First of all, guys, in terms of WHO will make it, it’s really easy to say; there being no first ballot choices among the newbies, just look at last year’s ballot and pick off anyone above 65 percent. That means Bruce Sutter will probably get in. The march towards election is very predictable.
Bery Blyleven finished 5th, at about 40%. He has no chance of being elected. Zero. Players don’t go from 40 to 75 in one year. It just doesn’t happen. Blyleven, giving the voting history, is 99.5% likely to never be elected.
Anyway, player by player:
Had his moments, but no.
Belle was a great, great player, terribly underrated. For all his attitude problems with the press and fellow human beings away from the field, he always seemed to get along decent with his teammates and he never stopped hustling.
I watched him play a game with the Orioles in Toronto, I think in his last season, 2000. The Orioles were in an awful slump and the Blue Jays were whipping them like a rented mule for the third day in a row. The Orioles had obviously given up, on the game, the season, and themselves; they were just an embarassment. Except for Belle. He stole two or three bases, was on base three or four times - he was the only guy in a Baltimore uniform who looked he was even trying.
Had he not gotten hurt he’d be a no-brainer in 2011 or so. He has no chance now, and I’m fine with that because his career was very short, but the man could play some baseball. Still… No.
I vote yes. Should have been in eons ago.
One of the most underrated players in baseball history. Injuries, again, and bad hitting parks in his best years. Wouldn’t be the worst player in by any means but I’m in no rush to vote for him. No.
Very good player for great teams but not quite good enough. No.
Dawson could hit and he was a heck of a defensive player for awhile, but he didn’t get on base much so he wasn’t a really great hitter, so for now I’m voting No.
Until I read this name in the OP I forgot the man existed. I’m shocked he made it to the ballot.
Fernandez had some great years with Chicago, but he’s an instructive example on aging in baseball. You notice players like Barry Bonds and Dave Winfield who play into their 40s, but most player - even really, really good ones - are washed up between the ages of 30 and 32. Alex Fernandez never threw a pitch in the major leagues after his 31st birthday.
Gaetti, on the other hand, lasted forever. Never a great player. No.
Garvery is underrated now, for two reasons:
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His batting numbers don’t look good as compared to today’s inflated numbers; they were in a very low-offense context, and
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He was unfairly saddled with the reputation of being a bad defensive player by the “fielding runs” crowd, which still follows him around despite the fact that Fielding Runs is totally bogus, and he actually was a pretty good first baseman.
Still, he wasn’t that great. Close, but no cigar.
Somewhere out there, right now, Doc’s smoking something.
Yes.
Why Gossage finishes behind Bruce Sutter every year I just do not understand. Gossage was just as good as Sutter, and his career was literally twice as long. I think Gossage just barely makes it.
Lord, no.
Had one of the best years I’ve ever seen in 1988, but obviously as a whole his career is not up to this standard.
I didn’t even notice he’d retired.
Jeffries, though it’s forgotten now, was a Grade-AAA+++ can’t miss prospect. He was pretty good, never great. Washed up at 32.
Very good for a long time; never really attained greatness.
Jones was about as good as Bruce Sutter, which is why I don’t understand the Sutter love. His ERA was just a shade less impressive in context, but his career was a shade longer. They had almost exactly the same number of saves - 303 for Jones, 300 for Sutter. Why should Sutter be a Hall of Famer, but Jones not?
Great player for 5 years or so, but career accomplishments a little short for me. I say no.
Sure had his moments.
McGee’s 1985 MVP Award, at least it seems to me, is frequently cited as one of the all-time bad choices. I’ve never understood that. He had a phenomenal season. He deserved it all the way. Boy, he sure was ugly though.
Still… no.
Career .304 hitter, so the man could hit. Struggled against lefties. Not a Hall of Famer, obviously.
I think I’ve said this about him before, but Morris when he was playing was always an intense, confrontational guy, kind of an asshole.
Since he retired he’s been back in Toronto for some alumni events, and he’s just a different person - the nicest guy you’d ever care to meet. He’ll sit in the broadcast booth and talk about all the teams and player he played with and he doesn’t have a bad thing to say about anybody. Even his voice sounds different.
My Dad was like that. He was and is a wonderful man, but when he was working he could get very intense, and he’d lose his temper a lot. Since he retired that’s gone away. Some men just need to get away from their jobs, I guess.
Anyway, Morris was a good pitcher and if they put him in the Hall of Fame I wouldn’t complain too loudly, but he won as many games as he did as much because of all the excellent teams he pitched for as for his own abilities. He wasn’t anywhere near as good a pitcher as Bery Blyleven, but Blyleven never had a team like the 1992 Blue Jays, who socred like six and a half runs a game for Morris and turned his league-average ERA into a 21-6 record. So no.
Murphy had a hell of a run from 1982 to 1987. I’ll say no, because overall his career isn’t any better than eight-ten guys not in the Hall, but he’s another player who I’m saying No to who would still be better than 30-40 guys already in the Hall.
See “Dale Murphy.”
The Jim Rice debate will never end. Yes, he could hit. He also grounded into a historically colossal number of double plays, like had a short career, wasn’t a very good defensive player and while he was a very good hitter, he wasn’t so overwhelming that it makes up for his drawbacks, IMHO. No.
Once again; why Bruce Sutter, but not Lee Smith? Smith was just as good and pitched longer.
See comments on all the other relief pitchers; if Sutter is elected this year, which looks likely, IMHO he may well be the worst Hall of Fame pick of all time.
Trammell compares well with a modrange Hall of Famer shortstop. I’m gonna say Yes.
No.
Better pitcher than Sutter, but even shorter career.
But it’s true…