Tagged: Dale Murphy
Crime Finally Pays
Fred McGriff hit 493 Home Runs, the same as Lou Gehrig. His .284 career Batting Average is higher than Ken Griffey Jr. and Craig Biggio. McGriff collected more hits than David Ortiz and more Doubles than Roberto Clemente. He has more RBI than Joe DiMaggio and a higher OPS than Sammy Sosa. Fred McGriff played 19 seasons of consistent baseball, without even the faintest whiff of PEDs. He finished in the top 10 in MVP voting six times. McGriff helped the Braves win the World Series in 1995. So why did it take so long for Fred McGriff to be elected to the Hall of Fame?
The Crime Dog was a steady presence in baseball for nearly two decades, and it took nearly as long for him to take his rightful spot in Cooperstown. Why? Maybe the ballots were too stacked. McGriff appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2010. He was one of 26 former players on that ballot. He received 21.5% of the vote. 11 players received less than 5% of the vote and fell off. Andre Dawson was elected in his 9th year of eligibility. Harold Baines received 6.1% of the vote and still made it to Cooperstown before McGriff. Four of the 15 players to receive more than 5% of the vote in 2010 are not in the Hall of Fame. Mark McGwire because of PED usage. Don Mattingly, Dave Parker, and Dale Murphy each have supporters that strongly believe they should be in Cooperstown.
Fred McGriff was a cool customer on the field, quietly great. (Focus on Sports/ Getty Images)
McGriff remained on the ballot for the full ten years. He peaked with 39.8% in 2019, his final year of eligibility. Only seven non-Hall of Fame players ever finished higher than McGriff. Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Manny Ramirez are strongly connected to PEDs and the Steroid Era. Omar Vizquel is a defensive wizard with a weak bat on the diamond and a terrible person off. Curt Schilling is a bad businessman and traffics in conspiracy theories. Jeff Kent is an all time great Second Basemen, but was never a fan of the media. There are reasons these seven players have never been honored.
The stats have not changed. There were plenty of Hall of Fame players around McGriff, but never controversy. The helicopter, one handed finish to his swing remains a sight to behold. Whatever the reason, an oversight has been corrected. The Baseball Writers swung and missed for a decade. It took one try for McGriff’s contemporaries to place him in Cooperstown. He was a unanimous choice, 16 out of 16 voters see him as a Hall of Famer. He was the only player elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee. The Tom Emanski instructional videos that taught Major League skills and were endorsed by Major League Superstar Fred McGriff needs an update. They are now endorsed by Baseball Hall of Famer Fred McGriff.
Welcome to Cooperstown Crime Dog, you should have been in a decade ago.
DJ
United States of Baseball- Oregon
Portland should be on the short list for an MLB franchise during the next MLB expansion. Until then, Oregon will continue with Minor League and Independent League Baseball. The Beaver State is no stranger to baseball despite not having an MLB team. Oregon has sent 137 players to the Majors. The greatest pitcher born in the Beaver State is Mickey Lolich. His 48.01 career WAR ranks as the 31st highest among state and territory pitching leaders. The greatest position player born in Oregon is Dale Murphy. His 46.54 career WAR is the 39th highest among state and territory position player leaders. The Beaver State has a combined 94.55 WAR, ranking Oregon 36th highest among all states and territories in the United States of Baseball.
Mickey Lolich might not have made the Major Leagues if not for a childhood accident. An injury to his right arm, caused Lolich to begin pitching Southpaw. The Portland native signed with the Detroit Tigers for $30,000 out of high school. The unnatural Lefty pitched for 16 seasons with three teams: Detroit Tigers (1963-1975), New York Mets (1976), and San Diego Padres (1978-1979). Sticking in the Majors in 1964, Lolich laid the foundation for his career by pitching a 30 ⅔ scoreless innings streak. It was a sign of things to come. Lolich pitched in 586 career Games, made 496 Starts, Finished 40 Games, threw 195 Complete Games, including 41 Shutouts, in 3,638.1 Innings Pitched, allowed 3,366 Hits, 1,537 Runs, 1,390 Earned Runs, 347 Home Runs, 2,832 Strikeouts, 1,099 Walks, posted a 217-191 record, 3.44 ERA, 1.227 WHIP, and 104 ERA+. His numbers could have been even better had Lolich not retired following the 1977 season rather than pitching another season for the Mets. He returned a year later with the Padres.
