Monday, October 3, 2011

Hall of Fame Candidates Season 19

I agree with the previous suggestion about the glut of nominees.  If too many players are nominated "just for fun", it really clutters up the list, and deserving candidates can get lost.
With that being said, here are a few thoughts on they guys that will be getting my vote.
Don Kell- While he was never great at the premium defensive positions of SS and CF (terrible plus/minus play ratio), his offensive totals are too impressive to ignore.
A note about closers/relievers.  I think their value tends to be overrated, thanks in large part to the save stat, so I think we should be careful about voting them into the Hall of Fame.  Also consider that there are about 6 All-Star closers per season per league, so the All-Star appearances (based on a half season of work ~ 40 innings) might be misleading.  I think we need to look ahead to
Philip Wright- Okay, 4 Fireman Awards is impressive.  I also like the fact that he pitched over 1300 innings in his career.  Take a look at some of the other big name closers.  Most of them are under 900 innings pitched for their career.
Bud Rodgers- A big save total, with an impressive 3.27 career ERA while posting a .294 OBP against.  He has two World Series rings to his credit with a postseason WHIP of 1.08 and 18 of 22 in save opportunities.
Hiram Huang-  He ranks third for LF in runs created.  He won 3 Silver Sluggers and 3 Gold Gloves.  Career SLG of .470.  He was successful 81% of the time he attempted to steal a base.
Hensley Lawson- He ranks fourth for LF in runs created.  He won 5 Silver Sluggers and 1 Gold Glove.  Career SLG of .519.  He was successful 70% of the time he attempted to steal a base.

Season 19 Hall of Fame Primer

Before I run down a list of the potential Hall of Famers here, I'd like to send out a plea to nominating owners: it takes quite a bit to get in. Short of a grocery list worth of awards, my suggestion is not to nominate. There are too many worthy nominees this season, and when owners nominate everyone and their mom, it clutters up the voting. I have absolutely been guilty of this in the past.

Previously, only one player has snuck in any single season, but I think that absolutely changes this time around. The following is a list of the top HOF candidates, ranked in order of how I'd vote for them. Obviously, everyone will have their own opinions on what's worth voting on, but I'd say most of these guys deserve to be in on some level.

1. Don Kell (SS, 2B) - 5x AS, 3x WSR, 4x SS, 1 GG, 527 HRs, .897 OPS. To me, it's about his career numbers here. 527 HRs is a LOT for a SS.

2. Bud Rodgers (Closer) - 7x AS, 2x WSR, 1 Fireman, 492 saves (3rd all-time), 3.27 ERA, 1.20 WHIP.

3. Hensley Lawson (LF, 2B) - 7x AS, 5x SS, 1 GG, .913 OPS. A couple seasons ago, I said we should have an automatic cutoff for All-Star appearances. I'm not sure I agree with that now. Still, 7 appearances is impressive, especially as many were at LF, and a .913 OPS is solid.

4. Jim Durbin (Closer) - 9x AS, 454 saves (5th all-time), 4.14 ERA, 1.28 WHIP. I'm biased here, but the 9 all-star appearances work for me. Plus, most of those saves came during Portland's rebuilding years.

5. Philip Wright (Closer) - 6x AS, 4x Fireman, 384 saves, 3.53 ERA, 1.28 WHIP. Four Fireman of the Year awards is pretty impressive.

6. Miguel Samuel (Closer) - 5x AS, 1 Fireman, 270 saves, 3.00 ERA, 1.18 WHIP. Statistically, he's the most impressive here, just doesn't have the awards or longevity to back it up. Seasons 3-5, he was spectacular.

7. Hiram Huang (LF) - 6x AS, 3x WSR, 3x SS, 3x GG, .865 OPS, 617 SB.

8. Chad Beckett (LF, 2B) - 3x AS, 2x WSR, 3x SS, 485 HRs, .900 OPS.

9. Pepper Bailey (C) - 3x AS, 1 WSR, 1 HR Derby, 361 HRs, .964 OPS. It's the OPS that's impressive here, the highest of all retired players. Factor in Bailey's position, and it's even more impressive. Unfortunately, he wasn't great defensively.