Carlos Delgado: 473 HR, not in Cooperstown

[tapintoamerica]

Got < 5% of the voting in his first appearance on the ballot. It became his only appearance as a result of the low vote total.
Never linked to PEDs. One of a handful of guys with 30 or more HR in 10 straight seasons. And no traction.
There are excuses. Everyone had big numbers in the steroids era. He refused to stand for the anthem. Etc.
But come on. He can’t be considered until 2030, when a committee can discuss players of his era.
Just seems insane to me.
What say you?

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

Not gonna lie, he has a better case than I envisioned when I came here to type "sorry, not feeling it." During his career from 1993-2009, he ranked eighth in homers, behind five steroid guys who are never gonna sniff the HOF (Bonds, A-Rod, Sosa, Manny & Palmeiro) as well as Thome & Griffey. He was fifth in RBIs behind Manny, A-Rod, Thome & Sosa. He was 20th in OPS and the only non-HOFers, non-steroid guys ahead of him are Lance Berkman, Ryan Howard & Matt Holliday. Among the HOFers behind him in OPS from '93-09 are Griffey, Piazza, Ortiz, Gwynn, Mauer, McGriff & Rolen.

But...Delgado is right in between Holliday, Jason Giambi, Juan Gonzalez and Mo Vaughn in OPS. Is that really HOF company? And is being ahead of McGriff & Rolen really an argument he belongs? (This is another topic, but Rolen has to be the least impressive BBWAA-elected HOFer ever, did anyone ever say "I'm going to the park today to see Scott Rolen?") He also ranks just 39th in WAR at 44.4, behind not-in-a-million-years non-HOFers such as Brian Giles and Mike Cameron.

I think Delgado had to get to 500 homers just to get on the radar. I always thought Thome was a borderline guy for the era in which he played, but Thome has 28.6 more WAR and collected 139 more homers and 290 more hits with an OPS 27 points higher despite having just 1,656 more plate appearances.

I agree Delgado is a victim of his era--people are saying, with a straight face, that Giancarlo Stanton is a HOF candidate if he gets to 500 HRs--but that's been true of guys in every era. Dave Stieb would be a first-ballot guy if he put up his numbers today.

The good news is this year is the year for 1980-present players on whatever the hell they'll be calling the veteran's committee by then, so Delgado will get a chance to get on the ballot. The bad news is...sorry, not feeling it. :D

(As for intangibles, I'm all for him ducking into the dugout during the anthem, but he was known as a clubhouse lawyer. Check out his numbers in 2008 before and after Willie Randolph got fired by the Mets.)

 

[As The Crow Flies]

He should have received more love than a 1 and done on the ballot, but I just don't think it's there. Only a two-time All-Star. Not much postseason track record, though he was great in 2006. Only one (2000) truly great season. Feels like the Hall of Very Good to me.

 

[Slacker]

See, that's what happens when Harold Baines and Scott Rolen get in.

That sticky door now swings open wider ... or does it not?

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

See, that's what happens when Harold Baines and Scott Rolen get in.

That sticky door now swings open wider ... or does it not?

Baines is a vets committee guy, so he's not going to swing the door open for other Hall of Very Good candidates. Rolen? Rolen might do that. Because Rolen makes a lot of other candidates look pretty good. I know he had a great WAR and all that but geez at some point the eye test has to factor in too.

 

[Della9250]

Baines is a vets committee guy, so he's not going to swing the door open for other Hall of Very Good candidates. Rolen? Rolen might do that. Because Rolen makes a lot of other candidates look pretty good. I know he had a great WAR and all that but geez at some point the eye test has to factor in too.

Scott Rolen is, at worst, a top 20 third baseman. The threshold for other positions, particularly offensively, is higher. I think that is where someone like Delgado or Stanton or others mentioned fall short.

 

[justgladtobehere]

See, that's what happens when Harold Baines and Scott Rolen get in.

That sticky door now swings open wider ... or does it not?

I think the saying is the sticky wicket got its nose in the tent.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

Lou Whitaker waves
When I was younger I always thought Trammell and Whitaker were borderline candidates. Now I beat the drum for Sweet Lou

 

[Bubbler]

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

View attachment 20235

I mean, do you think Carlos Delgado just came down from Canada and wasn't worthy of the Hall of (blows Bubbler's head off)

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

Scott Rolen is, at worst, a top 20 third baseman. The threshold for other positions, particularly offensively, is higher. I think that is where someone like Delgado or Stanton or others mentioned fall short.