Lolich was a disciple of pitching coach Johnny Sain. Sain transformed numerous pitchers from good to great during his long coaching career. He worked magic as Lolich won an American League strikeout title and finished second four times. Lolich held the American League strikeout record with 2,679 until 2007. Unlike the strikeout artists of today, Lolich was also an innings eater, throwing Complete Games in 40% of his Starts.
Lolich was named to three All Star teams. He appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot for 15 years from 1985 to 1999, peaking with 25.5% of the vote in 1988. Lolich also appeared on the Veterans Committee Ballot three times, but failed to receive the necessary votes for induction.
The best season of Mickey Lolich’s career came with the 1971 Detroit Tigers. He made 45 Starts, threw 29 Complete Games, including 4 Shutouts, in 376 Innings Pitched, he allowed 336 Hits, 133 Runs, 122 Earned Runs, 36 Home Runs, 308 Strikeouts, 92 Walks, posted a 25-14 record, 2.92 ERA, 1.138 WHIP, and 124 ERA+. Lolich led the American League in Wins, Starts, Complete Games, Innings Pitched, Hits allowed, Strikeouts, and Batters Faced. He was an All Star and finished second to Vida Blue for the Cy Young Award and fifth for the American League MVP award.
The Fall Classic allowed Lolich to shine. He pitched in two World Series, making 5 Starts, throwing 3 Complete Games, in 46 Innings Pitched, allowing 34 Hits, 9 Runs, 8 Earned Runs, 3 Home Runs, 31 Strikeouts, 11 Walks, posted a 3-1 record, 1.57 ERA, and 0.978 WHIP. Lolich shined brightest in the 1968 Fall Classic, outdueling Bob Gibson and the Cardinals. He made 3 Starts, threw 3 Complete Games, in 27 Innings Pitched, allowed 20 Hits, 5 Runs, 5 Earned Runs, 2 Home Runs, 21 Strikeouts, 6 Walks, posted a 3-0 record, 1.67 ERA, and 0.963 WHIP. He also hit a Home Run in Detroit’s Game 2 victory. Lolich became the 12th pitcher with three victories in the same World Series. He remains the most recent pitcher to win three Complete Games in the same World Series. The Tigers won the 1968 World Series with Lolich winning the World Series MVP.
Dale Murphy is a superstar and a quiet family man. The Portland native was selected fifth overall in the 1974 MLB Draft by the Braves who convinced him to sign instead of attending Arizona State University. The highly touted Murphy began his professional career as a Catcher. However, throwing problems soon necessitated a move to First Base and eventually the Outfield. Murphy shined in the Outfield, becoming one of the best players in baseball. He played 18 Major League seasons with three teams: Atlanta Braves (1976-1990), Philadelphia Phillies (1990-1992), and Colorado Rockies (1993). In 2,180 career Games, Murphy scored 1,197 Runs, collected 2,111 Hits, including 350 Doubles, 39 Triples, 398 Home Runs, with 1,266 RBI, 161 Stolen Bases, drew 986 Walks, 1,748 Strikeouts, while posting a .265 BA, .346 OBP, .469 SLG, .815 OPS, and 121 OPS+.
The confidence the Braves had in Murphy coming out of high school was well placed. He became a seven time All Star, won five Gold Gloves, and four Silver Sluggers. Murphy won back to back National League MVPs in 1982 and 1983. He is the youngest player to win back to back MVPs. Murphy remains the only Braves player to win multiple MVPs. He was traded to the Phillies in 1990. Murphy missed out on the 1991 and 1992 Braves Pennants and the Phillies 1993 Pennant after moving on to Colorado. Ultimately Murphy is best remembered in Atlanta where he was the fifth Braves player to have his number retired after Warren Spahn, Eddie Mathews, Henry Aaron, and Phil Niekro. He is often heralded as the best player not in Cooperstown. He appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot from 1999 to 2013, peaking at 23.2% in 2000. Perhaps he will get in some day.
The best season of Murphy’s career came with the 1983 Braves. He played in 162 Games, scored 131 Runs, collected 178 Hits, including 24 Doubles, 4 Triples, 36 Home Runs, 121 RBI, 30 Stolen Bases, drew 90 Walks, 110 Strikeouts, posting a .302 BA, .393 OBP, .540 SLG, .933 OPS, and 149 OPS+. He led the National League in Games Played, RBI, SLG, and OPS. Murphy was named to his third All Star team, won his second consecutive Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, and MVP awards. He was unstoppable.
