My latest is out for Sporting News. I got two minutes with Tony La Russa at an event in Phoenix this past week. Because my mind quickly goes to the Hall of Fame, I asked him about the case of one of his former players, Jim Edmonds.
Edmonds got just 2.5 percent of the BBWAA vote for Cooperstown in January, disqualifying him from future writers’ ballots. But La Russa thinks he belongs.
As always, feedback is welcome and appreciated. Thanks for reading.
Players like Edmonds, Dwight Evans, Freddie Lynn (personally my all-time favorite ),and Dale Murphy ,seem to be just a tad shy of HOF standards. Murphy in my opinion, has the best case. Lynn probably does not belong in the discussion. Health and the bumbling Redsox front office decision to move him out of Fenway Park did him no favors.
In my previous comment, I was concentrating on outfielders with considerable skill not currently in the HOF. I should have included Dave Parker, Joe Carter and in the future Carlos Beltran. All great players with very strong arguments for entry to the Hall. (except Lynn, health robbed him/us,I truly believe ) I didn’t include any players with PED links, to the best of my knowledge.
Vladimir Guerrero appears to have an excellent chance of attaining HOF status . Montreal had enormous amounts of talent. I believe his overall stats separate him from the other outfielders.