The Big Hurt, Tom Glavine plus three guys named Kent, Maddux and Mussina for 2014

Frank Thomas and Tom Glavine have officially announced their retirement from professional baseball though both have been out of the game since 2008. Thomas was last seen playing for the Toronto Blue Jays while Glavine was cut from the Atlanta Braves to make room for rookie phenom Tommy Hanson. So the Hall of Fame Class of 2014 is shaping up quite nicely. In addition to Thomas and Glavine, we also see Jeff Kent, Greg Maddux and Mike Mussina round out the field of potential Hall of Famers. Let's look at how these players within the numbers.

1. Frank Thomas
Thomas had to be one of the most intimidating hitters in the early to mid nineties (aka Pre Steroid Era). Thomas was a perennial MVP candidate with 10 ten finishes from 1991-1997 with two straight MVP awards in 1993 and 1994. In 19 seasons, Thomas had a career batting average of .301 where he amassed 2468 hits (495 2B, 12 3B, 521 HR) and 1704 RBI. Thomas also registered more walks than strikeouts (1667-1397) which for a slugger of Thomas' caliber is rare (Albert Pujols comes to mind). In terms of modern metrics, Thomas had a career OBP% of .419 and a SLG% of .555 for an OPS of .974. His best season was not either of his MVP seasons but 1997 with the Chicago White Sox where he batted a league leading .347 with 35Hr and 125 RBI. In total, he had 184 hits including 35 2B and drew 109 BB with only 69 K's. Thomas also registered an OPS of 1.069 (.456 OBP and .611 SLG). Thomas was a 2-time American League MVP, a 5-time All-Star and a 4-time Silver Slugger awards. Thomas' #35 will be retired in a ceremony later this upcoming season by the Chicago White Sox.

For an article written about Frank Thomas by Phil Rogers in the Chicago Tribune on February 12, 2010, click here
For an article on the White Sox retiring Frank Thomas' #35, click here

2. Tom Glavine
Tom Glavine made up one third of possibly the best trio to ever grace a pitcher's mound. Glavine made up the core of the Atlanta Braves dynasty with future Hall of Famers Greg Maddux and John Smoltz. Glavine was a 5-time 20-game winner and registered 6 top 5 finishes for the National League Cy Young Award winning the award twice in 1991 and 1998. In 22 seasons, Glavine amassed a 305-203 record with a career 3.54 ERA. Glavine struck out 2607 batters while only walking 1500 (145 IBB). His career WHIP was 1.314 and he completed 56 games with 25 shutouts. Glavine's best season was his Cy Young Award season of 1991 where he had a 20-11 record with an ERA of 2.55 and 246.1 innings pitched for the National League Champion Atlanta Braves. Glavine gave up 201H, 83 Runs (70 earned runs) 192 K's 69 BB(6 IBB) and a WHIP of 1.095. Glavine also led the league with 9 complete games. Glavine is 4th all time in wins by a left-handed pitcher, trailing only Warren Spahn (363), Steve Carlton (329) and Eddie Plank (326), all of which are Hall of Famers. Glavine was a 2-time National League Cy Young Award winner, a 10-time All-Star and a 4-time Silver Slugger award winner.

For an article on Tom Glavine's retirement from the Atlanta Journal Constitution by David O'Brien from February 11, 2010, click here
For an article from MLB.com by Mark Bowman on Glavine's retirement, click here

3. Jeff Kent
Jeff Kent set the tone for the power hitting second basement that have been popping up as of late. in 17 seasons, Kent had a career batting average of .290 where he amassed 2461 hits (560 2B, 47 3B, 377 HR) and 1518 RBI. In terms of modern metrics, Kent had a career OBP% of .356 and a SLG% of .500 for an OPS of .855. His best season was his MVP season of 2000 with the San Francisco Giants where he batted a career best .334 with 33Hr and 125 RBI. In total, he had a career best 196 hits including 41 2B, 7 3B and drew 90 BB with 109 K's. Kent also registered an a career best OPS of 1.021 (.424 OBP and .596 SLG). Kent was the 2000 National League MVP, a 5-time All-Star and won 4-time Silver Slugger awards.

