Category: Does he belong in the Hall of Fame?

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Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? Adrian Beltre

Claim to fame: Beltre just finished the second-best season of his 13-year career, batting .321 with 28 home runs and 108 RBI for the Red Sox. Now, it looks like, similar to his 2004 career year when he hit .334 with 48 home runs and 121 RBI for the Dodgers and thereupon signed a lucrative deal with the Mariners, Beltre will cash in. ESPN reported Monday evening that the unrestricted free agent was on the verge of signing a six-year, $90 million contract with the Rangers. If this goes through, his Hall of Fame case could get a lot more interesting.

Current Hall of Fame eligibility: Beltre is an active player and cannot be considered for enshrinement until five years after he retires.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? I know, this might sound crazy. Right now, Beltre is a lifetime .275 hitter with a career OPS+ of 108 and just one All Star appearance (though his 10.2 career defensive WAR suggests he may have deserved more than two Gold Gloves.) Until this time, Beltre has been mostly known as a maddeningly talented third baseman with a penchant for putting up MVP-caliber numbers in contract years and hitting about .270 in between.

Here’s where I see Beltre having a shot at Cooperstown: As of now, he’s played home games 12 of his 13 seasons at Dodger Stadium and Safeco Field, two pitchers’ parks if there ever were them. The Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is not this way. It is the Horse Whisperer for troubled hitters. It made a superstar out of Josh Hamilton. It made Milton Bradley look, well, normal. We just saw what Beltre was capable of playing one year at Fenway. Imagine what he could do the next five or ten years batting next to Hamilton.

Already, Beltre has looked like someone who was going to present a statistical dilemma for voters. Having debuted in the majors at 19, he’ll turn 32 at the beginning of this season, and barring injury, Beltre should have a chance at two stats that typically ensure enshrinement: 3,000 hits (he’s at 1,889 right now) and 500 home runs. The latter feat would be trickier, since Beltre currently has 278 home runs and would need to up his yearly averages by five or ten homers. Still, with Texas, this might happen. Regardless, there’s never been an eligible player with 3,000 hits who didn’t ultimately get into Cooperstown.

(Side note: Beltre’s page on Baseball-Reference.com says he’s most similar, by age, to Ron Santo who recently finished tied for second in this Web site’s poll of the 50 greatest players not in Cooperstown. Just think if Santo had gotten a chance at 32 to play out his career in Texas during an era that favored hitters. No way he’d still be on the fence for the Hall of Fame.)

Of course, if Beltre played his full career in Los Angeles and Seattle, I don’t know if he’d have any real hopes for Cooperstown. I wonder if voters will look askance at Ranger hitters as a latter generation of voters did with great sluggers from the 1930s, keeping Chuck Klein and Johnny Mize from their plaques for decades. Generally, though, it’s numbers that ultimately talk and trump context. Even if Beltre brings the same abilities to the Rangers he’s had for the last 13 years, and his stats are the only thing that change, that may be enough for enshrinement. Is that right? I dunno.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? is a Tuesday feature here.

Others in this series: Al Oliver, Albert Belle, Bert Blyleven, Billy Martin, Cecil Travis, Chipper Jones, Dan Quisenberry, Dave Parker, Don Mattingly, Don Newcombe, George Steinbrenner, George Van Haltren, Jack Morris, Joe Carter, John Smoltz, Juan Gonzalez, Keith Hernandez, Larry Walker, Maury Wills, Mel Harder, Pete Browning, Phil Cavarretta, Rafael Palmeiro, Roberto Alomar, Rocky Colavito, Ron Guidry, Steve Garvey, Ted Simmons, Thurman Munson, Tim Raines, Will Clark

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Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? Juan Gonzalez

Claim to fame: Gonzalez was one of the best power hitters of the 1990s, smacking 339 of his 434 home runs in the decade. He didn’t have the most homers in the ’90s, thanks to Mark McGwire who had 405, though Gonzalez topped 40 homers five seasons, led the American League in dingers twice, and also drove in runs at a machine-like pace, averaging better than one RBI per game in 1996 and again in 1998. Compiling these numbers in an earlier era, Gonzalez would be a cinch for induction. As it stands, he looks like a long shot. In fact, he could be one of the best one-and-done candidates.

