It's HOF time again...

Maybe: Rickey, Rock (Raines) and Rice.

 

I'd vote Henderson, Raines, & Trammel. I may be coming around on Blyleven too.

If Rice goes, bring Murphy & Mattingly too.

If Schilling is ever going, bring Cone.

I'd leave out all 5.

 

Henderson will be the only one inducted. Rice, Blyleven, Murphy, Mattingly, Dawson in that order.

 

Rickey's probably the only one who gets in this time.

I've given up advocating for Raines, who might be the second-best leadoff hitter of all time, but had the misfortune of being almost an exact contemporary of the first. He was also a better player than Dawson, but will get nowhere near as much HoF support.

 

I'm undecided on Trammell, and I'm a Tiger fanboi looser.


If Blyleven gets in, so should Morris and vice versa.

 

I have to agree on that one. I really want to hear one Hall of Fame voter make a coherent argument for not inducting Rickey Henderson.

 

Rickey. Anybody else would be a surprise -- to me, at least, based on that list.

Lots of Hall of Very Good players on there, but only one sure-fire Hall of Famer.

 

Which is why somebody who belongs in the Hall of Very Good might sneak into the Hall of Fame this year.

 

The most likely argument would be that Rickey dogged it at times, didn't always play hard and there were times when Rickey being Rickey was as big a pain in the ass as Manny being Manny.

None of which is a legit reason ever to keep Rickey (or Manny for that matter) off a Hall of Fame ballot.

 

From Rich Lederer, as I post every year:

Since 1900, Bert Blyleven ranks 5th in career strikeouts, 8th in shutouts, and 17th in wins.

There are only eight pitchers who rank in the top 20 in wins, shutouts, and strikeouts. Here is the list:

Wins SO SHO
Bert Blyleven 17th 5th 8th
Steve Carlton 6th 4th 13th
Ferguson Jenkins 19th 11th 17th
Walter Johnson 1st 9th 1st
Gaylord Perry 12th 8th 14th
Nolan Ryan 8th 1st 6th
Tom Seaver 13th 6th 6th
Don Sutton 8th 7th 9th

 

Veteran's Committee Results Announced Dec. 8
Post-1943 Ballot: All are on the ballot as players:

* Dick Allen, 1B-3B, RoY, 1972 MVP, 7 A-S, 351 HR, .292 BA, 156 OPS+
* Gil Hodges, 1B, 8 A-S, 3 GG, 370 HR, .273 BA, 120 OPS+
* Jim Kaat, P, 283-237, 3 A-S, 16 GG, 1966 TSN AL Pitcher of Year
* Tony Oliva, RF-DH, RoY,2x 2nd in MVP, 8 A-S, 1 GG, 3 BA Titles, .304 BA, 220 HR, 131 OPS+
* Al Oliver, CF-1B, 7 A-S, .303 BA, 219 HR, 121 OPS+
* Vada Pinson, CF, 2 A-S, 1 GG, .286 BA, 256 HR, 110 OPS+
* Ron Santo, 3B, 9 A-S, .277 BA, 342 HR, 125 OPS+
* Luis Tiant, P, 229-172, 3 A-S, 2 ERA Titles
* Joe Torre, C-1B-3B, 9 A-S, 1 GG, 1971 MVP & BA title, .297 BA, 252 HR, 128 OPS+
* Maury Wills, SS, 1962 MVP, 5 A-S, 2 GG, 20 HR, .281 BA, 586 SB, 88 OPS+

 

I agree that Blyleven deserves to be in, but does endurance and accumulated stats equate to dominance? Is the Hall of Fame for Dominant players only?