4. Greg Maddux
Greg Maddux was a throwback pitcher who in his prime dominated the league with finesse and sheer determination. Madduz was a workhorse, leading the Atlanta Braves to the postseason every season he pitched there while winning 3 straight National League Cy Young Awards in Atlanta from 1993-1995 (Maddux won 4 straight, his first was with the Chicago Cubs in 1992). In 23 seasons, Maddux amassed a 355-277 record with a career 3.16 ERA. Maddux struck out 3371 batters while only walking 999 (177 IBB) while pitching a total of 5008.1 innings (WOW!!!). His career WHIP was 1.143 and he completed 109 games with 35 shutouts. Maddux's best season was his Cy Young Award season of 1995 where he had a 19-2 record with an league leading ERA of 1.63, 209.2 innings pitched, 10 complete games and 3 shutouts for the World Series Champion Atlanta Braves (there were only 144 games played in the 1995 season due to the players strike of 1994). Maddux gave up with 147H, 39 Runs (38 earned runs) 181 K's 23 BB(3 IBB) and a WHIP of 0.811. Maddux was a 4-time National League Cy Young Award winner, an 8-time All-Star and an 18-time Gold Glove winner. Some baseball experts believe that no one will ever reach the magical 300 win plateau. I think that goal is still attainable by pitchers like Johan Santana and C.C. Sabathia. What I do believe is unattainable is the 350 win plateau. I believe that Greg Maddux will be the last man to do so. 355 wins is just mind blowing.

5. Mike Mussina
Mike Mussina was another pitcher, who like Maddux, could be counted on to be the workhorse of the rotation. Also similarly to Maddux, Mussina was able to dominate hitters not with sheer power but through finesse. Mussina was able to register an under 4.00 ERA for 11 of his 18 years pitching in the American League, which (then as in now) is no easy feat. In 18 seasons, Mussina amassed a 270-153 record with a career 3.68 ERA. Mussina struck out 2813 batters while only walking 785 (29 IBB) while pitching a total of 3562.2 innings. His career WHIP was 1.192 and he completed 57 games with 23 shutouts. Mussina's best season was 1995 where he had a 19-9 record with an ERA of 3.29, 221.2 innings pitched, 7 complete games and a league leading 4 shutouts for the Baltimore Orioles (there were only 144 games played in the 1995 season due to the players strike of 1994). Mussina gave up with 187H, 86 Runs (81 earned runs) 158 K's 50 BB(4 IBB) and a WHIP of 1.069. Mussina was a 5-time All-Star and a 6-time Gold Glove award winner. I know there will be some baseball writers that will hold against Mussina that he only won 20 games once (2008) and never won the Cy Young Award (sounds similar to the arguments made against Blyleven). But they need to keep in mind that Mussina pitched in the American League in an era dominated mainly by both Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens (6 combined American League Cy Young Awards). Mussina was in the top ten of Cy Young Voting nine times never ending up worse than 6th. Had Mussina kept pitching, maybe we'd be talking about how he would be reaching the 300 win plateau. But he decided that family was more important and retired. He should be commended for it instead of having it work against him come 2014 when he is eligible for enshrinement into the Hall of Fame.

Will the five players I listed all get in on the first ballot? I don't think Kent or Mussina will. Thomas is somewhat on the fence for first year election. I think we'll have to see where Edgar Martinez ranks by 2014 since Thomas did spend a number of his at-bats at the DH position. I believe all three will eventually get in. As for first year enshrinement, definitely Maddux and Glavine. No doubt about it. They'll be keeping a place for John Smoltz in the Hall whenever he decides he's done.

FH

Luis Aparicio vs. Omar Vizquel

So the Chicago White Sox announced on Monday that they were un-retiring the #11 so that newly acquired SS Omar Vizquel can wear it this upcoming season (Click Here for the article on ChicagoTribune.com). For those of you who don't know who #11 was retired to honor, the number honors the only major league Hall of Famer from Venezuela: Luis Aparicio.


Vizquel's original number was #13 but that number is currently being worn by White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. That provides a bit of a predicament for Vizquel. Since he's playing on the same team that his country's only Hall of Famer played for Vizquel wanted to pay homage to Aparicio. So what started out as a thought to honor Aparicio, became the driving force behind the number un-retiring. With Aparicio's approval, Vizquel will wear the #11 this upcoming season with the Chisox. As Aparicio was quoted in a statement:

"If there is one player who I would like to see wear my uniform number with the White Sox, it is Omar Vizquel," said Aparicio in a statement. "I have known Omar for a long time. Along with being an outstanding player, he is a good and decent man."

Both players are shortstops who played in very much the same way. Since there will be comparisons on the statistics of both players, here I go adding my proverbial two cents.