The Postseason was elusive, as Murphy played on bad Braves teams. His lone October appearance was the 1982 NLCS, as the Cardinals swept the Braves. Murphy played in all 3 Games, scored 1 Run, collected 3 Hits, with 1 Stolen Base, 2 Strikeouts, posting a .273 BA, .273 OBP, .273 SLG, and .545 OPS. Murphy was a great player on a bad team, like so many in baseball.
Dale Murphy could be Oregon’s first Hall of Famer. Hopefully a future Veterans Committee elects him. In the meantime, Cooperstown continues to wait for its first member from the Beaver State. Next week the United States of Baseball heads across the country to the Keystone State. Pennsylvania is next.
DJ
United States of Baseball- Nevada
Las Vegas is high on the list of cities for future MLB expansion. How does Nevada, a state of vast openness and underrated natural beauty, fit within the United States of Baseball? The Silver State has sent 49 players to the Majors. The greatest pitcher born in Nevada is Barry Zito. His 33.05 career WAR ranks 43rd highest among state and territory leaders. The greatest position player from the Silver State is Bryce Harper. His 40.10 career WAR is the 41st highest and climbing. Nevada has a combined 73.15 WAR, giving the Silver State the 43rd highest WAR for any state or territory.
Barry Zito was born in Las Vegas and raised in San Diego. He trained with former Cy Young winner Randy Jones throughout high school. The Lefthander was drafted 9th overall by the Athletics out of the University of Southern California in the 1999 MLB Draft. Zito spent just one season in the Minors, moving from Single A to Double A to Triple A. He pitched for 15 seasons in the Majors with two teams: Oakland Athletics (2000-2006, 2015) and San Francisco Giants (2007-2013). Zito pitched in 433 career Games, made 421 Starts, threw 12 Complete Games, including 5 Shutouts, 2,576.2 Innings Pitched, allowed 2,381 Hits, 1,254 Runs, 1,157 Earned Runs, 282 Home Runs, 1,064 Walks, 1,885 Strikeouts, posted a 165-143 record, 4.04 ERA, 1.337 WHIP, and 105 ERA+.
A once promising career never quite lived up to its potential. In Oakland, Zito was part of the big three in the Athletics rotation with Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder. The trio led the Athletics to three Division titles and a Wild Card berth from 2000 to 2004. Zito finished sixth for the 2000 American League Rookie of the Year Award. He was a three time All Star and won the 2002 American League Cy Young Award. He dominated on the mound, pitching at least 210 innings in six consecutive seasons and posting nine consecutive seasons with at least 10 Wins. Zito was also durable, making at least 33 Starts in 10 consecutive seasons.
After the 2006 season, Zito moved across the Bay. He signed the then largest free agent contract ever for a pitcher, 7 years and $126 million with the San Francisco Giants. The move coincided with the downturn of his career. In 7 seasons with the Giants, Zito went 63-80 with a 4.62 ERA. His struggles and paycheck made him an easy target for criticism. Zito was left off the 2010 Postseason roster due to his ineffectiveness in the Regular Season, but rebounded to help win the Fall Classic in 2010. Despite his struggles on the mound, Zito spent much of his free time doing charity work and was the 2013 Roberto Clemente Award nominee for the Giants. Zito received 0.2% of the vote on the 2021 Hall of Fame ballot, falling off in his first year of eligibility.
Unquestionably the best season of Zito’s career was with the 2002 Athletics. In 35 Starts, he threw 1 Complete Game, 229.1 Innings Pitched, allowed 182 Hits, 79 Runs, 70 Earned Runs, 24 Home Runs, 78 Walks, 182 Strikeouts, posted a 23-5 record, 2.75 ERA, 1.134 WHIP, and 175 ERA+. He led the American League in Starts and Wins. Zito held opposing batters to a .185 Batting Average with Runners In Scoring Position. He was a first time All Star, finished 13th for the MVP, and won the American League Cy Young Award.
Zito found success in October with the Athletics. As a Rookie, he shut down the Yankees in Game 4 of the 2000 American League Divisional Series in his Postseason debut. Zito baffled the Yankees, as Oakland defeated Roger Clemens 11-1 at Yankee Stadium. In his Postseason career, Zito made 10 Starts, 60.1 Innings Pitched, allowed 50 Hits, 19 Runs, 19 Earned Runs, 7 Home Runs, 23 Walks, 46 Strikeouts, posted a 6-3 record, 2.83 ERA, and 1.210 WHIP. While his career was not perfect, Zito often delivered when needed.
