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Who Should We Support Next?

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Gehrig, Dec 24, 2011.

  1. Gehrig

    Gehrig Active Member

    From Rob Neyer:

    http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/12/5/2612659/ron-santo-bert-blyleven-hall-of-fame-who-to-support-next

    I know the article is a few weeks old, but I just had the time to read it today.

    So who's our guy? There are a multitude of players who deserve enshrinement, but who gets top priority for our rallying? A few factors to consider:

    1. He must have a good shot of making the Hall. No sense in trying to bump up a player just to get him any kind of consideration.

    2. He must need the backing of the kind that got Blyleven in. Improved analysis detailed in blogs and other forms of publication forced a reconsideration of Blyleven's credentials, and pushed him into the Hall. We should not worry about a player who is expected to make it regardless.

    3. He must have a significant number of people who consider him the best player not in the Hall, or at the very least, the best at his position.

    4. We must be able to sell his worthiness on more than just stats like WAR. There is still a lot of resistance to sabermetrics and advanced stats. The sabermetric point should be made, but other factors that will connect more with voters are important too. Blyleven, for example, had over 3,700 strikeouts and 60 shutouts to go along with 287 wins. His supporters also helped build a larger acceptance of the team effect on wins and losses, which mitigated the 250 losses that had hurt him.

    Trammell is in his 11th year, so he's the urgency vote, but it'd be difficult to raise his percentage quickly enough to get him in on the BBWAA vote.

    So I say Tim Raines. His percentages have been rising: 24.3, 22.6, 30.4, 37.5. He already has a big group of supporters promoting him. With even greater effort, that trend should continue, and if it does, we can get him in before his 15 years run out.

    But that's me. What say you? Is there a better choice to focus our efforts?
     
  2. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    Holy shit, what a megalomaniac!
     
  3. buckweaver

    buckweaver Active Member

    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/87444/

    This three-week-old article is worth breaking out into a new thread? Why?
     
  4. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    I for one am glad. Is Neyer gunning to be the next Baghwan or something? I'm thinking his inner circle sent minions out to beat up anyone who mentioned Blyleven's ginormous home run total.
     
  5. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    And note that Raines would have been in on my first ballot.
     
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