Luis Aparicio played from 1956-1973 for the Chicago White Sox, the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles. In those 18 seasons, Aparicio had a career batting average of .262 where he amassed 2677 hits (934 2B, 92 3B, 83 HR) and 791 RBI with 506 SB, of which Aparicio led the league 9 years in a row from 1956-1964 with his highest being 57 in 1964 with the Orioles. In terms of modern metrics, Aparicio had a career OBP% of .311 and a SLG% of .343 for an OPS of .633. Defensively, Aparicio had a career .972 fielding percentage and averaging 143.5 games per year.

Aparicio's best season was the season of 1959 with the American League Champion Chicago White Sox. Playing with the "Go-Go" White Sox, Aparicio was 2nd in the MVP race (behind teammate Nellie Fox and ahead of teammate Early Winn) where he hit .257 with 157 hits (18 2B, 5 3B, and 6 HR), 51 RBI and 56 SB. Aparicio was also an All-Star and Gold Glove winner that season. In total, Aparicio was the Rookie of the Year in 1956 with the Chicago White Sox a 10-time All-Star and a 9-time Gold Glove award winner. Aparicio was inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.

Omar Vizquel has been playing in the Major Leagues since 1989, having played for the Seattle Mariners, the Cleveland Indians, the San Francisco Giants, the Texas Rangers and now the Chicago White Sox. In the past 21 seasons, Vizquel has a career batting average of .273 where he amassed 2704 hits (473 2B, 74 3B, 78 HR) and 906 RBI with 389 SB. In terms of modern metrics, Vizquel has a career OBP% of .338 and a SLG% of .355 for an OPS of .693. Defensively, Vizquel has a career .985 fielding percentage.

Vizquel's best season was the season of 1999 with the American League Central Champion Cleveland Indians. Vizquel hit a career high .333 with 191 hits (36 2B, 4 3B, and 5 HR), 66 RBI and 42 SB. Vizquel was also an All-Star and Gold Glove winner that season. In total, Vizquel is a 3-time All-Star and an 11-time Gold Glove award winner.

Where Aparicio was the model of what a shortstop was to be like in his era, Vizquel played in the era of power hitting shortstops like Cal Ripken, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Nomar Garicaparra and Miguel Tejada. When Vizquel didn't measure up to those players in hitting, his defensive prowess could not be matched. At the age of 43, Vizquel will play a pivotal role by coming off the bench for fellow Venezuelan Ozzie Guillen this upcoming season. How long will he play? Who knows. Vizquel really shows no signs of slowing down. I guess his fellow infield partner and future Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar will have to wait at least 6 more years before Omar Vizquel gets inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Here's another article on the number un-retiring from MLB.com

The First Latino Ivy-League Major Leaguer

As I'm attempting to write my Masters Thesis, I decide to write about the 1st Latino Ivy League major leaguer. Now, before I go into who this is, allow me to give some background information. Unlike many American baseball players that make their way up the ranks of Little League, Babe Ruth Ball, High School, College and eventually Pro ball. For some first and second generation Latino-Americans like Rafael Palmiero (Mississippi State University), Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez (minus college ball for Manny and A-Rod) this is the path that led him to baseball. Even early Latino baseball pioneer Luis Castro played college ball at Manhattan College before playing professionally (Click on his name to see the prior blog post about him). But they are the exception rather than the norm. Things are a little different for Latino ballplayers.

Since the majority of the Latino ballplayers come from the lower segments of society, they don't have the opportunities afforded to them like their American counterparts. Where in the past, many a Latino ballplayer like Juan Marichal played ball for a company team and later a military team, young ballplayers today throw their lot in with the baseball academies that are being built by Major League teams in places like the Dominican Republic. Out of the thousands of kids that tryout and eventually get in to the academies, only a small percentage ever make it to the Minors let alone the Majors. In being able to tap a market such as this, the players are not subjected to such mechanisms like the draft and can be signed to a minimal amount compared to players such as Stephen Strasberg of San Diego State University who received a $7.5 million dollar signing bonus as the #1 player drafted in 2009. I'm not saying that middle or upper middle class kids don't play college ball in their home countries and make the pros, it just benefits the Major Leagues financially to tap the market available to them from the lower class. It is a system that has come under fire in recent years due to scandals of kick-backs and bribes. So, now that I established that, allow me to introduce you to the 1st Latino Major Leaguer: Fernando Perez of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Perez was born on April 23, 1983 in Elizabeth, New Jersey playing different sports like many children tend to do in their early years. It was in attending the prestigous Peddie School in Hightown, New Jersey that he bacame a standout in baseball. Upon his graduation from the Peddie School, Perez attended Ivy League Institution Columbia University, where he majored in studied American studies and creative writing. (Photo Credit Getty Images)

Perez played a total of 3 years for the Columbia Lions. In his final year at Columbia, Perez hit .317, led the team with 18 stolen bases, legged out two triples and was a second-team All-Ivy League selection. He was selected by the Tempa Bay Rays in the 7th Round (195th Overall) of the 2004 MLB Draft while graduating with his degree in American Studies.

