smack dab in the middle of the two men who made it so mcgwiretestimonyexciting, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.  McGwire of course, broke the home record that year with his 70 homeruns but Sosa won the MVP award.

In retrospect, many feel it is tainted because of allegations of use of performance enhancing drugs.  He didn’t help his cause when he avoided the question in 2005 at a congressional hearing. 

Why Mark McGwire will make the Hall of Fame

There’s no question in my mind that if you drop the PED issue, McGwire would make the Hall.  There are people who will tell you differently but I think their judgement is still being clouded.  Look at his qualifications:

  • Four time home run champ
  • 12-time All-Star
  • 8th all-time in homeruns (583)
  • 9th all-time slugging (.588)
  • all-time leader in at-bats per home run (10.6)

McGwire was the best at what he did for his era.  Hitting homeruns. 

Also, the writers have had two years to settle down about the PED thing.  By now, they will have had a chance to look at what he did for baseball.

Why Mark McGwire will NOT make the Hall of Fame

1.  Timing.  Some writers have not forgotten about the andro or the PED allegations.  My honest opinion is that if the Mitchell Report had never come out, McGwire would have a plaque in the Hall right now. 

2.  Some writers do believe that McGwire is a one-talent hitter and/or believe that his one talent (slugging) wasn’t enough to compensate for his weaknesses.  Check out The Hardball Times’ more objective look at McGwire. 

3.  Demonization.  Ok, that’s a strong word but once a train starts leaving a station, everybody wants to jump onboard. 

When it comes down to it, I would vote for McGwire and I think the writers will eventually.  Maybe not this year or the next. 

But eventually.

 

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: Don Mattingly

mattingly

“Honestly, at one time I thought Babe Ruth was a cartoon character. I really did, I mean I wasn’t born until 1961 and I grew up in Indiana.”

Don Mattingly

Donnie Baseball, a nickname bestowed on him by the late Kirby Puckett, was arguably the best firstbaseman in the American League from 1984-87. In 1985 he was named AL MVP, driving in 145 runs, with 211 basehits, including 48 doubles & 35 HRs, winning the first of nine consecutive Gold Gloves. His average soared to .352 in 1986, with an amazing 238 hits, & 53 doubles, 113 RBIs. In 1984, Don was no slouch in his first full year in the bigs, batting .343, with 207 hits, and 110 runs batted in. Despite injuring his back during the 1987 season, Mattingly managed to put up some pretty good numbers, .327, 30 HRs, & 115 RBIs. Over the next two years he wasn’t the same, only 88 RBIs in 1988, bouncing back with 113 ribbies in 1989, batting .311 & .303 respectively, however his homers dropped to 18 & 23. The next year was the beginning of the end, only five homers, with a very average .256 batting average.

Turns out Don Mattingly’s injured back was the result of horseplay between himself and teammate Bob Shirley. A friend, in the know, said Bob Shirley brought drugs to the San Diego Padres during the 80s, now here’s another reason to dislike him. Without a doubt, Mattingly was on the fast track to Cooperstown, until the Shirley incident. He still managed a .307 batting average over 14 years, with 1,099 RBIs, 2,153 hits, and 222 home runs.

Although Mattingly never played in a World Series game during his fourteen year career with the Yanks, he’s one of the most popular Bronx Bombers ever. The Yankees lost the 1981 World Series, the year before Don Mattingly made his debut, in his first 13 years in pinstripes New York did not make it to postseason play. In 1994 the Yankees had the best record in the American League, but a players strike cut short the season and meant no postseason play. On the final day of his final regular season (1995) New York won the Wild Card, Mattingly batted .417 with 6 RBIs, but Seattle beat the Yankees in 11 innings of the decisive game five.

Despite his enormous popularity, his .300 batting average, and his HOF first four years of his career, I have to ask, “Why is this guy even on the ballot?”

 

  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: Rickey Henderson

rickey-henderson

“If my uniform doesn’t get dirty, I haven’t done anything in the baseball game.”

Rickey Henderson

In 2003 Rickey signed on with the Independent League Newark Bears, the LA Dodgers signed Henderson after the All Star break. Amazingly at the age of 44 in 30 games in Los Angeles, he hit two homers, batted .208, while stealing three bases without being caught. This guy reminds me of a player, who’d play the game for nothing, he loved it that much, definitely a throwback.