Current Hall of Fame eligibility: Having last played in 2005, Gonzalez joins Jeff Bagwell, Larry Walker, and Kevin Brown as a first time candidate this year on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot for Cooperstown. Gonzalez needs 75 percent of the vote to be enshrined and will be disqualified from future writers ballots if he gets less than 5 percent of the vote. Crazier things have happened. Just ask Will Clark, Bobby Grich, Lou Whitaker and so many other solid players overlooked by the writers their only time on the ballot.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? No, of course not, though I suspect people will be grouping Gonzalez in the “I wouldn’t enshrine him, but he deserved a little more consideration” camp of players before too long.

He already has some supporters. Gonzalez recently tied for 61st place out of more than 300 players in a poll I conducted to determine the 50 best baseball players not in the Hall of Fame. After I published the results of that project, one person went so far as to publicly shame us for not ranking Gonzalez higher. I was a bit of an ass in my response to his comment, though I don’t like being condescended to, and I believe we were more than fair in our voting. Frankly, I think Gonzalez got a much higher percentage of the vote with us, 23.8 percent, than he’ll get with the writers. I’ll be astonished if Gonzalez tops 20 percent with them.

Why am I against enshrining Gonzalez? Simple. I, like a lot of other fans, writers, and baseball folk (such as Gonzalez’s owner, Tom Hicks and his teammate Jose Canseco) think he used steroids. I’m willing to excuse Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, and any other elite player who may have juiced, since I believe they would have put up Hall of Fame numbers clean; Gonzalez on the other hand, not so much. Throw in the fact that Gonzalez played his best years in Texas, was effectively done at 32, and would have one of the worst career defensive WAR ratings at -8.8 of any enshrined position player and honoring him starts to seem a little crazy.

If we’re going to do crazy, let’s do crazy right. Let’s induct Canseco, whose Hall of Fame speech I would pay to see.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? is a Tuesday feature here.

Others in this series: Al Oliver, Albert Belle, Bert Blyleven, Billy Martin, Cecil Travis, Chipper Jones, Dan Quisenberry, Dave Parker, Don Mattingly, Don Newcombe, George Steinbrenner, George Van Haltren, Jack Morris, Joe Carter, John Smoltz, Keith Hernandez, Larry Walker, Maury Wills, Mel Harder, Pete Browning, Phil Cavarretta, Rafael Palmeiro, Roberto Alomar, Rocky Colavito, Ron Guidry, Steve Garvey, Ted Simmons, Thurman Munson, Tim Raines, Will Clark

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Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? Phil Cavarretta

Claim to fame: Cavarretta, who died Saturday at 94, was Mr. Cub before Ernie Banks, debuting in 1934 at 18 and playing 20 years at Wrigley Field before spending his final two seasons with the White Sox. Along the way, the first baseman made three All Star teams, hit .293 lifetime, and was National League MVP in 1945 when he hit a circuit-best .355 and led the Cubs to the World Series. Interestingly, at the time of his death, Cavarretta was the last man to have played in a game with Babe Ruth, which occurred May 21, 1935 when a bloated Bambino hit his 711th home run to help the Boston Braves to a 4-1 victory.

Current Hall of Fame eligibility: Cavarretta was on the Baseball Writers Association of America’s ballot for Cooperstown 12 years, peaking at 35.6 percent of the vote his final year, 1975. He can be enshrined by the Veterans Committee, through its Pre-Integration Era subcommittee for players who made their largest impact between 1871 and 1946. The subcommittee will next vote in two years, with any inductions slated for the summer of 2013.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? Year in, year out, Cavarretta was good for about a .280 or .290 batting average and, when he was healthy and starting, upwards of 150 hits, and 80 or 90 runs batted in, with light power numbers and outstanding on-base percentages for his era. This may not place him close to Cooperstown, though he’d be a first ballot inductee for the Hall of Very Good or Hall of Very Interesting. Cavarretta had a career and life worth remembering even if his stats place him distantly behind a number of non-enshrined first basemen like Dick Allen, Will Clark, and Mark McGwire, among others. Cavarretta’s grandson Jeffrey Brown told the Associated Press, “We’re full of sorrow, but he lived a full, wonderful life.”

Born July 19, 1916 in Chicago, Cavarretta might have been the baseball equivalent of Kevin Bacon– he connects to a lot of people. Without checking, I wouldn’t be surprised if Cavarretta played with or against more Hall of Famers than any player. Because he played so long and in the years he did, 1934 to 1955, Cavarretta crossed paths with everyone from Ruth to Jackie Robinson to Willie Mays, and by virtue of his time in the American League at the end, Bob Feller, Mickey Mantle, and Ted Williams. Cavarretta faced Hank Greenberg, both in the 1945 World Series where he hit .423 and in 1947 when Greenberg was closing out his career with the Pirates.