Perez spent 2004 with the Hudson Valley Renegades of the New York Penn League. In 69 games he stole 24 bases and scored 46 runs.

2005 saw Perez moving up the ranks and playing for the on the Single-A Southwest Michigan Devil Rays, now known as the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the Midwest League earning player of the year honors by hitting .289, scoring 93 runs, hitting 17 doubles and 13 triples. In 2006, Perez was promoted to the upper level Single-A Visalia Oaks, (now the Charlotte Stone Crabs of the Florida State League) of the California League. Perez earned MVP honors by hitting .307 and had a minor league-leading 123 runs scored, and stole 33 bases. In doing so, Perez had earned an invite to the major league spring training in 2007.

Though he did not make the big league club, he started the season at Double-A Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League where he had 121 hits, 84 runs, and a set the team's single-season record of 32 stolen bases.

In 2008, Perez was promoted to the Triple-A Durham Bulls of the International League where he batted .288 with 86 runs scored, 43 stolen bases and 11 triples. Perez ranked second in the International League in runs, was third in steals and tied for second in triples before his call up to the eventual American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays on September 1.

For the Rays in the stretch run, Perez hit .250 in 60 AB with 15 Hits (2 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR) 8 RBI and 5 SB to earn a spot on the post-season roster for the Rays. Perez started Game two of the ALDS against the Chicago White Sox and in total (ALDS, ALCA vs. Boston, and the WS against Philadelphia), Perez hit .111 with 1 hit in 9 at-bats and only 1 stolen base.

2009 saw Perez plagued by injuries (a dislocated left wrist in March and shoulder surgery in the offseason). He had .206 average ammasing only 34 at-bats with 7 hits and 2 RBI.

Whether or not he'll find much playing time on the Rays major league roster remains to be seen. Experts say he'll be ready in time for spring training. All I can say is that I'm proud that we Latinos have someone our kids can look up to. Someone who we can say "See this young man, he's proficient not only on the field of play but in the field of education". Through hard work and dedication anything can be achieved. Keep at it Fernando, we're pulling for you.

On a side note, Fernando is the only Major League to ever be published in Poetry Magazine, having done so in the September 2009 issue. To read the poem, click here.

Additional Links:
The New York Times article on Fernando Perez from October 4, 2008
The MLB.com player page for Fernando Perez
The Fernando Perez statistics page from The Baseball Cube (AMAZING!!!)
An article on the Columbia Lions website from February 2007 on Fernando Perez
To read the journal kept by Fernando Perez in 2007 while with the Montgomery Biscuits, click here.

Casi casi Roberto, good showing for Edgar and a tear for El Gato

This past week was the election for the class of 2010 Baseball Hall of Fame. First off congratulations to Andre Dawson who was only player elected by the Baseball writers. Puerto Rican Roberto Alomar came very close to achieving election to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Falling 8 votes short of enshrinement, Alomar received 73.7% of the vote (75% is needed for enshrinement). Had Alomar received the necessary 75% of the ballot, he would have been the first Latino ballplayer since Rod Carew was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1991. Alomar would have been the first Puerto Rican elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility since Roberto Clemente was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973.

Roberto Alomar was the model of consistency at both second base forming one of the best double play combinations (with future Hall of Famer Omar Vizquel) and at the plate. In 17 seasons, Alomar had a career batting average of .300 where he amassed 2724 hits (504 2B, 80 3B, 210 HR) and 1134 RBI. In terms of modern metrics, Alomar had a career OBP% of .371 and a SLG% of .443 for an OPS of .814 and had 474 SB. His best season was 1999 with the Cleveland Indians where he came in 3rd in the MVP race batting .323 with 182 hits (40 2B, 3 3B, 24 HR) and 120 RBI and led the league in runs scored with 138. That season Alomar also had an OPS of .955 (.442 OBP and .553 SLG). Alomar was a 12-time All-Star, a 10-time Gold Glove award winner and also won 4 Silver Slugger awards.