There are all kinds of stories of Rickey speaking in the third person and an account him seeing John Olerud playing firstbase with a batting helmet on, “Hey, Rickey used to have a teammate with the Mets who played first with a helmet.” Olerud then informed Rickey that they were teammates with the Mets, but that story is false. Here is a quote from Henderson that shows how much he loved to play, one month after the Oakland A’s offered to sign him up for one day in September, 2007, so Rickey could retire an Oakland A, Rickey said, “One day? I don’t want one day. I want to play again, man. I don’t want nobody’s spot… I just want to see if I deserve to be out there. If I don’t, just get rid of me, release me. And if I belong, you don’t have to pay me but the minimum — and I’ll donate every penny of that to some charity. So, how’s that hurtin’ anybody?… Don’t say goodbye for me… When I want that one day they want to give me so bad, I’ll let you know.”

Rickey Henderson was born on Christmas Day 1958 in Chicago, but moved to Oakland when his father left when Rickey was only two. His father died when Henderson was just twelve years of age. Rickey’s mother remarried and the family took on her new husband’s surname of Henderson. He was a natural lefthander, but learned to bat from the right side because he thought that was the way you were supposed to hit. Rickey married his high school sweetheart Pamela, together they have three children, Angela, Alexis, & Adriann.

He finished his career with more stolen bases (1,406) and more runs scored (2,295) than anybody in the history of the game. In a game in 1977 he stole seven bases, tying a major league record. Some say, I’d have to agree, he was the greatest leadoff man in the history of the game, certainly of his era. He had 3,055 hits & 2,190 walks, 510 doubles, and three homers shy of 300, with a lifetime batting average of .279, and an incredible .401 OBP. Three times within his first five years he stole over 100 bases, a record 130 in 1982, only two other ballplayers in the modern era stole 100 bases in a year, each only once.

Henderson started with the A’s, was traded to the NY Yankees in time to score 146 times in 1985, he’d return to play for Oakland three more times. In 13 seasons he scored over 100 runs. Despite the wear and tear running had on his body, he played an unbelievable 25 years in the major leagues. Even though he wasn’t a power hitter, he could go yard, as evidenced by his career high in home runs of 28 in both 1986 & 1990. Seven times he walked over 100 times, five more years with more than 90 bases on balls, in 1989 he walked a career high 126 times. Along with a keen eye, Henderson perfected a crouched batting style, which gave him a very small strike zone.

He was on two World Championship teams, 1989 Oakland & 1993 Toronto, ironically both times he was traded midseason. Ten times he was an All Star, three times he won Silver Slugger Awards, once he won a Gold Glove, in 1990 he was the American League MVP, and in 1999 at the age of 40 he was named NL Comeback Player of the Year. He hit a record high 81 leadoff home runs.

Here’s proof as to how great of a ballplayer Rickey Henderson was, statistician Bill James was quoted as saying, “If you could split him in two, you’d have two Hall of Famers.”

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: Mark Grace

“The most important thing about playing baseball is to have fun. I’m about to start my 13th year, but I can remember my rookie season like it was yesterday. It goes fast, folks.”

Mark Grace

As a Cub fan, I suppose I should be all over he idea of Mark Grace getting into the hallowed halls of Cooperstown.  I know other Wrigley faithful who support the idea.  But let’s take off our rose-tinted glasses for a moment and look at the player and man objectively before inducting him just yet.

Grace Facts
  • Drafted 24th round in 1985 by the Chicago Cubs
  • Played for ChiC, Ari (1988-2003)
  • 3 time All-Star, 4 Gold Gloves
  • 511 career doubles (39th all-time)

 

The one thing about Mark Grace is that you pretty much knew who you were going to get year in and year out.  Not including his last two years, he only batted below .298 once in his career (.273 in 1991).  Grace had a great eye at the plate with his walks surpassing his strikeouts every year and consistently ranking in the top ten in OBP. 

Not only was he consistent at the plate, he managed to show up at work every day.  In the 12 years from 1989-2000, Grace dipped below 500 at-bats only once (403 in 1993). 

