The Hall of Heavyweight 2017
As a fan, I’m watching this week’s much anticipated MLB Network 2017 Hall of Fame Debate, and several things come to mind. Steroid use in potential Hall of Famers is THE hot button. I’ll settle the argument with a single blow. Character matters. It should matter. Submitting your Hall of Fame ballot shouldn’t make you feel dirty!
The National Baseball Hall of Fame is an honor. It is hallowed ground. It is the proverbial final resting place of baseball legends and preserves the history of this beautiful sport, our national pastime. There are 34 former players on this 2017 ballot, 19 entering their first year of ten. All 34 of these players played in my lifetime. They were my heroes. The guys I watched play their hearts out in the game I loved. The game I still believed was clean. As a Generation X kid, I still vividly remember the steroid scandal and the speculation surrounding Sammy Sosa, Mark McGuire and Barry Bonds as they all challenged Roger Maris and Hank Aaron’s home run records. It wasn’t fair and I wouldn’t support them.
Why? Because character does matter. If Pete Rose must be banned for life and cannot be inducted into the Hall over betting on the success of his own team, then you better believe drug use and stealing, yes, I said STEALING, all-time records from guys like Hank Aaron ought to be banned too. In fact, it’s 10-times worse than anything Pete Rose ever did. Tom Verducci was correct Thursday night in saying, “the character clause is the bedrock of the sports playing field.” The sanctity of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and our sport depends on it. Most of the guys on the debate panel struggled with suspected steroid use vs. confirmed steroid use in making their Hall of Fame ballot selections. “Jose Conseco said…” “I believe him.” “Well I don’t.” Oh my gosh guys, really?
I’m going to pitch a concept here that’s been muddled over since these guys appeared on the ballot. Define the metric for everyone to use when making this evaluation and stick to it. Confirmed steroid users don’t get to go. As Mark DeRosa says, “Period. The end.”
It is baseball’s fault for taking too long to establish rules against steroid use and mandating tests to ensure fair play. But hey, we just elected Selig (who was responsible for this mess) into the Hall of Fame. So, whatever. I don’t like the idea of letting suspected record-thieves into the Hall, but innocent until proven guilty must be used as the metric. People are wrongfully accused of things all the time, and it doesn’t mean they are guilty. The Hall of Fame should be no different. By doing so, we can all move on from this wretched debate and focus on what matters, voting solid players into the Hall of Fame. I’m done talking about it, it is just as traumatizing now as it was back then.
So, who gets my vote?
1. Edgar Renteria:
1997 World Series
Edgar Renteria was a man of his craft. As a Braves fan, I hated this guy. A menace to our pitching staff who could beat you in more ways than one. Then he became a Brave and I sort of had to like him. In his 16 years in the majors, Renteria was a five-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, two-time Gold Glover, 294 career stolen bases and a .286 lifetime batting average. He played in 66 post season games including six National League Division Series, one American League Division Series, five National League Championship Series and three World Series. Renteria was a member of the 1997 Florida Marlins championship team and is responsible for the walk-off base hit to win the title. In 2010, he was a member of the San Francisco Giants championship team where he contributed two game-winning hits and was named the series MVP. Renteria is in.
2. Larry Walker:
It’s hard not to like Larry Walker. Remember the 1997 All-Star game when he turned his helmet backwards against Randy Johnson? Another former Montreal Expo who migrated south, Walker put the Colorado Rockies on the map. Walker played 17 seasons, made the All-Star game five times, held three batting titles, three Silver Slugger awards, seven Gold Gloves, a career .987 fielding percentage, 383 home runs, the 1997 National League MVP and a .313 lifetime batting average. The guy mastered Beast Mode before Beast Mode was a thing! Why punish him by withholding Hall of Fame votes just because he played in that thin Denver air? That is about as ridiculous as voting for Barry Bonds. Or not voting for Barry Bonds. Walker is in.
3. Tim Raines:
Sports Illustrated
“Rock” Raines is tricky for me. I missed his greatness at the time; I was busy watching Dale Murphy. I believe Raines is one of baseball’s great injustices, overshadowed by his time in Montreal and the great Rickey Henderson. And apparently, Dale Murphy too. Statistically speaking, Raines and Henderson are strikingly similar players. While Henderson (25 seasons) played only two more years than Raines (23 seasons) in the majors, Raines holds a higher career batting average (.294) than Henderson (.279) and otherwise, their stats trend equally. With 808 stolen bases, 123 OPS+, just over 146 CS (that’s HALF of Rickey’s 335 CS), Raines was a terror on the base path. Holding 2,605 hits, 430 doubles, 113 triples, seven All-Star appearances, and a Silver Slugger in 1986, Raines was solid. It shouldn’t have taken 10 years, and I regret not paying more attention back then. Raines is in.