Few players were hyped as much as Bryce Harper. The Las Vegas native was on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 16 years old. Harper left high school after his sophomore year. He received his GED and enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada so he could begin his professional career sooner. In his lone season of college baseball, Harper played in 66 Games, hit 31 Home Runs, 98 RBI, with a .443 BA, .526 OBP, and .987 SLG. He won the Golden Spikes Award as the best amatuer player in the country. Harper was drafted 1st overall by the Nationals in the 2010 MLB Draft. While undergoing an eye exam in the Minors, the Optometrist was baffled. Eyesight this bad should have made it nearly impossible for Harper to hit a baseball. Vision corrected, his march towards Washington continued.
Time will tell how Harper’s career plays out. He appears headed for Cooperstown. Harper has played 10 seasons with two teams: Washington Nationals (2012-2018) and Philadelphia Phillies (2019-2021). In 1,283 career Games, Harper has collected 1,273 Hits, 270 Doubles, 22 Triples, 267 Home Runs, 752 RBI, scored 850 Runs, 111 Stolen Bases, 833 Walks, 1,189 Strikeouts, .279 BA, .392 OBP, .524 SLG, .916 OPS, and 142 OPS+. He reached the Majors at just 19 years old and showed the hype was real. He was also the first teenager to steal home since 1964. Harper was named a 2012 All Star, becoming the third youngest All Star ever, after Dwight Gooden and Bob Feller, and the youngest position player. He capped the season by winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
Harper’s accomplishments are not confined to his rookie season. He has twice won the Silver Slugger and Hank Aaron Awards. Harper was the 2015 and 2021 National League MVP. He won the 2018 Home Run Derby and is a six time All Star. His free agency was the biggest story in baseball ahead of the 2019 season. The Nationals were unable to re-sign their former number one pick. Instead, he signed with the rival Phillies for 13 years and $330 million, the then largest contract ever. There is no opt out clause, Harper is committed to Philadelphia for the long haul.
The best season of Harper’s career could be ahead of him. He is the reigning National League MVP, but 2021 was not his best. His greatest season was 2015, his first MVP season. In 153 Games with the Nationals, Harper collected 172 Hits, 38 Doubles, 1 Triple, 42 Home Runs, 99 RBI, scored 118 Runs, 6 Stolen Bases, 124 Walks, 131 Strikeouts, .330 BA, .460 OBP, .649 SLG, 1.109 OPS, and 198 OPS+. He led the National League in Home Runs, Runs scored, OBP, SLG, OPS, and OPS+. He was elected to his third All Star game and won his first Silver Slugger Award. Harper was the youngest unanimous MVP ever, at just 23 years old.
Baseball is a fickle sport. The best players cannot always carry their team or come to the plate with the game on the line. While Harper is a terrific talent, he has limited Postseason success. He has never advanced beyond the Divisional Series in four attempts. In 19 Games, Harper has collected 16 Hits, 4 Doubles, 1 Triple, 5 Home Runs, 10 RBI, scored 12 Runs, 4 Stolen Bases, 11 Walks, 23 Strikeouts, with a .211 BA, .315 OBP, .487 SLG, and .801 OPS. After signing with the Phillies, Harper said he wanted to bring a championship to DC. He was right, the Nationals won their first World Series the season after he left. Philadelphia is hoping they will find October success while Harper is wearing a Phillies uniform.
There are currently no Hall of Famers from Nevada. Harper seems poised to change this. Only Dale Murphy and Roger Maris have won multiple MVPs and were not elected to the Hall of Fame. We shall see with Harper. Next week the United States of Baseball heads to New England and the Granite State. New Hampshire is next.
DJ
Insanity
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. The baseball definition of insanity is the Hall of Fame election. Not every player earns a plaque in Cooperstown, but some deserving players have been denied their day in the sun by the current system. Chiefly among those denied their crowning moment are Dick Allen, who died Monday, and Ron Santo. Allen could be voted into the Hall next year. This same cruel fate saw Santo elected to Cooperstown one year after he died. A player does not become a Hall of Famer when they die, let them enjoy their moment.
Debates about a player’s enshrinement never end. Allen, like Santo before his election, is among Cooperstown’s most glaring oversights. The issue is not their statistics, but the system through which players must pass to have their day in the sun. The current system has the BBWAA (Baseball Writers’ Association of America) vote for no more than 10 players appearing on the ballot. The players must have played for 10 years and be retired for 5 years. Once on the ballot, the player has up to 10 years to receive the necessary 75% of the vote for enshrinement. They must receive at least 5% to remain on the ballot each year. If a player is not elected through the BBWAA they can appear on the Veterans Committee ballot 20 years after they retired.
