Who is the best of the best not recognized in
baseball’s Hall of Fame? I get asked this question a lot and it’s one that is
debated in bars, living rooms, and bleachers across the country.
As the race for the playoffs is heating up and with
the great response to the last sports roundtable, I thought it would be a great
time to turn our focus to baseball.
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| Cleveland Indian Kenny Lofton. |
Joining me this time are two of my former sports
writing colleagues.
Orrin Schwarz, a repeat panelist from Chicago, who has
covered high school sports from 1991-present and is currently Assistant Sports
Editor/DuPage County and pro soccer writer for the Daily Herald Media Group.
Daniel Brown (no relation, although he does share my
nephew’s name), awarding-winning general assignment sports reporter from the San Jose Mercury News and author of 100 Things 49ers Fans Should Know & Do
Before They Die.
And I covered sports from 1985-86, 1988-2000, and
2012-2013.
So, without any further delay…
Who
are the best baseball players, by position, who are not in the Hall of Fame?
Orrin:
(PED users need not apply):
C-- Mike
Piazza. Really just a DH who needed a position in the NL. Boy, could he hit.
1B -- Don
Mattingly. A hitter who could field. Or a fielder who could hit. Either way, he
was very good.
2B -- Lou
Whitaker. Quiet production.
SS --
Alan Trammell. The other half of the Tigers’ DP combo.
3B --
Edgar Martinez. A great hitter who played a little third base before going to
DH.
OF-- Tim
Raines. Maybe if he had stayed in one city he’d be in the Hall already.
OF --
Shoeless Joe Jackson. Is this too obvious?
OF --
Riggs Stephenson. Surprised? Look him up. You’ll understand.
SP -- Jack
Morris. He gets the call over Doc Gooden.
RP -- Lee
Smith. Like Martinez, voters are biased against guys at his position.
Daniel:
C
-- Ted Simmons
1B -- Keith Hernandez. If you go across the diamond,
the best-known defender of all-time from each position is in the Hall. Ozzie
Smith, Bill Mazeroski, Brooks Robinson, etc. Not a rule, but a guideline.
Hernandez won 11 Gold Gloves (most ever by a first baseman) and could hit a little
bit—he was in the league’s Top 10 for OBP eight times. Honorable mention to
Jeff Bagwell, but I think he’ll make it eventually.
2B -- Bobby Grich. If you believe in WAR, you might be
surprised to know that Grich (70.9) ranks ahead of Ryne Sandberg (67.5),
Roberto Alomar (66.8), and Craig Biggio (65.1).
SS -- Alan Trammell. The sabermatrician Jay Jaffe
developed the JAWS scoring system to measure a players Hall of Fame worthiness.
Trammell fairs extremely well, ranking 11th all-time and ahead of such players
as Derek Jeter, Barry Larkin, and Luis Aparicio.
3B -- Graig Nettles.
LF -- Tim Raines.
CF -- Kenny Lofton. I covered Lofton in San Francisco
and couldn’t stand him; he was difficult. But he led the league in stolen bases
five times and ranks 15th all-time. He was also a terrific defensive center
fielder for some very good teams.
RF -- Dwight Evans.
SP -- Curt Schilling. The second best
strikeout-to-walk ratio of all-time. The only pitcher better is Tommy Bond, who
last played in 1884. Schilling’s career postseason record: 11-2, 2.23 ERA.
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| New York Yankee Mike Mussina. |
SP -- Mike Mussina.
RP -- Lee Smith.
PJ:
C
– Mike Piazza. He hit 30 or more home runs 9 out of 10 years and hit .300 or
higher for 10 consecutive seasons.
1B – Don Mattingly. He won nine gold gloves, an MVP
and a batting title. He did it with his bat and his glove.
2B – Lou Whitaker. He was one of only eight second
basemen with 200 homeruns, 1,000 runs scored, and 1,000 RBI. As Orrin said, he
quietly went about his business.
SS -- Alan Trammell.