0501008P BRAVES V CUBS For a firstbaseman, Grace wasn’t blessed with power.  He never reached 20 homers in a season.  Despite that, Cubs’ managers batted him in the coveted #3 spot in the lineup right after Ryne Sandberg.  With the Cubs, Grace only got as far as the first round of the playoffs with the Cubs in 1989 and 1998 but fate smiled on him in 2001 when he played for the Diamondbacks.  The Dbacks went all the way to the World Series.  With Grace’s help (3 rbis including a solo shot in Game 4), Arizona defeated the New York Yankees to become the World Champions that year. 

I suppose to say that Mark Grace was a steady ballplayer would be an insult.  But I don’t want to underestimate that either.  He was a solid career .303 hitter with a fine glove (four Gold Gloves) you plug in the lineup day in and day out. 

But that’s not enough for the Hall of Fame.  I don’t like throwing out stats to prove a point but I can’t ignore them either.  Grace was player who played a position associated with power and he just didn’t have much. He never hit 20 HR in a season nor did he drive in 100 rbis. 

sorry, Chicago fans… I loved him as a Cub but he won’t make it.    

  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: Andre Dawson

“No player in baseball history worked harder, suffered more or did it better than Andre Dawson. He’s the best I’ve ever seen.”

Hall of Fame secondbaseman Ryne Sandberg

 

Over the years, I’ve gone back and forth on the Andre Dawson question.  Lately though, I’m beginning to feel the Hawk belongs.  The votes have been close lately, receiving the most votes in 2008 to this point. 

Dawson Facts

  • Drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 11th round in 1975
  • Played for Mon, ChiC, Bos, Fla (1976-1996)
  • Seven time All-Star, Eight Golden Gloves
  • Hit for the cycle April 29, 1987
  • 438 HR, 1591 RBIs, 314 SB

 

After a brief cup of coffee for the Montreal Expos in 1976, Andre Dawson’s rookie season in 1977 pretty much summed up the kind of player he was.  A five tool athlete could hit (.282), hit for power (19 HR), run (19 SB) and field.  For his efforts, Dawson was awarded the Rookie of the Year award. 

Though his hitting dipped (.253), his sophomore year was no jinx (25 HR, 28 SB) and for that matter so were the next five or six years.  As a matter of fact, he hit over .300 three years straight.  In 1984, he did hit only .248 but managed to drive in 86 runs anyway.  Dawson’s big year with Montreal was in 1983.  That year, he hit the century mark in runs (104) and rbis (113) while cranking 32 homeruns and stealing 25 bases. 

andre_dawson_expos As part of the Expos famed outfield with Ellis Valentine  and Warren Cromartie, Dawson at least made baseball interesting to watch in Montreal. 

As a free agent, he signed with the Chicago Cubs for $700,000 in what everyone found out to be a collusion effort throughout baseball on the owners’ part.  The Cubs got their money’s worth at least from Dawson.  Despite the Cubs cellar-dwelling performance, Dawson hit 49 homeruns and 137 rbis.  He won the NL MVP award, the first player to win while playing for a last place team. 

By the 1990s, Dawson’s knees were getting the best of him and his speed had gone.  He was a smart baserunner and an instinctive in the field.  His bat still had some pop (27 HR in 1990, 31 HR in 1991) and he batted .310 in 1990. 

In 1993, he was signed by the Red Sox.  After two relatively productive years (13 and 16 HRs), he came back to the NL to play for Florida but he was pretty much finished by then squeezing out less than 300 at-bats in two years.

Pros:  If  you use the “dominate his era” argument for the Hall, you can make a good case for Dawson.  Not only is he a seven-time All-Star, he won 8 Golden Gloves.  Add to that his MVP (he came in second twice) and Rookie of the Year award, you have enough mantle metal to justify it. 

Dawson didn’t rely on one or two stats to contribute to his team.  He was a five tool player and maybe that will hurt him in the end in getting to the Hall.

Cons:  Dawson was a free swinger and thus his OBP was low throughout his career (.323).  His highest walk total for a season was 44.  His career totals don’t scream “Hall of Fame!”  He didn’t hit any of the automatic milestones (438 HR, 2774 hits… something by the way, I’m beginning to tire of).   Lastly, playing for Montreal and Chicago Cubs for the bulk of his career and therefore not getting a whole lot of postseason time (he got as far as the NLCS with Montreal in 1981, lost in the NLDS with the Cubs in 1989) won’t help. 