Cavarretta even played a game of ping pong against actress Betty Grable in 1935 at spring training on Catalina, telling an interviewer in 2007, “And you know what, she was pretty good! I had to really concentrate to beat her, so all the guys wouldn’t get on me. But I was tricky when I played — I’d put a little slice on the ball, give it some ‘English’ — it was the only way I could stay close to her! But that was the last time I saw her.”

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? is a Tuesday feature here.

Others in this series: Al Oliver, Albert Belle, Bert Blyleven, Billy Martin, Cecil Travis, Chipper Jones, Dan Quisenberry, Dave Parker, Don Mattingly, Don Newcombe, George Steinbrenner, George Van Haltren, Jack Morris, Joe Carter, John Smoltz, Keith Hernandez, Larry Walker, Maury Wills, Mel Harder, Pete Browning, Rafael Palmeiro, Roberto Alomar, Rocky Colavito, Ron Guidry, Steve Garvey, Ted Simmons, Thurman Munson, Tim Raines, Will Clark

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Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? George Van Haltren

Claim to fame: Van Haltren hit .316 with 2,544 hits, 1.642 runs, and 583 steals in a career that spanned 1887 to 1903. Like other early greats, Van Haltren also pitched, going 40-31 with a 4.05 ERA, and he was unsurprisingly also known for his strong arm as an outfielder. I don’t know if Van Haltren’s been a serious candidate for Cooperstown since a campaign was waged for him in the early days of the museum, though his candidate page for the Hall of Merit lists him as one of the three best center fielders of the 1890s.

Current Hall of Fame eligibility: Under revised Veterans Committee rules that took effect in July, Van Haltren can be considered for enshrinement as a member of the Pre-Integration Era, for players who made their mark between 1871 and 1946. The committee will hold its next vote in two years, with inductions occurring in the summer of 2013.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? Personally, I’m partial to Van Haltren, partial enough that he was one of my picks in a ballot I cast for a recent project here, The 50 best players not in the Hall of Fame. Van Haltren received 10 votes, out of 63 ballots cast, tying him for 89th place with Jose Canseco, Charlie Keller, and Carl Mays among others, a disparate group, kind of the Gilligan’s Island of our results page.

We wound up with just one 19th century player in the top 50, shortstop Bill Dahlen, and I’m not sure if this bothers me, since I think the skill level was lower in baseball before 1900. Nevertheless, I voted for six players who had at least one season in the 1800s: Dahlen, Van Haltren, Pete Browning, Bobby Mathews, Deacon Phillippe, and Deacon White. I mostly went with names I knew, though Van Haltren seems to offer the complete package for a non-enshrined, 19th century great. I like his stats, the fact he pitched and hit, and his involvement in the Players League of 1890, an early, failed attempt by players to organize their own circuit.

In putting this post together, I emailed the other people who voted for Van Haltren, curious to hear their reasons. They told me a lot of what’s been said here. One voter pointed out that Van Haltren favorably compared to enshrined contemporaries Joe Kelley, Jim O’Rourke, and Fred Clarke. Joe Williams, chair of the chair of the Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legends Project, Nineteenth Century Committee, for the Society for American Baseball Research, also sent me a newsletter on greats from the 1800s that I’d be happy to forward to anyone interested.

I’d heard before that Van Haltren was very similar to Jimmy Ryan, who played roughly the same years, also hit for good average, stole a lot of bases and had an OPS+ rating in the 120 range. I emailed Total Baseball author John Thorn, an expert on baseball before the modern era. I asked Thorn to help me differentiate between Van Haltren and Ryan and if he thought they belonged in Cooperstown.

Thorn replied:

Van Haltren and Ryan were both very good if not great ballplayers. A case can be made that either or both belong in the Hall of Fame. All the same, I believe that nineteenth century players– apart from perhaps Jim Creighton and Deacon White– are adequately represented in Cooperstown. The great area of neglect is in the pioneer group, as modern research has revealed several individuals to be of far greater importance to the development of the game than some who were mistakenly identified as primal figures– (Alexander) Cartwright principally, but also (Morgan) Bulkeley.

Whatever the case, I doubt my voters and I are the only people who may have overlooked early baseball greats.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? is a Tuesday feature here.

