Brooks Robinson/Keith Hernandez

PaulMaul

I would be interested in hearing the “experts” here compare these two careers. Both defensive gurus. Obviously Robinson had a very long career. Is that the only reason he’s in the hall of fame and Keith isn’t?

Maywood

Keith Hernandez has been kept out because of the loogie incident.

1948_Swell_Robinson

Elite MLB third base defense carries more value than elite MLB first base defense.

daltex

@PaulMaul said:
I would be interested in hearing the “experts” here compare these two careers. Both defensive gurus. Obviously Robinson had a very long career. Is that the only reason he’s in the hall of fame and Keith isn’t?

Pretty much. Of course that's an oversimplification. Hernandez and Robinson were both very good to elite right up until they stopped playing their positions regularly, Hernandez some time in 1988, Robinson after 1975. Another issue is that the competition at first is tougher. 24 HOF 1B compared to 15 HOF 3B. So Hernandez is being compared to the likes of Murray, McCovey, Greenberg, and Sisler while Robinson is more compared to Santo, Molitor, "Home Run" Baker, and Jimmy Collins. Roghly mid-level HOFers at their positions. All good players, but don't let's kid ourselves that the second group was anywhere near as good OFFENSIVELY as the first, and similarly with Hernandez vs. Robinson.

So my answer is yes, mostly. But Robinson, overall, is solidly in the third tier of 3B all-time while Hernandez is at the level of 1B where HoF induction isn't (quite) automatic. Hernandez suffers from the fact that most defensive metrics undervalue him and the fact, suggested by @1948_Swell_Robinson above that teams have survived the likes of Frank Thomas, Fred McGriff, or, God help us, David Ortiz at first base when they clearly couldn't at third has caused almost everyone to devalue 1B defense in general.

Hernandez is vastly superior to the 1B who have gotten in via the Committees the past two years. Not as good as Todd Helton. I think he's borderline and if there were any logic to the Committee work, he'd get in in the next twenty years or so. But not only do the Committees rarely elect the most deserving players, but the most deserving rarely see the ballot. One wonders if this ballot was packed with astoundingly weak candidates to "force" the Committee to grudgingly choose Clemens, Bonds, and Schilling.