Maybe I’m being a Cubs homer here but I’m putting Dawson in. 

 

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: David Cone

“The Yankees’ David Cone, who could have played linebacker, is what I call a junkyard dog because he’ll knock you out of the box without blinking. He’s got a better-than-average fastball and a real hard slider. Those two pitches help set up one of the best change-ups in either league.”

Umpire Durwood Merrill in You’re Out and You’re Ugly Too

Despite not being a household name, David Brian Cone put together a pretty good career between the years of 1986-2003.  Though he missed the 200 win mark at 194 victories, his .606 winning percentage ranks among the best (95th all-time). 

  • Cone Facts
    Drafted in 3rd round by Kansas City Royals in 1981
    Played for KC (twice), NYM (twice), Tor, (twice), NYY, Bos
    Four time All-Star, won Cy Young 1994
    Pitched perfect game 1994
    12-3 postseason record

 

Cone won a Cy Young award in the shortened season of 1994 with a 16-5 record and a 2.94 ERA.  Typical of his style, his K/BB ratio was excellent that year at 132 to 54. 

One of Cone’s most outstanding seasons came in his first full year in the majors.  In 1988 for the Mets, he went 20-3 with an ERA of only 2.22.  He struck out 213 that year.  Cone’s other 20-win season came ten years later in 1998 while pitching for the cross town rivals, the Yankees.  Along with his 20-7 record, he struck out 209 while walking only 59 with an ERA of 3.55. 

coned A hard thrower, Cone led the league in Ks in 1990-91 and K/9 1990-92.   He has 2668 career strikeouts which is good for 22nd all-time. 

Mostly by virtue of playing for the Yankees, Cone had the privilege of playing on World Champion teams.  Five to be exact.  What was his World Series record?  5-0 with a 2.12 ERA.  Nice.  His ALCS record?  5-1. 

He probably won’t make it to the Hall but in my eyes it’ll be closer that people think.  Let’s face it, the idea at least in my opinion, is to induct players who dominated in their eras.  At least for a short while, Cone did that.  And the postseason performance doesn’t hurt either.  Let’s put him in the Hall of Very Good.  

 

  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: Matt Williams

matt_williams_autograph

When Matt Williams was coming up through the San Francisco Giants system there were comparisons to Mike Schmidt & Cal Ripken. Matty started out as a shortstop, a big man like Cal, but Williams would move over to the hot corner almost immediately upon his arrival in the majors. Like Schmidt, it took Matt a little while to find his way above the Mendoza-line (.200 batting average), hitting .188, .205, & .202 in limited play in his first three seasons.

In 1990 at the age of 24, Williams claimed the Giants thirdbase job. Making the All Star team, Matt did it with the bat, hitting .277, with 33 homers, and 122 RBIs (a career high of 138 strikeouts), and with the glove, shifting over from SS, 3B presented him with no problems in the field. He also earned his first Silver Slugger Award. He would be named an All Star four more years (1994-96, 99), be a four time Gold Glove winner (1991-94, 97) and earn the Silver Slugger three more times (1993-94, 97).

1994 was his best year with the Giants, but it was also the year of the strike, in only 115 games, Williams hit 43 (career best) home runs (on a pace to break Roger Maris’ single season mark, calculated over a full year), driving in 96. Then the next year he broke a bone in his right foot, causing him to play in only 76 games, he batted .336 with 23 long balls & 65 RBIs.

Matt Williams had arguably his best overall season with the Diamondbacks in 1999, a .303 batting average, 35 HRs, and 142 RBIs, leading Arizona to a first place finish. Over his 17 year career, Matt hit 378 home runs, drove in 1,218, while hitting .268.

I loved this guy like a brother. A foul ball off his bat at Wrigley Field went straight up the elevator shaft and came down to the left of homeplate, two feet away from my left foot. He played most of his APBA days for my Chicago Champions of the Illowa APBA League, where he hit 62 homers, with 168 RBIs, using his strike card, incredibly his IAL stats are very similar to his real life totals (387 HRs, 1,137 RBIs, .258). BTW, he’s not in the IAL HOF.