3B – Bill Madlock. Yes, I am a Cubs fan and you might
think this is a homer pick. However, look at these numbers: .305 batting
average, 3 batting titles, and he hit more than .300 11 times.
OF – Tim Raines. Check this out: 808 stolen bases
(only Rickey Henderson, Lou Brock, and Ty Cobb have more), .998% fielding
percentage, and 2,605 hits.
OF – Shoeless Joe Jackson. I’m in line with Orrin on
this one. His batting average was .356 (third all-time). In his first three
years in the league he hit .408, .395, and .378 and didn’t win the batting
title. He finished second each year to Ty Cobb. He struck out only 234 times.
OF – Pete Rose. Yes, I’m going there. First, he played 1,200 games in left
and right fields combined and played 939 games at first. So, I’m putting him in
my outfield. I know, he gambled on baseball games he
played or managed in. He’s not the only one. In 1963 Paul Hornung and Alex
Karras were suspended by the NFL for placing bets on NFL games. The difference
here is that they admitted it, and they only lost a year and are in the NFL’s
Hall of Fame. And who can forget the rumors that Michael Jordan was caught
gambling and instead of taking a suspension he retired and played baseball for
a while. He came back and finished his career and is in the NBA’s Hall of Fame.
It’s time for baseball to do the right thing. The all-time hits leader belongs
in the Hall.
SP – Vida Blue. He won the Cy Young and MVP in the
same season (1971), 209 wins, 3.27 ERA, 1.233 WHIP, and 2,175 strikeouts. He
also threw a no-hitter, was part of a combined no-hitter, and pitched 37
shutouts. He had three 20 win seasons within five years. He is one of only four
pitchers to start the All-Star team for both the American and National Leagues.
He was 6-2 in postseason play.
RP – Lee Smith. He dominated during his era.
Name
two all-time great teams, from 1970 on, that never won a World Series and that
we seem to have forgotten.
Orrin:
The teams that should’ve won the World Series but didn’t are the 1984 Cubs and
the Indians of the late 1990s. Both franchises have gone so long without
winning, and both had great chances then. I still remember where I was when
watching both lose. So painful because I’m a Cubs fan, and as a Cubs fan I root
for underdogs like the Indians and last year’s Royals.
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| Chicago White Sox Shoeless Joe Jackson. |
Daniel: 1981
Houston Astros. A strike threw a monkey-wrench into that season, but it would
have been fun to see what the pitching-rich Astros could have done over the
long haul. That staff featured two future Hall of Famers in Nolan Ryan (1.69
ERA) and Don Sutton (2.61), as well as veterans such as Joe Niekro (2.82), Bob
Knepper (2.18), and Vern Ruhl (2.91). Not surprisingly, that staff led the National
League in ERA, shutouts, and strikeouts. They couldn’t hit a lick in their
cavernous home ballpark—Jose Cruz led the team with 13 home runs—but that
pitching could have been enough to carry them.
1994 Montreal Expos. One of the great what-ifs in baseball
history. The ‘94 lockout canceled the World Series and thereby wiped out the
best chance for the colorful franchise to win it all. The Expos were 74-40
behind such dominating talents as Larry Walker, Moises Alou, Pedro Martinez,
and John Wetteland. They made for a spectacular show—and a heartbreaking place
in history.
PJ:
1984
Cubs. They were the best team that season. If only Cubs Manager Jim Frey would
have pulled Rick Sutcliffe when he was showing signs of tiring (which was typical
of him all season) in Game 5. Frey kept Sutcliffe in too long and we got the
infamous grounder through Leon Durham’s legs. The rest is history. The loss is
on Frey...and the goat, not Durham.
* * *
There are lots of great players mentioned above that
belong in the Hall of Fame. So many of these players have waited too long for
their rightful place in Cooperstown. Let’s hope they are recognized soon.
To read Orrin look
here http://www.dailyherald.com/newsroom/OrrinSchwarz/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/orrinschwarz.dailyherald?fref=ts
Follow Orrin on
Twitter @Orrin_Schwarz
Follow Daniel on Twitter @mercbrownie
Follow me on Twitter @PJBrown09
