2005 Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees???

shagrotn77 · November 4, 2004 5:28AM

Who do you think will be inducted in Cooperstown next year? Far as I can tell, it will be Boggs and probably Ryno. Keep in mind, I'm asking who you think will be inducted based on stats and past voting, not who is deserving, who should be there, etc. We've had that post before.

MorrellMan · November 4, 2004 8:03AM

Here's a partial list of first-time eligible players:

Jim Abbott, Jeff Blauser, Wade Boggs, Tom Candiotti, Chili Davis, Jeff King, Mark Langston, Jack McDowell, Willie McGee, Brian McRae, Jeff Montgomery, Otis Nixon, Tony Phillips, Mark Portugal, Terry Steinbach, Darryl Strawberry

I only see one true HOFer in that list.

I believe the Veteran's Committee convenes for elections as well: Maris, Santo, Hodges, et al.

mudflap02 · November 4, 2004 8:37AM

Youre right, Mark Portugal really does stand out.

Maybe he'll get voted in by the Veterans Whose Last names Are Countries Committee.

WinPitcher · November 4, 2004 10:37AM

jim kaat

boggs oops i missed that one

pandrews · November 4, 2004 11:05AM

<< Here's a partial list of first-time eligible players:

Jim Abbott, Jeff Blauser, Wade Boggs, Tom Candiotti, Chili Davis, Jeff King, Mark Langston, Jack McDowell, Willie McGee, Brian McRae, Jeff Montgomery, Otis Nixon, Tony Phillips, Mark Portugal, Terry Steinbach, Darryl Strawberry
>>

even though they probably dont belong in Cooperstown, my heart would still like to see Abbott, Steinbach, and of course, Maris..

edit - and Boggs belongs there..

ranger63 · November 4, 2004 11:19AM

If Darryl Strawberry is iducted do you think they will let him out of prison or rehab or where ever he is this week to go?

soccerman034 · November 4, 2004 1:11PM

Id like to see Smokey Joe Wood get in. I think Walter Johnson said it best when he said "No man alive could throw harder than Smokey Joe."

If he hadnt broken his hand, who knows.

SOM · November 4, 2004 1:24PM

How about one of these perennial "not quite's?" I think it's perfect timing for one, maybe two, of them!

Rice
Blyleven
Sutter
Sandberg
Lee Smith
Dawson
Mattingly
Morris
Dale Murphy

If I had a vote, it would be Bert!

pandrews · November 4, 2004 1:40PM

<< How about one of these perennial "not quite's?" I think it's perfect timing for one, maybe two, of them!

Rice
Blyleven
Sutter
Sandberg
Lee Smith
Dawson
Mattingly
Morris
Dale Murphy

If I had a vote, it would be Bert! >>

Bert is one of my all-time favorites..

wolfbear · November 4, 2004 2:50PM

Long overdue :

Also, has there ever been any discussion about voting Thurman Munson in ?

NickM · November 4, 2004 3:15PM

Youre right, Mark Portugal really does stand out.

Maybe he'll get voted in by the Veterans Whose Last names Are Countries Committee.

They are asking for exemptions from the 10-year rule to vote in
Tim Ireland, Hugh Poland. Ossie France, and Blas Monaco.

Brian Jordan gets in on his own.

Seriously, I'd like to see Dawson, Rice, Blyleven, and Gossage selected along with Boggs.

Nick

minibeers · November 4, 2004 9:51PM

I want Steve Garvey in there. I know he is borderline...
cheers
minibeers

MRyanF · November 4, 2004 11:12PM

I thing the Hall is currently being bestowed on too many players, just to have a larger class. I know we all want to see our favorite players in, but thats not its point.

I think that the Hall should be based on accomplishments on the field and only on the field. If the rest of their life mattered that much, then they can get an award from the united way.

By continuing to show their bias against Maris and more importantly by refusing Pete Rose the chance, they lose a bit of my respect. And if Abbott makes it they will lose even more. What he did to overcome his disability is amazing-but I look at his career numbers and there is just no way.

Its not charity folks, you have to have earned the Hall, and this means being special. Some people no matter how hard they try just aren't the right material for it.

mikeschmidt · November 5, 2004 1:56AM

Gossage should be a Hall of Famer

1954 · November 5, 2004 2:04AM

Sal Bando, Richie Zisk, U.L. Washington (game used toothpicks), Dick Groat, and Manny Trillo? Any of these have a chance?