Interestingly Vinny Castilla’s career is most similar to Matt Williams according to the Baseball Reference, others mentioned include Ron Cey & Robin Ventura. Would I be way off base if I were to mention comparing Ron Santo’s numbers to Matt Williams? That said, What is this guy doing on the ballot?

  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: Dave Parker

Seven time All Star, 1978 National League MVP, all the talent in the world, heir apparent to Roberto Clemente’s hallowed rightfield in Pittsburgh, what happened? Drugs happened for one thing, he was doing cocaine, injuries also slowed him down, but he also had an attitude that he didn’t have to work, due to his tremendous talent, but it all caught up with him. When I took over the Chicago Champions in the 2nd year of the Illowa APBA League, Davey P was on my team, he was the heart of a very good lineup, but the team needed pitching, so he was traded to the Thunderchickens along with Joe Rudi in exchange for John Candelaria & Don Baylor. It was a deal that helped both ballclubs.

In real life, Parker looked to be on the fast track to the Hall of Fame. In his first full season with the Pirates, he posted a .308 average, drove in 101, hitting 25 long balls, with 35 doubles & 10 triples. Dave also possessed the best throwing arm in the game (26 assists in 1977), maybe since Clemente. In ’77 he had a career best batting average of .338, which led the league, he also had more hits 215 than anybody in the league, and in ’78 he again was tops in batting average with a .334 mark. His .585 slugging average was also the best, he won a Gold Glove in 1977, 78, & 79, and he had 117 RBIs in his 1978 MVP season. He had a couple of more very good years with the Buccos in 1979 & 80, hitting .310 & .295 respectively. This big guy hit the ball so hard, that he actually tore the cover off a baseball he ripped into rightfield in 1979. The Pirates rewarded him, making him baseball’s first million dollar ballplayer.

Knee injuries limited him to only 67 & 73 games in 1981-82, he bounced back playing a full season with Pittsburgh in 1983, but he wasn’t quite the same. The injuries, weight gain, and cocaine had taken their tole on him. Still the Cincinnati Reds wanted him, signing him as a free agent. In 1985 at the age of 34, Parker had one of the best years of his career with the Reds, reaching his personal bests in homers 34 & RBIs 125, and a solid .312 batting average, finishing the season two hits shy of 200, He placed second in the MVP voting to Willie McGee. Then in 86 he had another monster year with Cincinnati, 31 HRs & 116 RBIs. His batting average dipped to .253 in 1987, although he did have 97 runs batted in, with 26 goners. He enjoyed some success in the American League, mostly as a designated hitter, driving in 97 with the A’s at the age of 38, and knocking in 92 with Milwaukee in 1990 at the age of 39.

With all of his accomplishments, there was only one person who could keep this man out of the Hall of Fame, and that man was Dave Parker, himself. Despite his drug abuses, his injuries, and his lack of dedication, he produced numbers that are comparable to others who’ve made it into the Hall. Parker notched a lifetime .290 batting average, 339 homers, 1,493 RBIs, and 1,272 runs scored, during his 19 year career. IMHO, Dave is only good enough for the Hall of the Very Good.

On a side note, since his retirement, Parker’s had both knees replaced. He owns several Popeyes Chicken Restaurants in the Cincinnati area.

  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: Ron Gant

The Chicago Champions of the Illowa APBA League, I drafted Ron Gant after his rookie year as a secondbaseman(?) for the Atlanta Braves. He played secondbase with a bat in his hands. He was quite a talent, Gant could do it all, especially hit for power & run, but he was no infielder, no matter how hard the Braves tried to make him one.

After his disastrous start at 2B, Atlanta moved Gant across the diamond to give him a crack at the hot corner, he fared no better there, and soon he became an outfielder, a pretty good one at that, even playing two seasons in centerfield, before settling on LF. But with Ron, it was all about the bat, not the glove. He posted some respectable offensive numbers over his 16 year career, despite being involved in a career threatening motorcycle accident, which robbed him of alot of his speed, but he rehabbed hard, and fully rebounded from the accident. Gant scored & drove in over 1,000 runs, belted 321 home runs, while pilfering 243 bases. The downside for Ronnie were his K’s, he struckout 1,411 times and batted only .256 for his career.

All in all, a nice career, but Hall of Fame? Why’s this guy even on the ballot?

  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.