Others in this series: Al Oliver, Albert Belle, Bert Blyleven, Billy Martin, Cecil Travis, Chipper Jones, Dan Quisenberry, Dave Parker, Don Mattingly, Don Newcombe, George Steinbrenner, Jack Morris, Joe Carter, John Smoltz, Keith Hernandez, Larry Walker, Maury Wills, Mel Harder, Pete Browning, Rafael Palmeiro, Roberto Alomar, Rocky Colavito, Ron Guidry, Steve Garvey, Ted Simmons, Thurman Munson, Tim Raines, Will Clark

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Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? Ted Simmons

I’m pleased to present another first here: one of these columns by a guest poster. Today’s edition of Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? is written by Rory Paap of www.PaapFly.com. I generally am against others writing this feature, since I don’t want to create a dumping ground where anyone can go to campaign for their favorite player. I’d like to preserve at least some objectivity. However, Rory approached me a few weeks back wanting to write about Simmons, and since he’s done some fine guest posts here, I obliged. Don’t count on this being a trend.

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Claim to fame: Simmons replaced All Star Joe Torre, as the Cardinals’ full-time catcher in 1971, and caught a Bob Gibson no-hitter that year. He also holds the record for most intentional walks by a catcher with 188 (tied for 18th all-time for any hitter), well ahead of the best catcher of all-time, Johnny Bench (135). Simmons was a switch-hitting catcher who could really hit.

Current Hall of Fame eligibility: Simmons just appeared on the Veterans Committee ballot for Cooperstown, and it was announced Monday that he received less than half of the vote. Prior to this, Simmons made just one appearance on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot, receiving 3.7 percent of the vote in 1994 which disqualified him from future ballots.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? First off: even if he does not, he deserved a heck of a lot more consideration that one ballot and less than 5 percent of the vote. And now to the does he; shall we?

There are ten catchers-– Bench, Yogi Berra, Roger Bresnahan, Roy Campanella, Gary Carter, Mickey Cochrane, Bill Dickey, Carlton Fisk, Gabby Hartnett and Ernie Lombardi-– currently enshrined for their merit as catchers, which eliminates Buck Ewing, Rick Ferrell and Ray Schalk who were inducted for varying reasons not necessarily related to their Johnny Bench-ness. Schalk, for example, was inducted because of his defensive prowess in the early 1900’s, easy to deduce given his career .656 OPS. I use Bench, because he’s clearly the gold standard, and the best two-way– meaning offensive and defensive machine– catcher of all time. He won 10 gold gloves and 2 MVP awards.

As it turns out, Bench would ultimately be a huge obstacle for Ted Simmons’ HOF candidacy. Ted’s prime years came during Bench’s illustrious career, and he also played during the careers of Fisk-– whose longevity at the position helped his candidacy-– and Carter.

The only hardware he collected was a single Silver Slugger award, but that award wasn’t first doled out until 1980 when most of his best seasons were already behind him. He did appear in eight All-Star games and finished in the Top-10 of MVP voting three times. It was certainly hard to get recognition with the other future Hall members in the league at his position at the same time as he, while also playing on mostly not very good teams.

In terms of counting stats, he has more hits and doubles than any of them, and would be in the top five in runs, home runs, RBI, batting average and walks at the position. He’s also seventh among these men – again, whom are all Hall of Famers – in career Wins above Replacement (WAR) at +50.4 wins, and in exactly zero statistical category of the before mentioned stats plus triples, on-base percentage (OBP), on-base plus slugging (OPS), fielding percentage at catcher, caught stealing percentage and OPS+, does he come last. His career 117 OPS+ is right in line with Carlton Fisk and 2 points better than Gary Carter’s 115. And though he didn’t display quite the power as Bench, Carter and Fisk, his number of walks per strikeouts (1.23) and contact rate in general was far better than theirs.

Other than being overshadowed by Carter and Fisk, and Bench especially, the other knock on Simmons must have been the number of games he caught. All said and done, he only caught about 72% of the games he played, well below most of the other Hall of Fame catchers, though not lower than Bresnahan’s 68%. But upon further review of his career, I found something interesting, and that may have cost him a plaque in the Coop.

After 1983, Simmons would play five additional seasons but never catch 50 percent of his games played again. In fact, he only caught an average of ten games per season through his retirement after the 1988 season. One might be led to believe those final years helped to pad his stats, but that’s misleading. More accurately, they pulled down his peripherals and gave the writers, who would knock him off the ballot in just one try, a chance to see a broken down catcher look mostly hopeless at the plate while an emerging star, Gary Carter, looked brilliant.

