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By: Keith Dobkowski
Every few years the baseball nation enters the debate of which
current players will one day be in the baseball hall of fame. Over
the past week, three events started the HOF discussion once
again. Greg Maddux earned his 300th career victory, Barry Bonds
hit his 30th homerun for the major league record 13th straight
season, and Edgar Martinez announced his retirement following
the end of 2004 campaign.
There are a few players, I count five, whose Hall of Fame
credentials need not even be discussed, but rather debated as to
whether each will receive unanimous election. They are Barry
Bonds, Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens and Pedro
Martinez.
Barry Bonds has six MVP’s, eight gold gloves, and will most likely
finish his career with 2,000 RBI’s, 3,000 hits and MLB records for
walks and homeruns. All four pitchers have averaged 17 wins
per season and less than nine losses. Clemens and Maddux
each have 300 wins, while Johnson and Martinez will both finish
with more than 250 victories. Martinez’s three Cy Young Awards
only pale in comparison to the four, five and six that Maddux,
Johnson and Clemens have respectively.
Baseball is a game of numbers and certain numbers have always
been associated with Hall credentials. 3,000 hits, 300 wins and
500 homeruns are those numbers. Moving position by position
should allow a fair and accurate discussion of a players
capabilities, but also allow us to ask, is he the best at his
position.
Starting in the outfield names such as Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey
Jr., Juan Gonzalez, and Manny Ramirez immediately come to
mind. However, only Griffey could play defense. For ten seasons,
Griffey was the best centerfielder in the game and arguably the
games best player. He was a highlight reel in the outfield and a
power slugger at the plate. While Griffey hit his 500th homer this
season, he could have quit four years ago before the leg troubles
and Griffey still would have been a first ballot hall of famer.
Juan-Gone, Man-Ram and Sosa would all receive heavy
consideration from me, and if baseball ended today, none would
earn my vote. Juan-Gone’s two MVP’s and 400 homeruns are
great, but if Dale Murphy’s two MVP’s and glove aren’t good
enough then neither is Juan-Gone.
Man-Ram is a disaster waiting to happen in the outfield. His RBI
totals year after year are incredible but a guy ought to be able to
make a play. Man-Ram’s best play of the year was the diving
catch he made to rob the Red Sox of a play at the plate. Did I
forget to mention that the diving catch was of a ball thrown by
the centerfielder to the cut off man? It was a nice catch though.
Not a popular pick by me and probably does not help that I would
not have voted for Nolan Ryan either, but Sammy Sosa would not
get my vote on a first ballot. Sosa plays a very shaky right field
and strikes out way too often, especially in pressure situations.
He has been caught cheating once and with the odds of a bat
breaking and cork being found, one can only assume that Sosa
has cheated before. Furthermore, Sosa, unlike any other player,
has benefited from a tighter ball, harder bat, juiced player, and
smaller ballpark era. Add in no gold gloves and only one MVP and
you have a player who needs to hit 600 homeruns to make the
hall of fame.
A quick shout out to Ricky Henderson, the best lead off hitter of
all-time and self proclaimed “greatest of all time,” who would be a
shoe in if he would just retire.
On the mound there are few players ready today to enter the
Hall. Ten years from now we will be discussing the likes of Eric
Gagne, Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Ben Sheets, Mark Mulder, Barry
Zito, and Tim Hudson. And if Jason Schmidt plays the next five
years the way he has played the past two, he too will be
considered. But at this point there are only two probables.
Mariano Rivera and Tom Glavine both have significant shots of
making the hall, yet each needs help to get there. Glavine will
need to keep winning. If Glavine can reach 300 victories in a
sport dominated by numbers, Glavine will have enough to make
the hall. Without 300, Glavine is a close choice. Glavine
benefited from the Braves organization where he averaged 15
wins and 10 losses per season, but his three and a half era and
only one Cy Young are not impressive enough.
Rivera needs more playoff games to boost his status. Already
the greatest reliever in post season history, the more big games
he closes on a national stage, the greater the aura. With the
Yankees continuing to spend in order to win, Rivera will continue
to increase his post season records and will end up in the Hall.
