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Baseball

Established in 1936, and currently based in Cooperstown, New York, the Baseball Hall of Fame may be the most prestigious of any Sports Hall of Fame.  Although Baseball may have taken a backseat to Football in recent years, there is no doubt that Baseball’s version of the Hall of Fame is by far the most relevant and the most difficult to get enshrined in.  At present, a player has to receive seventy five percent of the votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America, which has proven to be no easy task.  Failing that, a player could be inducted by the Veterans committee, though few have been inducted this way.  Our list will focus on the players only, and although we could easily do a tally focusing on mangers, broadcasters or other vital personnel, as always it is far more enjoyable to discuss the merits of those on the field as oppose to those off of it.

Until Then, Let’s get some peanuts and cracker jacks and cast some votes of our own!

Sincerely,

The Not in Hall of Committee.
Many baseball players are known for the clutch performances with their bat.  Graig Nettles certainly had many clutch hits in his long career, but he may have been known for having more clutch performances with his glove.
A lot of baseball players take flak for their high salaries. One of those who did was Kevin Brown who was the first man in professional baseball to sign a contract worth $100 Million. Sadly for Brown, his deterioration rendered that one of the worst contracts as during the final years of his career he was not a player who should have been amongst the games highest paid.
Many who first think of Jim Edmonds and the Hall of Fame may think automatically of what we wrote about Moises Alou and that he is likely a candidate for the “Hall of Very Good”. However the more we really thought about it, the more we like “Jimmy Baseball’s” resume.
Many closers failed to remain consistent for multiple seasons, but Billy Wagner was able to be one of the game’s most effective Relief Pitchers for a dozen years.  Coming up through the Astros system he would win in the closer’s job for Houston in 1997 and two years later he went to his first All-Star Game.  That season (1999) he had 39 Saves with a WHIP of 0.777 and was tenth in bWAR for Pitchers, an incredible accomplishment for a Relief Pitcher.  2000 was bad for Wagner but he rebounded to have seven more 30 Save seasons over years with…
Andy Pettitte took PEDs and apologized for it. He was forgiven by not just the fans of the New York Yankees but baseball fans in general. That fact (an important one) makes him the most intriguing candidate for this year as his contriteness might make him Hall of Fame worthy.   Still, if the PED issue is not a factor, is Andy Pettitte a HOF contender? Let’s take a look!
The man called “Superchief” was one of the great right handed pitchers of the New York Yankees.  Allie Reynolds was the first man to toss two no-hitters in a season in the American League though that was just a small sample of what he accomplished.

CLASSIC TOUR AT YANKEE STADIUM

Jan 01, 1970

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TOURS: TRUIST PARK

Jan 01, 1970

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PETCO PARK TOURS

Jan 01, 1970

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Mar 29, 2024

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For about six seasons, Bob Caruthers was considered one of the best pitchers in baseball.  Sadly, as his career only lasted nine seasons his impact in the game may not have allowed him to cement himself as one of the great early pitchers.
Dave Stieb may have received World Series Ring with the Toronto Blue Jays when they won their first World Series in 1992, but the pitcher was at the tail end of his career and had little to do with the coveted trophy landing north of the border. He did however give Baseball fans the first legitimate reason to look there in the first place.
Will Clark is a justifiable member of the Mississippi Sports and College Baseball Hall of Fame but it looks like the big one in Cooperstown will elude him as he failed to get past his first year of eligibility.  A look at his career makes you wonder why he couldn’t get past that elusive first ballot.
Luckily for Sherry Magee there was no YouTube in 1911, otherwise, all that would ever be replayed of him would be time he decked an umpire with one punch following a called third strike.  Of course he played in the 1900s and 1910’s so it isn’t like there is any footage on YouTube of him at all.
In the National Hockey League, anyone who has won the MVP is almost a lock to enter the Hall of Fame. In Major League Baseball (Kevin Mitchell, Willie Hernandez, and Jeff Burroughs)…well, not so much. Jeff Kent is a former National League MVP, and has a very good set of career statistics, yet when you say his name, the words Hall of Fame don’t automatically come to mind.
Al Oliver came to the league in 1969 as a line-drive hitter and for eighteen years consistently smacked the ball for hits.  He had over 2,700 hits in his career, and despite not being a genuine power hitter, he had a plethora of RBI’s.
A converted third baseman, Bucky Walters took the mound later in his career but once he did he made up for the lost time.  Walters would even win the MVP for his pitching prowess and was one of the rare hurlers who could be used often as a pinch hitter.
One of two things could happen when you play with a collection of superstars.  Either you get lost in the shuffle or you become incorrectly elevated among them.  Neither was the case for the Dave Concepcion who became nationally known playing alongside Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, and Tony Perez, but deserved the attention that came with it.
With a magical season, a pair of exceptional ones, and a few very good ones, Ron Guidry had an excellent career in Baseball all with the Yankees. Theoretically, “Louisiana Lightning” did everything you want to accomplish in a career as he won the Cy Young Award (and was in the hunt for a few others) and won the World Series, which he did twice. However the knock on Guidry, is that he was only a full-time player for nine seasons, and though he does have one of the most impressive winning percentages in Baseball, his longevity is questioned in regards…
Regardless of the era, it is an impressive feat to be a key member of Chicago's rotation for a decade.  The Chicago White Sox may not have won a World Series in the ’50s, but they were a good team and much of the success they did have, was through a big part of the pitching of Billy Pierce.
Another forgotten star in the pre Babe Ruth era was Larry Doyle who was easily amongst the most likable players of his era.  Not only was he a natural favorite, but he was also one of the most consistent players too.
Omar Vizquel was considered one of the best defensive Shortstops of all time, earning eleven Gold Gloves and posting a career Defensive bWAR that is ranked in the top ten time.
If the main criteria for the Hall is perseverance and effort then Rusty Staub should have been a first ballot Hall of Famer.  His hard work resulted in over 2,700 hits in a Major League career that many people who saw him early on would never have pegged him for an amount that high.