This is fair. Moving 90 feet to the left, I suppose, like @Jake from State Farm, I never spent anytime in the '80s or '90s pondering Lou Whitaker's case, and now I think he's one of the great oversights of the modern era.

 

[Rockbottom]

He certainly belongs in the Hall of Very Good...

rb

 

[Huggy]

As a Jays fan I saw a lot of Delgado, in person and on TV, and he never struck me as a Hall guy. He's a Hall of Very Good guy for me.

 

[User 149557]

I can confirm he wanted way too much money as a standing free agent in MVP Baseball 2004. Jeremy Burnitz and Robbie Alomar were the real bargains.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

I can confirm he wanted way too much money as a standing free agent in MVP Baseball 2004. Jeremy Burnitz and Robbie Alomar were the real bargains.

That had to be a great way to finish 68-94. Alomar was completely washed by then and Burnitz is the classic empty 30-homer hitter for a bad team in the middle of nowhere. I've rarely seen a guy less equipped to handle New York than that knucklehead.

 

[User 149557]

That had to be a great way to finish 68-94. Alomar was completely washed by then and Burnitz is the classic empty 30-homer hitter for a bad team in the middle of nowhere. I've rarely seen a guy less equipped to handle New York than that knucklehead.

We're talking video game here. Burnitz hit .290 with a .420 OBP and hit 40 homers in simulations of that game.

The game also didn't know Alomar was washed up. He and Mark McLemore would have .460 OBPs.

And Oliver Perez is the greatest pitcher in history.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Proper style is ...

Carlos Delgado: Hall of Famer?

 

[User 149557]

It’s one of those Baseball References where you look at the season-by-season and there’s not much more he could’ve done, and yet he’s still probably not a HOFer.

 

[jr/shotglass]

Not gonna lie, he has a better case than I envisioned when I came here to type "sorry, not feeling it." During his career from 1993-2009, he ranked eighth in homers, behind five steroid guys who are never gonna sniff the HOF (Bonds, A-Rod, Sosa, Manny & Palmeiro) as well as Thome & Griffey. He was fifth in RBIs behind Manny, A-Rod, Thome & Sosa. He was 20th in OPS and the only non-HOFers, non-steroid guys ahead of him are Lance Berkman, Ryan Howard & Matt Holliday. Among the HOFers behind him in OPS from '93-09 are Griffey, Piazza, Ortiz, Gwynn, Mauer, McGriff & Rolen.

But...Delgado is right in between Holliday, Jason Giambi, Juan Gonzalez and Mo Vaughn in OPS. Is that really HOF company? And is being ahead of McGriff & Rolen really an argument he belongs? (This is another topic, but Rolen has to be the least impressive BBWAA-elected HOFer ever, did anyone ever say "I'm going to the park today to see Scott Rolen?") He also ranks just 39th in WAR at 44.4, behind not-in-a-million-years non-HOFers such as Brian Giles and Mike Cameron.

I think Delgado had to get to 500 homers just to get on the radar. I always thought Thome was a borderline guy for the era in which he played, but Thome has 28.6 more WAR and collected 139 more homers and 290 more hits with an OPS 27 points higher despite having just 1,656 more plate appearances.

I agree Delgado is a victim of his era--people are saying, with a straight face, that Giancarlo Stanton is a HOF candidate if he gets to 500 HRs--but that's been true of guys in every era. Dave Stieb would be a first-ballot guy if he put up his numbers today.

The good news is this year is the year for 1980-present players on whatever the hell they'll be calling the veteran's committee by then, so Delgado will get a chance to get on the ballot. The bad news is...sorry, not feeling it. :D

(As for intangibles, I'm all for him ducking into the dugout during the anthem, but he was known as a clubhouse lawyer. Check out his numbers in 2008 before and after Willie Randolph got fired by the Mets.)

Loved that if only for the Rolen stuff. Indeed, how many people came to the ballpark to see Scott Rolen?

 

[qtlaw]

Delgado simply was never a dominant guy for me. Very solid but IMHO a HOF'er has a peak that is dominant and then sustains a reasonable length of career. The Cobra, Joe Mauer, Scherzer, Verlander. I personally never watched Rolen and said "HOF'er".