Behind the plate, only two players deserve consideration, Mike
Piazza and Ivan Rodriguez. Piazza has set every hitting record
for a catcher and even his average play behind the plate cannot
be take away from up-seating Johnny Bench’s career numbers.
Pudge has won an MVP, been a solid hitter, a team leader, a
world series winner and won gold gloves behind the plate for
about 10 straight seasons. Both will enter the Hall on the first try.
At third base, Scott Rolen, Eric Chavez and now Alex Rodriguez all
have the talent to become Hall of Fame inductees. However,
none has put up the career stats to make it at this point. Chavez
is the best fielding third baseman in the game and could quite
likely finish with a dozen gold gloves (he already has two).
Chavez hit’s the long ball and his average is starting to climb.
Rolen, like Chavez, is excellent at the corner. Rolen just needs
more seasons to increase his stats. And A-Rod may be the
greatest talent in the game, but he does not have the career
numbers or the championships to get him in the Hall now.
Furthermore, A-Rod’s MVP was a hoax. Two questions: If A-Rod
was so valuable to his team last year, why did they finish last
and where would they have finished without him (Texas is
currently 2.5 games out of first place)?
First base provides a log jam unlike any other position. With the
likes of Frank Thomas, Jeff Bagwell and Rafael Palmeiro heading
the list. Thomas has won two MVP’s but his career numbers do
not meet any of the chosen numbers discussed above. He has
never been a solid defender and spent most of the last few years
as a designated hitter.
Palmeiro has quietly hit over 500 homeruns, but at no time has
he ever been considered one of the best players, let alone first
basemen, in the game. Somehow Palmeiro has won six gold
gloves but a few came when he was primarily a designated
hitter. Good solid player, yes, hall of famer, no. Palmeiro will be
the first player with 500 homers and not make the Hall. Like
Sosa, Palmeiro will need 600 to get in.
Jeff Bagwell makes it. His grit and team leadership gives Bagwell
an edge over either of the above players. Bagwell will finish with
1500 RBI’s, over 2200 hits, an MVP, and nearly 500 homers and
doubles.
At second base there are three players who should receive heavy
consideration, Roberto Alomar, Craig Biggio and Jeff Kent. Alomar
was the best second baseman in the game and clearly inherited
what Ryne Sandberg left behind. With a dozen gold gloves and a
.300 average, Alomar should be a sure fire hall of fame inductee.
Craig Biggio has had an amazing career, but again was never the
best second baseman in baseball or his league. He has put
together a wonderful career that includes four straight gold
gloves, but lacks the statistical numbers to get in. However, if
Biggio can play three more seasons he should reach the magical
plateau of 3000 hits and will gain his entry to the Hall.
Jeff Kent has fallen off the radar of most writers and fans.
However, Kent’s domination at second base for six straight years
was made of legends. In fact, Kent’s domination at second base
actually surpassed the legend of Roger Hornsby, the greatest
second baseman of all time. However, Kent will fall short due to
two words, Barry Bonds. Kent’s six year run was as the
benefactor of Barry Bonds. Kent’s clubhouse nemesis for six
seasons in San Francisco will also be his demise as he waits
outside the doors of Cooperstown.
Finally the shortstop where the big four became the big three
once A-Rod moved to the corner. Derek Jeter and Nomar
Garciaparra have very similar regular season statistics. And
neither would have enough numbers to make the hall based
solely off the regular season. However, Derek Jeter has become
the Michael Jordan of the post season always seeming to make
the great play or get the clutch hit. Helped tremendously by the
Yankees budget that guarantees a post-season every season,
Jeter has made the most of it where he has a .385 post season
batting average. Jeter has become the new Mr. October.
That said, Garciaparra needs at least five more seasons like the
previous eight to be considered. The third shortstop is Miguel
Tejada. With already one MVP and many years ahead of him,
Tejada has the opportunity to one day knock at Cooperstown, he
just needs ten more years.
You may asking yourself right now, where is Edgar Martinez, the
guy you started this article with? Since the Designated Hitter is
not a real position but rather a terrible rule that must be done
away with, I have given no time to that debate. If the likes of
Sammy Sosa, Frank Thomas, Juan Gonzales and Manny Ramirez
can all have their stock dropped for their inability to defend, how
can I nominate a DH to the Hall. Now that would not be fair.
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