4. Vladimir Guerrero:
Bronx Baseball Daily
I remember the day Vlad hit his first big-league home run. It was September of 1996 against the Braves in Atlanta, and it marked the beginning of Wohler’s undoing. Over 16 seasons, I watched his unique batting stance, his naked hands too big for his bat, whacking balls out of the park. Don’t forget his love of pine tar. Guerrero finished the season 12 times as an MVP candidate, winning the American League MVP in 2004. A nine-time All-Star, eight-time Silver Slugger, and part of the Anaheim Angels best years in my lifetime, with AL West division championships in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Vlad, you’re in.
5. Billy Wagner:
When Billy Wagner entered the game from the bullpen, Enter Sandman [Metallica] gave you the impression he was an all-business kind of guy, which he was. For sixteen seasons, with the Houston Astros, then a National League team, the Phillies, Mets and Red Sox, Wagner terrorized batters with his fastball, his slider and occasionally his change-up. Perhaps his best year was his last when he became an Atlanta Brave for the 2010 season. It was there he celebrated his 400th career save and the lowest season ERA of his career (1.43), proving his dominance as a reliever right up until the end. A seven-time All-Star with 422 career saves, Wagner is 6th on the all-time saves list behind Mariano Rivero and Trevor Hoffman, but ahead of Dennis Eckersly, Rollie Fingers, and Rollie’s mustache; whom I might add are already enshrined in the Hall. Wagner is in.
6. Trevor Hoffman
Trevor Hoffman was the single-most terrifying reliever in my memory. When Hell’s Bells came over the PA system, oh boy... I know I’m not the only one that just had goosebumps. A leader, hard-worker and man of solid character, Hoffman was a seven-time All-Star with 601 career saves, nine 40-save seasons, 1133 strikeouts, a 9.36 SO/9 innings, and a 2.87 ERA over the course of 18 seasons. I understand there’s an argument about relievers as Hall of Fame candidates due to their volume of work, but who else was as iconic as this guy? Hells Bells? Hoffman is in.
7. Edgar Martinez
CBS Sports
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, it’s hard to miss the force that was #11. Martinez played all 18 of his MLB seasons in Seattle. Rarely is anyone more loved by a team, by a city or representative of a position as Edgar Martinez is for Seattle and the Designated Hitter position. A seven-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger, Martinez hit a lifetime .312, with a .933 OPS, 147 OPS+, 148 wRC+ and 309 home runs. A career WAR of 68.3, Martinez ranks above David Ortiz in many categories, and we all know Big Papi will one day get the nod. I could throw more sabermetrics at you, but they all say the same thing. Statistically, Edgar Martinez is one of the best hitters of all time. Don’t believe me? Ask Randy Johnson; “I’ve faced a lot of Hall of Fame hitters, and my gosh, Edgar is the best hitter I ever saw.” Johnson continues, “I support him because he was my teammate and I love him, and he did so much for Seattle.” I agree. And Randy Johnson also scares me. He killed a bird once with his fastball. Edgar, you’re in.
8. Fred McGriff
CBS Sports
This guy… Man, what can I say? The “Crime Dog” was a stellar teammate, leader, slugger and first-baseman for 19 years. He was an integral part of Atlanta’s domination between 1993 and 1997, and has a World Series ring because of it. McGriff had a special swing and an identifiable batting stance for a powerful left-handed hitter. A perennial MVP candidate, five-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, 2,490 career hits, a lifetime .284 batting average, a 134 OPS+… These are Hall of Fame numbers, but that’s not even the half of it. McGriff was the 1994 All-Star game MVP and was runner up to Ken Griffey, Jr. in the Home Run Derby; McGriff’s All-Star game performance was the most exciting baseball statistics of a strike-shortened ’94 season. McGriff also tied Lou Gehrig on the all-time home run list with 493 bombs. In his first game as a Brave, McGriff hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the 6th. The crowd went nuts and fans knew then, the Braves had a chance at sustained success. McGriff was a big part of that for the next four seasons. As McGriff headed back into the dugout that day, Pete van Wieren joked, “He could run for mayor tomorrow and win!” Pete was right, he was that important. McGriff is in.
Why only eight votes?
Why only eight votes you ask? Remember how this started? Character matters to me. It should to everyone. For the masses welcoming guys like Bonds, Clemens, Ramirez and Schilling into the Hall of Fame, you’re turning my hallowed hall of baseball history into a sleazy smoke-filled sports bar. Go open your sports-bar somewhere else. Suspected or not, the metric hasn’t been established for character qualifications as a Hall of Famer. Until that time, I’ll reserve my votes for those I feel deserve the Hall of Fame. Not that I can just write in candidates like it’s a presidential election, but these two deserve some discussion here. I’ll trust my message persuades the Veterans Committee to do the right thing for these two, for fans and for baseball.