Current second-basemen like Robinson Cano and Dan Uggla can thank Roberto Alomar (and future Hall of Famer Jeff Kent) for laying the foundation for the second-baseman that can superb on both the field and at the plate.

The Latino presence on the Hall of Fame ballot was also augmented by the great show of support for Puerto Rican Edgar Martinez. The funny thing about the situation with Edgar is that there were many writers that predicted that he wouldn't even get the necessary 5% of the vote to remain eligible for next year's ballot. Why? These writers felt that since Martinez was a Designated Hitter and not a "complete" ballplayer (not playing the field) it would diminish his chances to make it into the Hall of Fame. We're not talking about Dave Kingman here, Edgar Martinez is not only a DH, he's the best DH (hey, the award for the best DH is named after him). Well, 195 votes good for 36.2% of the vote is an excellent starting point for Martinez.

In 18 seasons, Martinez had a career a career batting average of .312 where he amassed 2247 hits (514 2B, 15 3B, 309 HR) and 1261 RBI. In terms of modern metrics, Martinez had a career OBP% of .418 and a SLG% of .515 for an OPS of .933. Martinez also walked more (1283) than he struck out (1202) further cementing his status of a dependable hitter, His best season was the memorable 1995 season with the Seattle Mariners where he came in 3rd in the MVP race batting a league leading .356 with 182 hits (52 2B, 0 3B, 29 HR) and 113 RBI and led the league in runs scored with 121. That season Martinez also had an OPS of 1.107 (league leading .479 OBP and .628 SLG). Martinez was a 7-time All-Star and won 5 Silver Slugger awards.

In my opinion, if you are asked to do a job as Edgar Martinez was in being written in the lineup as a DH, and you are superb in that position, then why should you not be both considered the best in the game at your position and best in the game to be inducted in the Hall of Fame. The DH is used in mostly all levels of baseball from College, Minor League, Japanese League and the American League (The National League is the only one that does not use the DH for regular league play). At some point the anti-DH bias that is often seen with baseball traditionalist has to be broken and it would be amazing if the player to do it is the same player that raised the position to the level that it occupies today.

Sadly, Andres Galarraga is no longer eligible for the Hall of Fame. Galarraga who hails from Venezuela was unable to get the necessary 5% of the vote (22 votes for 4.1%). In 19 seasons, Galarraga had a career a career batting average of .288 where he amassed 2333 hits (444 2B, 32 3B, 399 HR) and 1425 RBI. In terms of modern metrics, Martinez had a career OBP% of .347 and a SLG% of .499 for an OPS of .846. His best season was 1996 with the Colorado Rockies where he led the league with 47Hr 150 RBI and had a .304BA. Galarraga a 5-time All-Star, 2-time Gold Glove award winner and also won 2 Silver Slugger awards.

Galarraga was a personal favorite of fine who played the game with class and grace even when faced with personal turmoil. I didn't think he would be elected in, but I wish that he would have at least been given the chance to get his 15 years to get the necessary votes. He can eventually get in by getting elected by the Veteran's committee. I don't think it will happen, but it doesn't diminish how good of a player he was.

What do you think. Any opinions or comments? Feel free to add to the conversation.
Hasta Luego,
FH.

The Return of Mark McGwire

Before I start on this post, let me state that Mark McGwire is NOT a Hall of Famer. Ok, now that I clarified that, I'll get back to it later.

I recently read that on the Mercury News website that the St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa states that it would be his "dream" to have McGwire return to active duty by pinch-hitting if the Cardinals were in the midst of a pennant race. As it is, McGwire will return to the Cardinals as hitting coach after retiring in 2001. Let say the Cardinals are a game or two behind the Cubs on August 31, 2010 and La Russa does put McGwire on the active roster and he does have an at-bat. Let's even say for sake of drama, he hits a game winning homer (I can dig the drama that baseball can generate like the next sports fan). To read the Cam Inman article on Tony La Russa from the Contra Costa Times, click here. In the end, what does that do for McGwire's standing with the Hall of Fame. Photo Credit Roberto Borea/AP.

Before I state what the official position of the Hall of Fame will be, let me state what I think will happen. Basically it can only help McGwire. By taking the at-bat, McGwire will no longer be eligible for the Hall of Fame since a player needs to be retired for 5 consecutive years to be eligible. In doing so, McGwire will have 5 more years in order to garner positive public opinion not only from the fans but also the baseball writers. This situation of retiring for 5 years or more, being eligible for the Hall of Fame then unretiring is not uncommon. The precedent has been set before. Jack O'Connell, secretary-treasurer of the Baseball Writers Association of America, told ESPN.com that:

If McGwire were to appear in a game in 2010, he would have to wait five years before going back on the Hall of Fame ballot.