Had Simmons retired after 1983, he may have left baseball with a much better impression and a greater chance at making the Hall of Fame with 13 seasons under his belt. His WAR would have been better (53.2), good for sixth on our list of ten HoF catchers. He still would have been third in hits, sixth in runs, seventh in home runs, second in doubles, fifth in walks, and fifth in batting average. His OPS+ would have been a shiny 124 – that’s approximately 25% better than league average – which would have tied him with the great Roy Campanella, one of two catchers (Yogi being the other) to win three MVP awards. What’s more, he would have caught 87% of the games he’d played, perfectly acceptable for admission into Cooperstown as a backstop.

It’s almost unfortunate, but Simmons did indeed play those final five seasons, and they cannot be simply erased for the purpose of strengthening his hall case. Even so, for me, his decent defense, probably comparable to both Carter and Fisk, coupled with outstanding offense – both of which he was able to sustain for a significant number of years in his peak seasons – is enough to get him into Cooperstown. It may even be enough to put him in the class of the top-ten catchers of all-time who are either already enshrined, or already eligible. The fact that he was dropped off the ballot so quickly is indefensible, and the fact that he’ll now get another shot is a blessing.

This guest post was written by Rory Paap of www.PaapFly.com

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? is a Tuesday feature here.

Others in this series: Al Oliver, Albert Belle, Bert Blyleven, Billy Martin, Cecil Travis, Chipper Jones, Dan Quisenberry, Dave Parker, Don Mattingly, Don Newcombe, George Steinbrenner, Jack Morris, Joe Carter, John Smoltz, Keith Hernandez, Larry Walker, Maury Wills, Mel Harder, Pete Browning, Rafael Palmeiro, Roberto Alomar, Rocky Colavito, Ron Guidry, Steve Garvey, Thurman Munson, Tim Raines, Will Clark

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Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? Roberto Alomar

Claim to fame: Alomar might have been the best second baseman of his generation. In his prime, he was certainly the best all-around player at his position, a franchise cornerstone and an integral member of many playoff teams. An All Star 12 of his 17 seasons and a 10-time Gold Glove winner, Alomar batted .300 lifetime with 2,724 hits, 210 home runs, and 474 stolen bases and a career WAR of 63.5. While he declined his final three seasons and quit at 37 in March 2005, just shy of 3,000 hits, his Cooperstown case would be certain were it not for some onerous personal issues.

Current Hall of Fame eligibility: Alomar fell just shy this past January in his first year on the Cooperstown ballot for the Baseball Writers Association of America, receiving 73.7 percent of the vote. He’s on the ballot for the second time this year and will have 13 more tries should he again miss the 75 percent of the votes he needs for enshrinement.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? It’s going to be an interesting year for Hall voting. One can only guess how many candidates will fall short. My guess is Jeff Bagwell, Kevin Brown, Rafael Palmeiro, and Larry Walker all miss out, though Bagwell should get in soon, and I think Walker will eventually. Their numbers seen good enough, their images sufficiently clean, though players like them (All Stars whose careers were curtailed by injuries) rarely get in first ballot. Brown and Palmeiro’s best bet is the Veterans Committee. With the exception of Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens, I doubt the writers will enshrine any player connected to steroids.

Alomar is a different case. I think he may have the best shot of any recent player at being enshrined this year, and it’s hard to name another second baseman from his era who could do everything he could as well as he did. Craig Biggio couldn’t hit for the same average, Lou Whitaker couldn’t hit for the same power, and Jeff Kent couldn’t run as fast. In his prime, from 1992 through 2001, Alomar hit better than .300 nine of 10 years and batted above .320 five times. He also played effectively in the postseason, hitting .313 lifetime with 4 HR and 33 RBI in 58 games.

The question is if the writers are willing to look past some things. There’s the late career decline, his underwhelming lifetime OPS+ of 116, and his negative defensive WAR, a sign his glove may have been overrated. Then there’s the incident from 1996 where he spit on umpire John Hirschbeck during a game. Hirschbeck reportedly called Alomar last year to wish him good luck with the Hall of Fame voting, though I suspect some writers still ding him for the episode.

More significantly, two women have sued Alomar, claiming he was HIV-positive and had unprotected sex with them. It’s not for me to speculate whether Alomar is guilty or innocent, though if it’s true, Alomar wouldn’t be the first HIV-positive athlete in a Hall of Fame, thanks to Magic Johnson. That being said, Magic went about his disclosure in November 1991 in an entirely different manner, becoming an advocate and eventually, a champion over his affliction. No one’s perfect, of course, but right now, Alomar looks far from a champion.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? is a Tuesday feature here.

