baseball hall of famers

Agree on those three. Jury's still out on Thome, but he's got a few years left.

 

I had forgotten Manny had a season with 165 RBI. That's a ton in any era.

 

The original list has to be a joke, right?

Despite 500 HRs, I don't consider Thomas a lock. He never was a "dominant" player. Yes, he played in an era of inflated power numbers and played in a crappy home-run park for the bulk of his career, but still, I'm not sold.

Same for Thome, and he had the added benefit of racking up home-run totals playing in the Jake and Citizens.

To me, Biggio is a Carlton Fisk-type case, where longevity is a big consideration. If you want to count other stuff, then Biggio and Bagwell helping turn around a hideous franchise earns them some points. But that ain't the point of the Hall.

And Manny is in. Slam dunk, especially considering he'll be posting decent numbers for three more years (if he wants to).

 

Thomas was never a dominant player? He won back-to-back MVPs and his first 8-10 years stack up with anyone, anyone, who ever played the game. Just because he didn't play on the East Coast doesn't mean he hasn't had a great career.

 

Injuries have messed with his career. Can you deny that?

 

Doesn't Thomas have two MVP awards? Isn't he a career .300 hitter? With 500 home runs?

In. Not even up for discussion.

 

Yes, Thomas has missed significant time with injuries the second half his career. But he still put up 500 homers. He'd be close to or have exceeded 600 had he not missed all that time. And remember, there are only two players in the steroid era to reach 500 HRs without being tainted by steroid rumors: Thomas and Griffey.

 

You can't say for sure Thomas didn't do it.

Can you?

He's not under Luis Gonzalez-level suspicion, but I wouldn't say he's home free.

 

I can't say for sure you haven't done steroids. You know the point I'm making.

 

Thomas is one of the few sluggers who was very vocal about wanting steroid testing, so I assume he was clean. It probably irritated him to no end that he was the biggest, baddest dude in the game and then suddenly everyone and their brother started hitting 60 homers a year.

Thomas, never dominant? That's a joke, right? Dude led the league in on-base percentage five times. Won a unanimous MVP and followed that up with another MVP year in which he hit .353 with 38 homers and .729 slugging percentage, 101 RBIs and 109 walks...in the strike year (113 games).



His career numbers compare favorably to Mickey Mantle.

 

He's been a much-feared fielder and base runner, too.

 

Playing devil's advocate:

If Shawne Merriman has a long and successful NFL career, should he be excluded from the Pro Football HOF?

It is really not apples and oranges.