Limiting players to 10 years on the ballot ensures steady turnover. The same with the minimum 5% rule. The issue is the maximum of 10 rule. This rule needs to be expanded, potentially with no maximum. Allowing no more than 10 players to receive votes hurts non-first ballot Hall of Famers. Ken Griffey Jr. was a lock for Cooperstown, but Larry Walker needed the full 10 years on the ballot. Raising the number of votes would have had Walker elected sooner, thus creating space for other worthy candidates. Players like Omar Vizquel, Dale Murphy, Scott Rolen, and Andruw Jones.
The Hall of Fame voting process has not allowed Cooperstown to grow with the game. Expansion has not seen an equal growth in the number of Hall of Fame inductees. The watering down of baseball has not happened, instead more fans are engaged and more players reach the highest level of the game.
Cooperstown inducted its first class in 1936. Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Babe Ruth, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson are the original five. Since the original five, the BBWAA has elected 127 players. The Veterans Committee was established in 1953 to give players a second look to ensure every deserving player makes it to Cooperstown.
Since 1953 the BBWAA and the Veterans Committee have mirrored each other in sending players to the Hall. The BBWAA has elected 104 players and the Veterans Committee has elected 84. Players are not elected every year. An average of 1.89 players have been elected in the 55 years the BBWAA has elected players. The Veterans Committee has averaged 1.83 players a year in the 46 years they have elected players. These totals do not include Negro Leagues players, as the Hall of Fame has a separate committee focused on their election, or managers and other non-players who have their own path to Cooperstown. In the decades since the establishment of the Veterans Committee the average number of players elected to the Hall are as follows: 1960s (1.50 BBWAA vs 2.25 Veterans), 1970s (1.44 vs 2.20), 1980s (1.80 vs 1.33), 1990s (1.67 vs 1.87), 2000s (1.70 vs 1.67), and 2010s (2.67 vs 1.50). The difference between the BBWAA and Veterans Committee in the 2010s was not a decline by the Veterans Committee, but an increase by the BBWAA. Perhaps the BBWAA voters are changing their views on what a Hall of Fame player is, but for many the change is too slow or too late.
Far too many players are entering the Hall through the Veterans Committee. The understanding of the game changes over time, giving the Veterans Committee a greater ability to consider each candidate. However, significantly more players should be elected through the BBWAA than the Veterans Committee. The second look at a player should see only a few players elected. When the numbers entering the Hall are so similar, it is clear the BBWAA voting process needs adjusting. The Veterans Committee should be the last resort, not the path for 45% of Hall of Famers since 1953. The BBWAA should do the heavy lifting by expanding voting. 10 votes is not always enough for the candidates on the ballot. The worry is undeserving players will become Hall of Famers, but the reality is deserving players are being excluded. Dick Allen and Ron Santo did not live long enough to have their day in the sun. They both deserved enshrinement in their lifetimes. Honor the game and the people who dedicated themselves to it, it is past time to change the Hall of Fame voting process.
DJ
The 1%
One of the many reasons I am not a big football fan is due to the lack of games. I understand why there are so few games each year, but the lack of action leaves plenty to be desired. The dead time between games results in hours and days of continuous talking about what happened in the last game and the matchups for the next game. There is only so much anyone can talk about a game before or after it is played until you begin to repeat the same thing over and over again. There is no justification that I can find to spend more than 30 minutes discussing the upcoming Week 6 football game between the Chicago Bears and the Jacksonville Jaguars unless it is to recreate the Saturday Night Live Bill Swerski Superfans skits. Sadly, dozens of hours will be spent discussing a game that will most likely be forgotten in the not so distant future. In baseball you might spend 30 minutes before and after each game discussing the match up and what happened, but even that can be a stretch.
Not much to do between games but talk about DA BEARS. (nbc.com)
Football kills time between games by talking in circles about the same thing week after week. The beauty of baseball is once the post-game armchair manager talk is wrapped up, the discussion may continue to the future by looking at the minor leagues or reframe the present with a look to the past. Sometimes a quirky event about the game warrants a focused look on the great players in baseball history for an interesting connection.
I was invited to attend a talk by Jeff Idelson, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, by my fiancée’s work colleague. The talk was at the Green Diamond Gallery, which is the largest privately held baseball collection in the world. The talk centered mainly on the Hall of Fame and its current efforts to preserve baseball history and educate the fans. After the talk, Jeff Idelson began answering questions from the audience. Several of the questions had to do with the election process and potential changes to the induction process. The standard Pete Rose questions were asked, as the Green Diamond Gallery is located in Cincinnati. Finally someone asked “Who do you [Jeff Idelson] think should be in the Hall of Fame that is not?” He did the appropriate tap dance around the question so as to not give a definite answer. Then he gave the best possible answer.