Others in this series: Al Oliver, Albert Belle, Bert Blyleven, Billy Martin, Cecil Travis, Chipper Jones, Dan Quisenberry, Dave Parker, Don Mattingly, Don Newcombe, George Steinbrenner, Jack Morris, Joe Carter, John Smoltz, Keith Hernandez, Larry Walker, Maury Wills, Mel Harder, Pete Browning, Rafael Palmeiro, Rocky Colavito, Ron Guidry, Steve Garvey, Thurman Munson, Tim Raines, Will Clark

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Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? Billy Martin

Claim to fame: The fiery manager of the Bronx Zoo New York Yankees in the 1970s, Martin also did well in stops at Minnesota, Detroit, Texas, and Oakland. He thrived wherever he went, having just three losing seasons in 19 years and going 1,253-1,013 overall. Despite this, he is remembered perhaps as much for his off-field antics, his many firings at the hands of George Steinbrenner (they even once did a commercial making light of it), and his alcohol-related death in 1989 at 61.

Current Hall of Fame eligibility: Martin is on this year’s Veterans Committee ballot, along with Steinbrenner and two of their best pitchers in those years, Ron Guidry and Tommy John. The committee will announce its voting results at the annual winter meetings in Orlando, Florida on December 6.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? My short answer is yes. Martin did well in too many stops, and his record should speak louder than his questionable character (on a side note, was it really terribly worse than many men already enshrined?) The same should be said of Dick Allen, Dave Parker, and Albert Belle, in my book. But then, controversial figures generally have a hard time getting into Cooperstown. I’d vote for all four of these men, but I don’t know how many other people would.

Traditionally, the committee, in its various forms over the years and the Hall of Fame in general prefers establishment-friendly candidates. It’s why I figured Whitey Herzog would get voted in last year after he, Martin, Danny Murtaugh, and Gene Mauch appeared on the ballot. It’s the same reason I think Steve Garvey will get in this year. When in doubt, Hall of Fame voting is generally conservative, particularly with the Veterans Committee in recent years, and I suppose arguments could be made for or against this.

All this being said, if Martin were to get into the Hall of Fame, he’d have a spot in one of its most exclusive wings. This summer, Herzog became just the 20th person enshrined as a manager. Men like Connie Mack, John McGraw, and Casey Stengel are there. Al Dark, Bill Rigney, Charlie Grimm and many others are not. There are so many solid managers not in Cooperstown that a few months back I suggested there be a hybrid wing for skippers who also played.

Technically, Martin could qualify for this too since he played 11 years in the majors, making the American League All Star team in 1956 and serving as one of Mickey Mantle’s running partners on the Yankees of the Stengel-glory-years 1950s. Still, I think Martin’s managerial credentials should be sufficient to earn him a plaque.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? is a Tuesday feature here.

Others in this series: Al Oliver, Albert Belle, Bert Blyleven, Cecil Travis, Chipper Jones, Dan Quisenberry, Dave Parker, Don Mattingly, Don Newcombe, George Steinbrenner, Jack Morris, Joe Carter, John Smoltz, Keith Hernandez, Larry Walker, Maury Wills, Mel Harder, Pete Browning, Rafael Palmeiro, Rocky Colavito, Ron Guidry, Steve Garvey, Thurman Munson, Tim Raines, Will Clark

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Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? Rafael Palmeiro

Claim to fame: 500 home runs. 3,000 hits. Steroids.

Current Hall of Fame eligibility: Palmeiro becomes eligible for enshrinement in 2011 through the Baseball Writers Association of America, meaning its members will vote on him for the first time in coming months.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? I was tempted to simply write “No” and move on to other more enjoyable things. I have no desire to see a Palmeiro plaque in Cooperstown, and the idea of him giving an induction speech triggers my gag reflex. But there are a few things that should probably be said here.

First, were it not for steroids, Palmeiro would be a sure bet for Cooperstown. No member of the 3,000-hit club has failed to be a first ballot selection since Paul Waner in 1952, and Palmeiro is also one of just four players in this group with at least 500 home runs. Palmeiro also boasts a career batting average of .288, an OPS+ of 132 and a Wins Above Replacement ranking of 66.0, all things which put him in line for Cooperstown. Baseball-Reference.com lists him above on three of its four Hall of Fame ranking tools.