Ok, that's the good news. The bad news is that he won't get a new set of 15 years on the ballot (assuming that he would get 5% of the vote the next year he would be eligible for election to the Hall of Fame). Since McGwire has been on the ballot four times, his candidacy would resume with his fifth appearance. Players can only be voted on for a total of 15 years (not necessarily consecutively) before being elected to the Hall of Fame or being removed from the ballot.

According to O'Connell, the players that set the earlier precedent were Minnie Minoso and Jose Rijo. To read the ESPN.com article which states this, click here. Now that we cleared that up, let me re-address my first sentence about McGwire not being a Hall of Famer.

Sure McGwire passed the magic homerun threshold of 500 (583 to be exact) but I have to ask you all: Does 1,626 hits a Hall of Famer make? That's how many hits McGwire has. So if you remove his homeruns, he only 1,043 hits. In my view that's not very impressive. Compare him with Hall of Famers with the similar homerun totals:

Harmon Killebrew has 2,086 hits, of which 573 are homeruns, which leaves him with 1,513 non-homer hits. Reggie Jackson has 2,584 hits, of which 563 homeruns, which leaves him with 2,021 non-homer hits. Mike Schmidt has 2,234 hits, of which 548 are homeruns, which leaves him with 1,686 non-homer hits. See my point. These players not only hit homers but also made contact for singles, doubles and even triples. Even with McGwire being the player with the best homer to at-bat ratio in the history of the game, I can't get the past the fact that he was a homerun machine, and nothing else.

I would even disregard that if his defense balanced the offense out, which it does not. McGwire won only 1 Gold Glove (1990) and even his best year of 1998 when he broke Maris' single season homerun record, he came in second in the MVP race to Sammy Sosa. I can't even say that I ever heard of McGwire being considered as either the best player at his position or in the entire game of Baseball.

It's not like I have a personal issue with Big Mac. On the contrary, I like the guy. I'd be the first to admit that I sat at pins and needles watching him chase Maris' ghost and was happy when he finally got the record and helped Maris get the recognition that he and his family needed. McGwire was a big part in helping bring baseball back from the disaster of the 1994 strike. But I don't think that this (along with his statistics) should guarantee him enshrinement into the Hall of Fame. Sorry.

I had posted a blog entry on this exact argument in 2006. Click here for more details.

January 11, 2010: Mark McGwire has finally come clean about his steroid usage and has given an apology in a written statement with a follow up interview with Bob Costas on the MLB network tonight. I have to say after watching A-Rod's interview from Spring training and the look of relief of finally shedding the possible guilt that he felt for having taken the steroids, it seems to me that finally McGwire has reached that same point. I'm glad to see that he has come clean about his steroid usage. Whether or not he has hurt or helped his Hall of Fame chances remains to be seen. Some voters will not vote for him now under any circumstance, and that's understandable. But I think that many voters will now vote for him since he did come clean. We'll see how this unfolds this time next year. Maybe McGwire should take the at-bat this year and take the heat off of his Hall of Fame chances for 5 years. It can't hurt.

Click here for the official article on the McGwire admission by Matthew Leach from MLB.com

Let me know what you think.
FH

Welcome to the Hall of Fame Andre Dawson Class of 2010

The results are in and Andre Dawson is finally in. Congratulations to new Hall of Famer Andre Dawson who will be inducted along with manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey, who were elected last month by the Veterans Committee. The induction ceremony will also include the presentation of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for baseball writing to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News. Photo Credit: Jan. 6, 2010 (from National Baseball Hall of Fame website)

So, in the last post I made my predictions on who would get elected and I got one out of the three correct. I picked Dawson who received 420 votes for 77.9%. Roberto Alomar missed getting in by 8 votes garnering 397 votes for 73.3% and Barry Larkin received only 278 votes good for 51.6%. I also gave an honorable mention to Edgar Martinez who received 195 votes good 36.2%. Bert Blyleven also received his fair share of votes, barely getting elected to the Hall of Fame by only 5 votes. He received 400 votes for 74.2%. The other first-year candidate who received sufficient support to remain on the ballot was first baseman Fred McGriff with 116 votes for 21.5%. Other holdovers who will remain on the ballot are pitchers Jack Morris and Lee Smith, first basemen Don Mattingly and Mark McGwire, shortstop Alan Trammell, outfielder-DH Harold Baines and outfielders Tim Raines, Dave Parker and Dale Murphy.

