Is Trevor Hoffman a Hall of Fame Player?

I'm with you on most of the SABR stats. I don't give a fuck about stupid shit like isolated power, adjusted batting wins, average leverage index (WTF?), at some point many of these stats are just jerking off to numbers.

But not this stat. Don't get hung up on the ballpark factor element, ERA+ is just a way of comparing ERA to league average ERA for that season. Simple as that.

I like it because when I hear fans say so-and-so sucks because he has an ERA above 4.00, they may or may not be living in a past when a 4.00 ERA did suck. There have been years where a 4.00 ERA was decent, sometimes quite good (early 2000s), compared to the league average.

Last year was the first time in many where a 4.00 ERA netted a pitcher a below average ERA+. I find that interesting.

But I'm on board with the fact that there are way too many stats that make something complicated that's simple at heart. Analysis can indeed be paralysis, but ERA+ isn't one of those stats, in my opinion.

 

Well, a guy has a 3.50 ERA in 1968 and another guy has a 3.50 ERA in 2002. Do you think their performances were equal?

In 1968, Milt Pappas had a 3.47 ERA and ranked 67th among 76 pitchers who qualified for the ERA title. In 2002 Mark Mulder had a 3.47 ERA and ranked 30 of 85.

 

Well, anyone expert enough to have a Fame ballot would know otherwise. Looking at team ERAs would be evidence right there. Just as one would know that a 3.50 at Coors Field is not the same as a 3.50 at Safeco Field.

 

This.

 

And if they watched the guys play, they wouldn't need ERA at all, amiright?

 

Rivera is a first-ballot lock.
Hoffman probably gets in as well.

 

Hoffman - Finished second in Cy Young voting twice. Finished in the top 6 four times. Finished in the top 10 of MVP voting twice.

 

So what.

 

Pretty good for a reliever...

 

But inconsequential to Hall of Fame debate.

 

Not when Hall of Fame voters cite such finishes as to why or why not in voting for certain players to fit their cases.