But, of course, Palmeiro was named as a steroid user in Jose Canseco’s memoir Juiced, subsequently denied before Congress with a defiant wave of his finger that he’d ever used, and had a positive test a few months later in August 2005 that effectively ended his career. A finger wave has never been so damning or potentially haunting to his Hall of Fame case. I suspect it’s the image at least 70 percent of the BBWAA will reference as they decline to vote for him.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Palmeiro stays on the ballot a full 15 years, consistently receiving votes from the 10-20 percent of the electorate that says there’s no proof he used steroids besides that positive test or that he was doing anything different than many other ballplayers. Some may also say that 500/3,000 is 500/3,000 regardless of how it’s accomplished, that if it was so easy with steroids, then why didn’t more players accomplish it? After all, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and even Barry Bonds did not.

Still, I don’t see Palmeiro as more than an afterthought or a pariah, only the latest McGwire, Dave Parker, or Dick Allen to come before voters. Historically, these types of players have a loyal core of support but rarely get enshrined. And why should they? I believe Cooperstown can make its own rules, that no one is required to be enshrined. I’d vote for Parker or Allen, flawed individuals who were also very talented, but if baseball wants to do its best to forget Palmeiro, McGwire, or any other member of the Steroid Era, so be it.

Why Palmeiro and Co.’s exploits should be celebrated in any Hall of Fame is beyond me, though a Steroid Hall of Fame might be something worth considering. More on that some other time.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? is a Tuesday feature here.

Others in this series: Al Oliver, Albert Belle, Bert Blyleven, Cecil Travis, Chipper Jones, Dan Quisenberry, Dave Parker, Don Mattingly, Don Newcombe, George Steinbrenner, Jack Morris, Joe Carter, John Smoltz, Keith Hernandez, Larry Walker, Maury Wills, Mel Harder, Pete Browning, Rocky Colavito, Ron Guidry, Steve Garvey, Thurman Munson, Tim Raines, Will Clark

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Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? Ron Guidry

Claim to fame: Guidry was among the best pitchers of the 1970s and ’80s, going 170-91 with a 3.29 ERA in his 14-year career. Playing solely with the New York Yankees, Guidry won 20 games three times, took home five Gold Gloves, and swept the American League Cy Young Award in 1978 with his 25-3, 1.74 ERA season. His career was short by Cooperstown standards, with just six seasons with at least 30 starts, though Guidry made the most of his time: His home page on Baseball-Reference.com lists his 162-game averages as 17-9, a 3.29 ERA, nine complete games, and three shutouts.

Current Hall of Fame eligibility: The Hall of Fame announced on Monday that Guidry is among 12 candidates for the Veterans Committee to consider at the winter meetings in December. Guidry appeared on the Cooperstown ballot for the Baseball Writers Association of America from 1994 through 2002, never receiving more than 10 percent of the vote.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? Before I start, let me offer something to anyone reading from Baseball Think Factory expecting a column on Rafael Palmeiro. I announced in a forum discussion following my piece on Will Clark last week that I’d write about Palmeiro today, but that was before I knew the Veterans Committee would have an announcement. After reading it, I knew the Dirty Dozen would delay Palmeiro at least a week.

Besides Guidry, the 11 other candidates are:

  • Vida Blue
  • Dave Concepcion
  • Steve Garvey
  • Pat Gillick
  • Tommy John
  • Marvin Miller
  • Al Oliver
  • Ted Simmons
  • Rusty Staub
  • George Steinbrenner

Looking at the list, I think two men have a strong shot of getting in, whether it’s deserved or not: Steinbrenner, who died earlier this year and should get a boost in the sympathy vote; Garvey, for reasons I explained in June. Martin and Miller should get in, but probably won’t, at least not this year– they’re too polarizing of figures. I could possibly make a case for John, but I’ll hold off on that for now.

The accomplishment for Blue, Concepcion, Gillick, Oliver, and Staub is making the ballot. Same goes for Simmons, who’s revered in the baseball research community but hasn’t gotten his due elsewhere. It’s not to say these players are undeserving (in fact, I recently said I’d vote for Oliver) they just don’t seem like the best players not in Cooperstown. That may be because, under new rules, this election is strictly for those players, the press release notes, “whose most significant career impact was realized” between 1973 and 1989. It’s why Dick Allen, Gil Hodges, Minnie Minoso, Tony Oliva, Ron Santo, and many others are nowhere to be found on this ballot. The stipulation seems arbitrary and contrary to the committee’s official goal of helping overlooked players, but I’m not sure the old methods were better.