Is the Reds Hall of Fame the closest Pete Rose will ever get to Cooperstown? Probably (Kareem Elgazzar/ Cincinnati.com)
There are 312 individuals enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame; 28 executives, 22 managers, 10 umpires, 35 Negro League players, and 217 Major League players. There have been over 18,700 individual players in Major League history. This means only the top 1% of players are eventually enshrined. You can argue that every player that is in Cooperstown belongs there, plus many more who are not. However, there is little to be argued that the players enshrined do not deserve to be there.
There are plenty of players for whom the argument can be made that they should be enshrined in Cooperstown, but more is not always better. The NBA and NHL both have 30 teams and 16 of those 30 teams (53%) will make the playoffs. The Houston Rockets made the playoffs this year with a 41-41 record, why is a .500 team going to the playoffs? Yes there have been some dreadful divisions in Major League Baseball, the 2005 National League West was won by the San Diego Padres with an 82-80 record, but those are rare. The more slots you have in the playoffs, the worse the competition. It is better to leave a good team at home than to have a terrible team advance, although this is tough to say when the team you root for is that good team. The same is true for the Hall of Fame. Admitting more players means detracting from the significance of the honor. This only serves to muddle the difference between greatness and the very good.
The Green Diamond Gallery is an amazing collection of any and everything that is baseball. (www.greendiamondgallery.com)
Eliminating the players who are known or highly suspected of using steroids and those who are on the permanently ineligible list, there are several players for whom a convincing argument can be made that they belong in Cooperstown. These are player who are no longer on the ballot for election by the baseball writers. Don Mattingly, Tim Raines, Gil Hodges, Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell, Lee Smith, Jim Kaat, Dale Murphy, Roger Maris, Bret Saberhagen, Maury Wills, Thurman Munson, and the list goes on.
Would the Hall of Fame be better with these players enshrined, I would say so. Is the Hall of Fame seen as incomplete without these players, I do not think so. The Hall of Fame is reserved for the top 1% of players. Every generation has players who were spectacular on the field, yet begin to fade with time.
Multiple MVP Awards failed to get Dale Murphy enshrined in Cooperstown. (mlb.com)
Kevin Brown, Hideo Nomo, Mo Vaughn, and Brett Butler were all outstanding players in the early to mid 1990’s. Were they as emblematic of baseball excellence as Ken Griffey Jr, Tony Gwynn, Randy Johnson, or Greg Maddux? Those enshrined in Cooperstown should be the players who can be compared against players from every generation and hold their own. Joe DiMaggio was not the best or most powerful hitter, but his skills and statistics hold up against players from every generation.
Records and awards are designed to recognize greatness, not designed to settle debates. Ichiro now has more hits in professional baseball than Pete Rose. However, Rose got all of his hits in the Majors while Ichiro has split his time between the Majors and Japan. Who is the better hitter? It would be easy to insert Tony Gwynn, Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, and Miguel Cabrera into the debate. Is Cy Young the greatest pitcher of all time because he has the most wins or Nolan Ryan because he has the most strikeouts? I doubt you will find many people so easily convinced. What about Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Christy Mathewson, Greg Maddux, Bob Feller, or Old Hoss Radbourn?
What could Bob Feller have done on the mound had his service in World War II not cost him nearly four full seasons early in his career. (http://vanmeteria.gov/)
Jeff Idelson repeatedly pointed to the democratic way that players are elected to the Hall of Fame. He understands that the process is not perfect, but ultimately gets it right. The recent changes to the voting process, revoking the voting rights of writers who have not actively covered baseball in the past 10 years and reducing the number of years on the ballot from 15 to 10, should help to reduce and then prevent a backlog of worthy players getting the look they deserve. This is not to say they will be elected, but that they will get a fair shot. The top 1% of players will rise to the top during voting as they did during their playing careers. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s mission is “Preserving History, Honoring Excellence, Connecting Generations.” Players and their accomplishments are never cast aside regardless of how short or long their careers. Thousands of players have taken the field and many have made a case for their inclusion with the legends of the game. However, those enshrined in Cooperstown leave no doubt about their worthiness in the history of the game. It is those who came so close to joining this exclusive club, yet have come up just short, that allows the debate to flourish over what makes a Hall of Fame player.
DJ
The Winning Run 