Sports Illustrated: Carlos Beltran: Hall of Famer?

DW, I agree with you on black ink historically, and will differ a little on gray ink....however, Beltran's numbers are really, really low in both even by CF standards....but again he has other stats that put him in the realm of reason for the Hall.

 

Just because Dee Gordon looks skinny in a picture with his uniform doesn't mean, he didn't gain weight and get bigger. Everyone who has used testosterone and worked out has gotten bigger and stronger. Even though Gordon may have been skinny, he got bigger.

 

Are center fielders numbers usually on par with corner outfielders?

 

It depends, but since most NL teams stick one of their lumbering sluggers in a corner spot, they need someone with legs in center. When I was a kid, Richie Ashburn was the Phillies' centerfielder. He was a damn good leadoff hitter but no power. In the '70s, Phils' had Garry Maddox, a .300 hitter with not too much power, because Greg Luzinski was in left. He'd play over by the foul line like a poor tennis player playing doubles with a good one as partner. Same for the Big Red Machine with Geronimo covering for George Foster. But when teams are lucky enough to get a real all-around superstar, they put the hero in center, as Mays was 60 years ago and as Trout is today. Beltran, a superior hitter, was short of real superstardom. But so were a lot of players now in Cooperstown.

 

OK, so what are you even arguing? The bar offensively for center fielders should be lower just like it is for catchers and shortstops.

 

Griffey and Puckett are contemporary players who played center field and led the league in numerous categories. So have josh Hamilton, Fred Lynn, willie McGee, dale Murphy and Kenny Lofton.

 

No, I was arguing the reverse. Maddox was one of my favorite players, but he was not a Hall of Famer. Ashburn got in through the Veterans route because he was the best or one of the best leadoff hitters of his time.

 

Made a brief SJ appearance for something unrelated, but I came across this and other SICK BURNS posted, apparently, earlier this week.

To the degree I remember some bullshit posts from over five years ago, I seem to recall that my point at the time had less to do with Beltran, and everything to do with Dick's then (still?) annoying penchant to post on SJ, quite literally I think, the last thing he read as if he was anointed by Baby Jesus, Allah, Buddah and Kali Maa to pass off every last thing as something important for debate.

In a way, Dick's a pioneer. He was "Embrace Debate" long before FS1 existed. And by "embrace" I actually mean "envelop everyone with debate to the point you want to eat a chainsaw to give yourself everlasting peace." Congrats on that?

But hey, if you feel the need to take half-decade posts out of context to get your digs in, may you have all the feels. I will happily head back to the ether of SJ's afterworld in blissful don't-give-a-shit mode one way or another.

 

So ... seee you at Beltran’s induction ceremony?

 

You’ve become insufferable. What happened to you?