1954

Cubfan · November 5, 2004 2:24AM

Ryno

phreakydancin · November 5, 2004 6:14AM

Can someone please explain to me why Maris should be in the Hall of Fame?

13 seasons
1463 hits
851 RBI
275 HR
.260 AVG

He had only 1 season with 40+ HR, and only three of 30+
Only 3 seasons of 100+ RBI

I'm sorry, but these aren't HoF numbers. I don't care if he hit 100 home runs in a season. You should not be inducted into the hall on the strength of one year's performance.

edit: spelling

riccaboni · November 5, 2004 6:16AM

I would personally love to see Rusty Kuntz in the Hall.

-Ian

jimtb · November 5, 2004 6:18AM

I gotta agree. Maris had one great year. He should not be in the Hall.
As for Rose, the rules are clear; if a player is banned from MLB, then he's inelligible for the Hall.
If Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker had played for a NY team, they would have been first ballot HOF'ers.
That's my two cents. Let the discussion begin!

MorrellMan · November 5, 2004 7:39AM

Here's my 2 cents:

Near the end of his career, Gil Hodges was the number one all-time righthanded home run king of the Nat'l League. His totals have since been eclipsed, but he was clearly dominant in his era - key for induction to the Hall. It's criminal that he's not in.

SDSportsFan · November 5, 2004 9:28AM

I'd go for Boggs, Rice, Gossage, Blyleven and Sandberg.

Steve

SOM · November 5, 2004 10:55AM

These next two years are the best chance for any "borderliners" and "just missed's" to get in. 2005 has Boggs, a sure-thing; 2006, the best new eligible player is Will Clark! And second would be Hershiser.

Whoever doesn't make it by then is screwed. Because then, all at once, come Ripken, McGwire & Gwynn.

As for me, I'd like to see all 9 of the guys I named on an earlier post to this discussion get in. Baseball has the toughest admission policies of practically all the other sports combined.

Sheesh...if Bob McAdoo, Peter Stastny and Lynn Swann can make it into their respective Halls, why the heck can't either of those 9?

shagrotn77 · November 5, 2004 2:01PM

I think Lynn Swann is the absolute most undeserving Hall-of-Famer I've ever seen in any sport. He parlayed a few great catches in the Super Bowl into an induction in Canton. The man never even had more than 900 yards receiving in a season!

<< Sheesh...if Bob McAdoo, Peter Stastny and Lynn Swann can make it into their respective Halls, why the heck can't either of those 9? >>

qualitycards · November 5, 2004 2:19PM

<< I gotta agree. Maris had one great year >>

But he did win 2 MVP's 1960 & of course 1961...jay

SOM · November 5, 2004 2:24PM

I don't get it either, shag.

And I'm originally from Pittsburgh, and I was at that particular Super Bowl!

NickM · November 5, 2004 3:05PM

Bob McAdoo was a great player - 14 seasons, 5 time All-Star, 3 consecutive scoring titles (each at over 30 points a game), an MVP award, 2 championship rings as a key Laker reserve, 22.1 points per game for his career, 9.4 rebounds per game for his career, called by Sports Illustrated "the quickest tall man, finest shooter and most astounding outside scoring machine ever to play basketball." And he also played 7 years in Italy after his NBA career was through. Stastny and Swann I won't defend.

Nick

SOM · November 5, 2004 3:44PM

No argument, Nick.

It's stats like McAdoo's that make me wonder even more why a guy who played 14 full years, was a 7 time All Star with 2 HR titles, 2 RBI titles (in separate seasons from his HR titles!), 2 MVP's, and career HR/RBI totals of 398/1266 isn't in.

dallasactuary · November 5, 2004 4:26PM

SOM,

It's kinda strange; if you check out the "similar batters" to your guy, you get many of the borderline HOF'ers: Santo, Hodges, George Foster, Joe Carter, Ruben Sierra, Don Baylor, Jack Clark and one borderliner who is in the Hall, Duke Snider. Most similar player by age for 8 years running was Reggie Jackson.

I didn't much care for the guy when he played, mostly because I hated the Braves, but he was better than I remembered for longer than I remembered. Probably needs one or two from the list above to get in first to pave the way for him, though. Personally, I think it's a disgrace that Santo didn't make it ages ago.

LJB17 · November 6, 2004 12:32AM

Is the hall for players that were the best at their repective position for a period of time like Koufax or is it for career achievement like a Ripken. I would say it is a combination, but I like to weight it more to the dominant player for a period. (Ripken could be considered both.) McGriff is a better example of a player that had a very fine career, but I believe didn't really dominate the game at any one time.