No longer eligible to be elected by the writers (since they did not receive the minimum 5% of the vote) are Andres Galarraga (A personal favorite of mine), Robin Ventura, Ellis Burks, Eric Karros, Kevin Appier, Pat Hentgen, David Segui, Mike Jackson, Ray Lankford, Shane Reynolds and Todd Zeile.

Here are the results for this years election:
Andre Dawson 420 (77.9%)(2009 vote 67%)
Bert Blyleven 400 (74.2%)(2009 vote 62.7%)
Roberto Alomar 397 (73.7%)
Jack Morris 282 (52.3%)(2009 vote 44%)
Barry Larkin 278 (51.6%)
Lee Smith 255 (47.3%)(2009 vote 44.5%)
Edgar Martinez 195 (36.2%)
Tim Raines 164 (30.4%)(2009 vote 22.6%)
Mark McGwire 128 (23.7%)(2009 vote 21.9%)
Alan Trammell 121 (22.4%)(2009 vote 17.9%)
Fred McGriff 116 (21.5%)
Don Mattingly 87 (16.1%)(2009 vote 11.9%)
Dave Parker 82 (15.2%)(2009 vote 15%)
Dale Murphy 63 (11.7%)(2009 vote 11.5%)
Harold Baines 33 (6.1%)(2009 vote 5.9%)
Andres Galarraga 22 (4.1%)
Robin Ventura 7 (1.3%)
Ellis Burks 2 (0.4%)
Eric Karros 2 (0.4%)
Kevin Appier 1 (0.2%)
Pat Hentgen 1 (0.2%)
David Segui 1 (0.2%)
Mike Jackson 0
Ray Lankford 0
Shane Reynolds 0
Todd Zeile 0

Here is the official press release by the Baseball Hall of Fame on today's vote.

With the close vote by Blyleven and Alomar, I assume that they will get in on next year's ballot. Just to get a sneak peek on who is eligible for 1st time election here is the list:

Jeff Bagwell, Rafael Palmeiro, John Olerud, Kevin Brown, Larry Walker, Juan Gonzalez, Tino Martinez, B.J. Surhoff, Marquis Grissom, John Franco, Bret Boone, Al Leiter, Benito Santiago, Carlos Baerga, Raul Mondesi, Bobby Higginson, Wilson Alvarez, Rey Sanchez, Charles Johnson, Jose Offerman, Ugueth Urbina, Ismael Valdez, Dan Wilson, Paul Quantrill, Cal Eldred, Kirk Rueter, Steve Reed

Out of next year's list, I can see Jeff Bagwell as being the only candidate for 1st year election to the Hall. Rafael Palmiero will be interesting to see, since he is the 1st player to be of Hall of Fame caliber (1 of 4 players to get over 3000 hits and over 500HR along with Mays, Aaron and Murray) who tested positively for performance enhancing drugs. John Olerud and Larry Walker are also interesting candidates.

Once again, congratulations to Andre Dawson for his election to the Hall of Fame, Class of 2010.

Later,
FH

2010 Hall of Fame Ballot

January 6th is the day that the voting results for the 2010 Hall of Fame candidates are announced. Before I list who my predictions for election are, let me describe what the conditions are for eligibility. Candidates must have completed 10 full major league seasons and be retired for 5 full seasons. Once eligible, candidates must receive a minimum of 5% of the vote in order to stay on the ballot for the next year. The player need to amass 75% of the vote for induction into the Hall of Fame and upon receiving the minimum 5%, the player is allowed to stay on the ballot for 15 years before moving onto the ballot for the Veterans Committee. Now that we have that out of the way, here are the main candidates for election.

