John Olerud, Bernie Williams, Will Clark.... HOF?
dgbaseball
Posts: 825 ✭
in Sports Talk
Three relatively similar hitters with relatively similar career numbers...
Friend of mine just threw this out to me. Probably like anyone reading this, I immediately though - No.
Then took a quick look through their numbers. Personally, I think none of the three should or would even come close to qualifying, but wondering if anyone would disagree? I'm not looking to fight on these (I promise), just curious what people might think about these and other similar type players of this era - traditional great contact guys, decent power, generally consistent, great fielders (except Williams during his recent dramatic deterioration of course) etc
I guess most would probably fall in the same tier as Mattingly - slightly lesser as hitters, but stuck around a bit longer to post generally the same overall career - which is why I'd say no.
Friend of mine just threw this out to me. Probably like anyone reading this, I immediately though - No.
Then took a quick look through their numbers. Personally, I think none of the three should or would even come close to qualifying, but wondering if anyone would disagree? I'm not looking to fight on these (I promise), just curious what people might think about these and other similar type players of this era - traditional great contact guys, decent power, generally consistent, great fielders (except Williams during his recent dramatic deterioration of course) etc
I guess most would probably fall in the same tier as Mattingly - slightly lesser as hitters, but stuck around a bit longer to post generally the same overall career - which is why I'd say no.
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Comments
I think the hall should be about dominating for a span of years, not just being above average for a long time (in the case of Bernie).
Like Mattingly, their only way of getting to the hall will be by buying a ticket.
<< <i>Yes for all three. >>
Make up your mind man!
<< <i>No on all three. >>
Make up your mind man!
Yes, Olerud, Clark and Williams were all great players, but unless they get 3000 hits, I doubt the writers or the veterans committee will put them in. This does not mean Olerud is not one of my favorite players though.
However, you cannot put these guys in the same class as Mattingly, whether or not you think he will get voted in by the writers or veterans committee. While Mattingly and those three players seem to have similar career totals, they do not match up to him in dominance. Mattingly is one of the few players that led MLB in OPS+ twice or more in the past half century at least. Besides, Mattingly has more black ink numbers to top it off and many more gold gloves than any firstbaseman except for Hernandez. Olerud is a great player. A starter on any team, but he is still on a different tier than Mattingly. I know many of you place Mattingly on a differnet tier than the HOF, which is fine. I just want to illuminate that this is not a two tier world.
BST: Tennessebanker, Downtown1974, LarkinCollector, nendee
Even if Bernie doesn't make the HOF he will make the Yankee Hall of Fame and have his number retired with the growing number of retired Yankees, and they will put a monument in Monument Park in Yankee Stadium. In a few years Yankee players will have to start wearing 3 digit numbers like 222. LOL
Seriously, Bernie holds all sorts of Post Season records and was one of the clutch players of his day before his decline. Also he was on the winningest MLB team ever, the 1998 Yankees who went 125-50. Yes, he wil get some serious consideration.
<<Yes, he wil get some serious consideration.>>
Especially in this age of cheaters I might add. Bernie Williams is the real deal and one of the classiest acts in baseball.
AT BATS and GAMES PLAYED.
He's an abover average player who will never even SNIFF HoF induction.
Deutscher, we know Mattingly shouldn't be grouped with them, though Will Clark probably shouldn't be grouped with them either, as he is a touch better, I think.(NOt to take anything away from bernie and Olderud though).
Mattingly is going to make it with the veteran committee, so start buying more RC's. I cannot see guys like Brett, Boggs, Schmidt, Murray etc... deciding not to put Mattingly in, because hey know how good the man was. He achieved true greatness in his prime, he was simply the best hitter on the planet at one time. That is something very few MLB players in history could say. And the ones that could say it are all in the Hall of Fame except for Dick Allen, and he isn't in there because he was a jack*ss.
Wearing pinstripes doesn't automatically get you in the hall...he'll buy a pass like the other three mentioned in this thread. Good careers, NOT HoF material.
C'mon though - Bernie Williams in the Hall Of Fame? How about Paul O'Neill, too? Once again, this is an example of how Yankee fans view their players and their achievements, and how the rest of the baseball world views them. Bernie is not even worthy of discussion as a Hall candidate. Neither is Olerud, not by a longshot. Will Clark is a bit ahead of them both, but again - no chance.