Who's in the Hall?

Earlier this week, I wrote about my support for Dale Murphy for the 2013 Hall of Fame and as it turns out he was not alone in not being elected.  As a matter of fact, the BBWAA did not elect any players to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time since 1996.  What makes this so perplexing is the list of names that are on the ballot and why they are not getting in.  Many arguments have since arisen as well as many questions.  Perhaps the most glaring of these is what exactly is the Hall of Fame?  Is it a museum about the history of the greatest game on earth that tells a story of those who played it and how they did so?  Is it an exclusive club that allows only the elite players to walk through its doors?  Is it the highest honor that a player can receive for being one of the best players of his generation?  Is it a shrine to those who play the game the right way and in doing so were able to achieve amazing statistics?  Truly, after this week's HOF results, I am not sure what the Hall of Fame is or what it is supposed to represent.

To sum up my confusion, let's play a game of Who's in the Hall of Fame?, a game sure to create more questions than it does answers.  For the first round, we'll take a look at first basemen, some are in the HOF and some aren't.  It is up to you to decide which is or isn't based on his career numbers.  Here we go!

Player	Yrs Played	Runs	Hits	HR	RBI	Avg	OPS
A	15	1517	2314	449	1529	.297	.948
B	22	1229	2211	521	1555	.270	.889
C	23	1272	2732	372	1652	.279	.804
D	19	1349	2490	493	1550	.284	.886

If you said that players B and C are in the HOF, you are correct.  Players A and D are patiently waiting but one is likely to not make it into the HOF.  The players are A) Jeff Bagwell (59.6% in his third year, will probably eventually get in), B) Willie McCovey, C) Tony Perez, and D) Fred McGriff (who in his fourth year only received 20.7%).  The knock against Bagwell is that he played in the Steroid Era and even though there is no evidence that he used, he is being lumped in with the rest.  I am not sure what the knock on McGriff is but his numbers sure look better than Tony Perez's, don't they?

For the second round, let's look at second basemen.  Below are four players from various eras, three of which are in the HOF.  Can you guess which one is not?

Player	Yrs Played	Runs	Hits	HR	RBI	Avg	OPS	SB
A	16	1318	2386	282	1061	.285	.796	344
B	20	1844	3060	291	1175	.281	.796	414
C	17	769	2016	138	853	.260	.666	27
D	22	1650	2517	268	1133	.271	.819	689

 
If you said that Player B, the only player with over 3,000 hits and runs scored, you would be correct.  The players are A) Ryne Sandberg, B) Craig Biggio (who received 68.2% in his first year on the ballot and should get in soon, unless he get squeezed by new players coming on the ballot), C) Bill Mazeroski (who was elected by the Veteran's Committee), and D) Joe Morgan.  Looking at those numbers, how can Biggio not be a sure-fire first ballot HOFer?

For the third round we will look at four catchers.  Three are in the HOF, one is not.  Again, see if you can guess which one isn't.

Player	Yrs Played	Runs	Hits	HR	RBI	Avg	OPS
A	17	1091	2048	389	1376	.267	.818
B	19	1025	2092	324	1225	.262	.773
C	16	1048	2127	427	1335	.308	.922
D	24	1276	2356	376	1330	.269	.797

 
If you said C, the guy with the most homers and by far the best AVG and OPS, you would be correct.  The players are A) Johnny Bench, B) Gary Carter, C) Mike Piazza (who received 57.8% in his first year on the ballot but should get in eventually), and D) Carlton Fisk.  Wouldn't you say that Piazza's numbers are much better than Carter's?

For the fourth round, we will shift our focus to pitchers.  I will list four, two are in and two are out.  You know the drill. 

Player	Yrs Played	W-L	Win %	ERA	K	IP
A	19	284-226	0.557	3.34	3192	4500.000
B	12	165-87	0.655	2.76	2396	2324.000
C	24	354-184	0.658	3.12	4672	4916.000
D	18	254-186	0.577	3.9	2478	3824.000

 
If you said Players A and B are in, you were correct.  This is absolutely amazing when you look at the numbers for Player C.  The players are A) Fergie Jenkins, B) Sandy Koufax, C) Roger Clemens (who received only 37.6%), and D) Jack Morris (who received 67.7% on his penultimate year on the ballot).

And for the final round, I will list five players regardless of position and you will guess which ones are in the Hall and which ones aren't.  The answer may surprise you!

Player	Yrs Played	Runs	Hits	HR	RBI	Avg	OPS	SB
A	22	2227	2935	762	1996	.298	1.051	514
B	20	1663	3020	569	1835	.288	.886	97
C	18	1475	2408	609	1667	.273	.878	234
D	24	2165	4256	160	1314	.303	.784	198
E	13	873	1772	54	785	.356	.940	202

 
If you said none of these guys are in, you would be correct.  The only one with numbers that may not compare is E and his career was cut short at the age of 32.  The others should be undeniable HOFers but aren't and may never be.  They are A) Barry Bonds, B) Rafael Palmeiro, C) Sammy Sosa, D) Pete Rose, and E) Shoeless Joe Jackson.

If you got 75% of these correct, then you just might be an HOFer yourself.  If I confused you in all these numbers, don't feel bad.  You are not alone in your bewilderment.  The question of what the Hall of Fame is still stands.  Does it reward longevity?  If so, why is Sandy Koufax in?  The guy only had six good (actually dominant) years to get elected before injury ended his career.  If that is all it takes to get in, then is Josh Hamilton a legit Hall of Fame contender no matter what else happens in his career?

If the HOF rewards elite level of play, then why are Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Pete Rose on the outside looking in?  Why is a player even on a ballot for 15 years?  If there were any doubt then the player must not really be that elite.  If it really takes you 15 years to decide on a guy then was he really that special?   In 1996, the last year no one was elected by the writers, six men who were on that ballot eventually made it to Cooperstown.  How can that be?  If they were HOFers, why didn't they get elected in 1996 when the field had slim pickings.  (This list included two 300 game winners, Phil Niekro and Don Sutton).

Does the HOF reward character on and off the field?  If that is the case, then Dale Murphy and Fred McGriff would have gotten in on the first ballot.  And if character can keep you out of the HOF, then why is Ty Cobb, a notorious bigot and ruffian, enshrined?  It seems like a contradiction to me.

I know I have rambled and thrown out many names and lots of numbers, but it just goes to show you that the HOF is really a mystery.  I am not sure what the answer is but I think this past year definitely showed us a flaw in the system where the writers make up their own rules when it comes to voting.  I tend to be more inclusive than many who are exclusive in their view of the Hall.  If they guys made mistakes, or cheated, then put it on their plaque when they enter the Hall.  Address the issues as they were instead of trying to mask them.  The Steroid Era was part of the game and should have its place in the Hall of Fame.  Otherwise, what do you really have if you have a place to honor the greatest players of all time and you don't include the career leader in homeruns, the all-time hit king, the greatest pitcher of the past 30 years, and one of a handful of guys to ever hit 500 homers and have over 3,000 hits?