9. Pete Rose:
I know this is an old argument. But someone please tell me how betting on yourself is worse than drug use to steal from Hank Aaron? Hank Aaron is perhaps the nicest guy on the planet! And Bonds just woke up one morning and thought, gosh I’m already a Hall of Famer, but I want to steal Hank’s record?! You may laugh, but I’m serious. What Bonds and all those other guys in question did was ridiculous and disgraceful. Ten million times worse than what Pete did. The doping scandal in baseball has become so ridiculous that we are ignoring logic. Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame. In 24 major league seasons, he had almost 16,000 plate appearances and is known as the “Hit King” with a record 4,256 hits. We won’t see that again, unless of course Ichiro the robot plays until he’s 50. Pete holds a lifetime .375 batting average, a .784 OPS/118 OPS+, and ranks amongst the greatest baseball players in history in virtually every other category and metric used to rank players. EVER. Pete was the Rookie of the Year in 1963, seventeen-time All-Star, two Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, National League MVP in 1973, three batting titles, the 1975 World Series MVP, and just to prove he was a good guy, the Roberto Clemente award winner in 1976. Even his Hall of Fame metrics tell you just how great Pete was. The Hall of Fame Monitor (HOFm) statistic bases the likelihood of a player being inducted into the Hall of Fame. On the HOFm’s scale, 100 means a decent candidate and 130 is a shoe-in. So, if 100 is a decent candidate and 130 is a shoe-in, then Pete Rose with a 311 is a sham. Pete Rose’s baseball acumen is next to none. There’s no other living legend I’d rather have, besides maybe Hank Aaron or Dale Murphy, coach my son’s Little League team than this guy. That and he’s funny; thanks Fox for hiring him. The world needs more Pete. Pete is in.
10. Dale Murphy
Sports Illustrated cover page, July 4, 1983.
This guy is my favorite. You couldn’t ask for a more honorable, likeable, hard-working, approachable baseball player or human being than Dale Murphy. When we sit here and debate over which dopers should be enshrined in the Hall of Fame based on their degree of likability or suspected or confirmed drug use, we’ve lost sight of what the purpose of the Hall really is. Dale Murphy doesn’t belong in a sleazy sports-bar with those other chums, he belongs in the Hall of Fame. From 1978 to 1990, Dale Murphy put up 12 years of solid statistics over his 18-year career for which to judge his candidacy – that was just for you Brian Kenny! Seven All-Star games, five Gold Glove awards, four Silver Sluggers, and two National League MVP awards all confirm just how important Dale Murphy was to baseball, to Atlanta and to fans during his career. Murphy has 2,111 career hits, 383 home runs, and was awarded the Lou Gehrig Award in 1985 and the Roberto Clemente in 1988. Since his playing days, his nose has remained clean and he championed the I Won’t Cheat Foundation in partnership with Little League Baseball to encourage kids “not to cheat in sports, in the classroom or in life.” Clearly, this was a necessary and inspirational cause given the Hall of Fame debate today. Murphy is in.
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The Hall of Fame voting process is a serious matter. It is debated by experts around the league; analysts, former players, coaches, executives and fans weigh in on who belongs in the Hall. These players represent American’s pastime, and they all represent it differently. They also represent the time periods in which they played.
Babe Ruth played from 1914 to 1935, during WWI, Prohibition in the U.S. and the Roaring Twenties. His spirit was charismatic and he lived loudly until his premature death in 1948. Joe DiMaggio played from 1936 to 1951, during WWII as did the great Ted Williams (1939-1960). Both Joe and Ted took a break from baseball to serve their country, and returned to play the game and became known as two of the greatest players to ever play the game. They represent a hard-working, patriotic America. You might also remember that thing Joe had with Marilyn Monroe… Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, becoming the first African-American player in the majors in 1947. His journey was a hard one and represented so much in American sports and society until he retired in 1956. Hank Aaron played from 1954 to 1976, and would go on to break Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record. Perhaps the greatest player in history, Aaron would still feel the hate of the civil rights movement in the U.S. Cal Ripken, Jr. would play from 1981 to 2001 and hold the record for most consecutive games at 2,632. A time of modern baseball, TV, advertising and steroids. Alex Rodriguez, another all-time great in the modern era, played from 1994 to 2016. A-rod, as he was known, would mark the change in baseball from the game we love to a business, and one of $252 million. A self-admitted doper, A-rod is just one of many suspected steroid users in baseball during these years.
Hammerin' Hank #715. Sports Illustrated.
The fact is steroid use is just another era in U.S. sports history. It was a part of baseball then, and it is a part of the Hall of Fame debate now. It’s cheating, stealing rather. And no, it should not be tolerated. But in terms of historical context, it was part of that era in baseball. There will be suspected users in Cooperstown. Baseball eventually defined a metric for play, suspending violators for positive tests. But as we look to define who belongs in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) and the Cooperstown must define the metric for everyone to use when evaluating those to forever enshrine. So long as Pete Rose remains permanently banned, no positive testers should be allowed in either. We must all draw a line.