Batters: In that case I think Murphy does belong. However, I think Dawson goes in before Murphy. I am a little demented however because I think Canseco deserves it too when eligible even though all his off field stupidity begs the contrary. Boggs is obvious choice.

Pitchers: Blyleven should be in based on career. Numbers are very similar to Sutton's. Started 71 less games and even though he has 37 fewer wins he has 64 more CG and 2 more shut outs. ERA is within .05 and Bert had more Ks with less walks. He is still 25th all time in wins as well.
Gossage has been a puzzling one to me in the past. One of only 3 men with 300 saves and 100 wins. The other 2, Fingers and Eck, are in. Fingers and Goose had very similar numbers and Eck had an ERA .5 higher than Goose. Goose gets in, but I don't think Sutter does. Sutter did have the short term dominance, but not enough to equate to his limited career numbers. He pitched about half the innings that Goose did and there are too many other pitchers like John Wetteland that match Sutter's numbers and Wetteland is not an option.

I know, I am missing the boat in some circumstances, but there are some numbers to think about.

Luke

phreakydancin · November 6, 2004 3:50AM

<< Stastny and Swann I won't defend. >>

I'll defend Stastny:

- Played for Czechoslovakia at the 1976 Canada Cup at the tender age of 20
- He was a pioneer, the first major defection from behind the iron curtain, along with his two brothers, 9 years before Alexander Mogilny escaped in similar fashion
- Set a rookie record, tallying 109 points in 1980/81 en route to the Calder Trophy
- Topped 100 points in his first 6 seasons, 7 times overall, and would have made it 8 straight were it not for injury in the 1986-87 season
- Stands as the 2nd-highest scoring European-trained player of all time, trailing only Jari Kurri (who of course had the benefit of playing next to a certain Mr. Gretzky for the bulk of his career)
- In spite of the above accomplishments, remember that he lost about 5 years off the beginning of his NHL playing career due to political circumstances in his homeland

helionaut · November 7, 2004 6:57AM

Boggs is a lock. Beyond him, I think one or both Sutter and Sandberg go in. IIRC, because I don't feel like looking it up, both got over 50% last year, and I don't think anyone's ever gotten over 50% and not gotten in eventually. With a weak class this year, and next, both will get in, plus maybe Gossage and Lee Smith, as teh first class of the golden age of the save statistic get plaques. The discussion over Blyleven/Kaat/Morris/John will never end until they're either voted in or out of eligibility.

shagrotn77 · November 7, 2004 9:02AM

Here are the candidates who've received 50% of the votes since 2001 who have not yet been elected:

2004: Sandberg 61%, Sutter 59%, Rice 54%, Dawson 50%
2003: Sutter 53%, Rice 52%, Dawson 50%
2002: Rice 55%, Sutter 50%
2001: Rice 57%

For those who don't know, 75% of the votes are required for induction. I believe Boggs and Sandberg will go in next year. And SOM is right, guys like Sutter, Rice, Gossage, etc. have their best chance of being inducted in 2006 because there are no HOF caliber players in that new crop. 2007 will belong to Mac, Ripken and Boggs.

WinPitcher · November 7, 2004 9:08AM

<one borderliner who is in the Hall, Duke Snider.>

the duke can hardly be considered borderline hof imo

during the 50's i believe no one hit more homers then the duke of flatbush

MorrellMan · November 7, 2004 9:52AM

Thanks Steve - the Duke in the hall was and is a no-brainer.

dallasactuary · November 7, 2004 11:00AM

<< <one borderliner who is in the Hall, Duke Snider.>

the duke can hardly be considered borderline hof imo >>

I think Snider is correctly described as a borderliner for reasons of quantity, not quality. Snider had enough plate appearnaces to qualify for a batting title 9 times and in two of those 9 years he wasn't all that great. He then slowly dwindled away hitting a grand total of 91 HRs in his last seven years. In the end, his career is defined by seven years; seven great years to be sure, but still just seven years.

People complain to this day about Ralph Kiner being in the HOF, but the biggest difference between the two is that Kiner retired when his skills slipped, and Snider kept playing, poorly. The second biggest difference, and the one that got Snider in the HOF right away while Kiner waited, is that Snider's teammates were about 100 times better than Kiner's.

marz · November 7, 2004 12:58PM

<< I'd go for Boggs, Rice, Gossage, Blyleven and Sandberg.

Good choices! yes!

2005 Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees???

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