Bill James makes HOF case for Dwight Evans

Evans was my favorite non-Brewer growing up. Absolutely loved to watch him play, and yes, I would watch a Red Sox game to watch Evans (eat it, Drip).

But emotions aside, I think he's first-ballot Hall Of Great, but not Hall of Fame.

 

I always thought I saw Evans plant one in the center-field bleachers at old Comiskey Park, but now that I look it up it was Tony Armas. Still pretty cool to see someone absolutely mash one like that. The only other home runs I've seen that compared were two that I saw Sammy Sosa hit, one at Wrigley and one at U.S. Cellular Field.

All of this being completely irrelevant to the conversation since it turns out it was Armas and not Evans, so I can't use my, "I saw him play" argument that I was preparing.

 

Dick, plenty of guys who weren't the best players on their teams are in the Hall and deservedly so. Some were first ballot guys, too. Nobody held it against Yogi Berra that Mickey Mantle was so good, for instance, or knocked McCovey for not being as good as Mays. I only cited that to note that Evans was never really regarded as a Hall of Famer by RED SOX FANS during his career -- and he was a much admired and appreciated player. More, oddly, than Boggs, who got criticized a lot for not hitting enough homers.

 

Your "saw him play" argument was going to based on one long home run you saw? By that logic, Matt Stairs hit one of the longest bombs I ever saw at the Metrodome, so he's in!

 

I never saw Babe Ruth play, but I believe he belongs in the HOF.

 

It was going to be tongue-in-cheek, as some, like Drip, seem to think that it's such a prerequisite to evaluating a guy.

 

To go slightly off topic, there is no question that the longest homers I saw hit were in three different parks by the same guy, Dick Allen. Onto the Mass Pike in Fenway, over the center field wall in old Connie Mack Stadium in Philly and into parts unknown at the Oakland Coliseum. He is another good Hall of Fame argument.

 

I have always thought Allen is probably the answer to "Best Player Not in the Hall of Fame" (other than steroids guys), although he was admitted before my time and I am admittedly biased.

He is on that short list of guys to reach the center field bleachers at old Comiskey.

 

Evans would have been an interesting and entirely different case if his candidacy had come up during this generation. Career BA of .272 didn't look anything close to Hall-worthy in the late '90s.

Now? Career OPS of .840 against Rice's .854 (to use the most readily available example). Lots more walks for a higher OBP. Four top-10 MVP finishes.

Certainly he wouldn't have disappeared from the ballot so early with such low support.

 

It does if the other guys are not in the HOF or barely got in.

 

But then there's no difference in comparing him to anyone on any team. The fact that they are his teammates is of no consequence. Might as well compare him to an outfielder on another team who was similar or better. Why his own team? How does that matter?

 

The only way I can see his teammates mattering is if they had won some championships, because there's a feeling -- probably more in football than baseball -- that champions need to be represented. When the time comes, for instance, I think borderline Yankees from 1996-2000 are going to get love to recognize the dynasty.

Other than that, yeah, doesn't seem to matter much.