But if this is what it takes to get Guidry on the ballot, perhaps it’s okay. His short career could get him pushed aside amidst bigger names, which may have been what happened to him on the writers ballot, though Guidry’s career compares favorably to Dizzy Dean, Sandy Koufax, and Rube Waddell, other aces who shined briefly. Guidry’s also probably better than most Yankee pitchers in Cooperstown, for whatever that’s worth. His career WAR of 44.4 might seem unimpressive, but for pitchers this committee could have considered, only John (who played twice as long), Jerry Koosman, Steve Rogers, and Luis Tiant rank higher. I think Tiant deserves a nod too, but that’s for another time.

So Guidry has my vote. It will be interesting to see how many he gets.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? is a Tuesday feature here.

Others in this series: Al Oliver, Albert Belle, Bert Blyleven, Cecil Travis, Chipper Jones, Dan Quisenberry, Dave Parker, Don Mattingly,Don Newcombe, George Steinbrenner, Jack Morris, Joe Carter, John Smoltz, Keith Hernandez, Larry Walker, Maury Wills, Mel Harder, Pete Browning, Rocky Colavito, Steve Garvey, Thurman Munson, Tim Raines, Will Clark

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Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? Will Clark

Claim to fame: With the World Series between the San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers in the books, I thought I’d devote a column to one of the best Hall of Fame-worthy players not in Cooperstown who played for both teams. With apologies to Bobby Bonds, Kenny Lofton, and Bill Madlock, who could each merit consideration, I’m referring to former All Star first baseman Will Clark. Here’s a photo from Monday night of Clark celebrating the Giants’ first title since 1954.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should say Clark is my all-time favorite player. I loved the black under his eyes, his Ted Williams-esque swing, and his ra-ra demeanor, but more than anything, I loved the fact he was it for the Giants when I was growing up in Northern California. My best friend Devin and I idolized Will the Thrill; Devin once had his picture taken with a cardboard cutout of our hero at Candlestick Park, and Devin’s mom told me Clark had stopped by the house. Man was I envious.

All this being said, I think Clark had a Hall of Fame career on merit, a career that’s gone largely unrewarded since it was curtailed by injuries and took place during the Steroid Era.

Current Hall of Fame eligibility: Clark received 4.4 percent of the vote in 2006, his only year on the Cooperstown ballot for the Baseball Writers Association of America. Clark will be eligible for enshrinement through the Veterans Committee in 2020.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? My quick answer is: Yes, of course. It’s my blog, and Clark’s my guy. But I realize I should say more.

Some may ask why I didn’t write about Clark as soon as I had the chance. I’ve held back for a few reasons. First, I didn’t want to seem like a homer, someone who pulls relentlessly for their home team or star; I strive to be objective and try to write for a national audience. Also, I wanted my Clark column to be perfect (which this isn’t.) Finally, for a long time, I didn’t understand Clark’s case.

When Clark was wrapping up his career in 2000– heck, when he was in his last year with the Giants in 1993, a forgotten man during Barry Bonds’ first MVP season in San Francisco, I could only wonder what might have been. Clark seemed on-track for Cooperstown early on before derailing around 30, yet another Don Mattingly or Rocky Colavito or any number of other would-be legends. Clark’s career lines of 284 home runs and 2,176 hits seemed pedestrian, especially for his era.

A decade on, the number of star players from the 1990s who were on steroids continues to rise, and Clark’s lifetime numbers look better (assuming he was clean, of course), like his .303 batting average and .880 OPS. Other stats that have gained significance like his 137 OPS+ and his 57.5 career WAR seem to place Clark on the fringe of Cooperstown, a Veterans Committee candidate better than many enshrined. Clark was also a crack defender, had the throwback personality, and this 2007 Beyond the Boxscore post noted his five-year prime was better than Hall of Famers like Eddie Murray, Willie McCovey, and Harmon Killebrew.

At least to me, Clark represented many things right with baseball in a troubling time in its history. Call me biased, but from his era, Clark is one of the few players I want to remember or whose Hall of Fame plaque I would care to look at.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? is a Tuesday feature here.

Others in this series: Al Oliver, Albert Belle, Bert Blyleven, Cecil Travis, Chipper Jones, Dan Quisenberry, Dave Parker, Don Mattingly, Don Newcombe, George Steinbrenner, Jack Morris, Joe Carter, John Smoltz, Keith Hernandez, Larry Walker, Maury Wills, Mel Harder, Pete Browning, Rocky Colavito, Steve Garvey, Thurman Munson, Tim Raines