2009 Candidates (With previous years percentage of the vote. Bold is 1st year on Ballot)
Andre Dawson 67%
Bert Blyleven 62.7%
Lee Smith 44.5%
Jack Morris 44%
Tim Raines 22.6%
Mark McGwire 21.9%
Alan Trammel 17.4%
Dave Parker 15%
Don Mattingly 11.9%
Dale Murphy 11.5%
Harold Baines 5.9%
Roberto Alomar
Andres Galarraga
Barry Larkin
Edgar Martinez
Fred McGriff
Robin Ventura
Other Candidates

Here are my predictions for who will get in this year:

1. Andre Dawson:
The Hawk has steadily climbed up the ladder since he first received 43.5% of the vote in his first year of eligibility. At 67%, Dawson is in prime position to get the remaining 8% needed for induction. In 21 season, Dawson had a career batting average of .279 where he amassed 2774 hits (513 2B, 98 3B, 438 HR) and 1591 RBI with 314 SB. In terms of modern metrics, Dawson had a career OBP% of .323 and a SLG% of .482 for an OPS of .806. His best season was his MVP season of 1987 with the Chicago Cubs where he led the league with 49Hr 137 RBI and 353 total bases. Dawson also registered his career best OPS of .896 (.328 OBP and .568 SLG). Dawson was the Rookie of the Year in 1977 with the Montreal Expos, a 7-time All-Star, 8-time Gold Glove award winner and also won 4 Silver Slugger awards.

Tim Kurkjian of ESPN.com has an article on why Andre Dawson should be elected to the Hall of Fame. Click here.


2. Roberto Alomar
In his 1st year of eligibility, Roberto Alomar was the model of consistency at both second base forming one of the best double play combinations (with future Hall of Famer Omar Vizquel) and at the plate. In 17 seasons, Alomar had a career batting average of .300 where he amassed 2724 hits (504 2B, 80 3B, 210 HR) and 1134 RBI. In terms of modern metrics, Alomar had a career OBP% of .371 and a SLG% of .443 for an OPS of .814 and had 474 SB. His best season was 1999 with the Cleveland Indians where he came in 3rd in the MVP race batting .323 with 182 hits (40 2B, 3 3B, 24 HR) and 120 RBI and led the league in runs scored with 138. That season Alomar also had an OPS of .955 (.442 OBP and .553 SLG). Alomar was a 12-time All-Star, a 10-time Gold Glove award winner and also won 4 Silver Slugger awards.

Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com has this article on Roberto Alomar and his hopes for a 1st ballot election. Click here.

Alomar helped to lay down the foundation (along side future Hall of Famer Jeff Kent) for the slugging 2nd basemen such as Dan Uggla and Robinson Cano. The only way I see him not getting in on his first try would be his time with the New York Mets. On track to break 3,000 hits, Alomar's career tanked (compared to his past seasons with Toronto, Baltimore and Cleveland) and just faded away playing his last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox. Many a current Hall of Famer had diminished numbers at the end of their careers. They were elected in, as should Roberto Alomar.

3. Barry Larkin
Also in his 1st year of eligibility, Barry Larkin was one of the two premier Shortstops in the National League (along with Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith). In 18 season, Larkin had a career batting average of .295 where he amassed 2340 hits (441 2B, 76 3B, 198 HR) and 960 RBI. In terms of modern metrics, Larkin had a career OBP% of .371 and a SLG% of .4444 for an OPS of .815. His best season was his MVP award season of 1995 with the Cincinnati Reds (who he played his whole career for) batting .319 with 158 hits (29 2B, 6 3B, 15 HR) and 66 RBI with 51 SB. That season Larkin also had an OPS of .886 (.394 OBP and .492 SLG). Larkin was a 12-time All-Star, a 3-time Gold Glove award winner and also won 8 Silver Slugger awards.

Mark Sheldon of MLB.com has an article stating how Barry Larkin helped to redefine the Shortstop position. Click Here.

I believe that if Larkin had played in an era where he wasn't behind Ozzie Smith year in and year out, there would be no doubt as to whether or not he's a Hall of Famer. Ozzie had the glove, but Larkin had the bat to go along side his leather.

Honorable Mention
4. Edgar Martinez
In his first year of eligibility, Martinez is the player that may finally put an end to the Designated Hitter bias that exists throughout baseball. Considered by many as the Best DH in the history of the game (the award for the best DH is named in his honor), I believe Martinez to be a Hall of Famer since he was asked to do a particular job as a ballplayer and did it as well, if not better than everyone else. The fact that he did not play defense on an everyday basis seems to be his Achilles heel but no one can dispute that as a DH, he was stellar. In 18 seasons, Martinez had a career a career batting average of .312 where he amassed 2247 hits (514 2B, 15 3B, 309 HR) and 1261 RBI. In terms of modern metrics, Martinez had a career OBP% of .418 and a SLG% of .515 for an OPS of .933. Martinez also walked more (1283) than he struck out (1202) further cementing his status of a dependable hitter, His best season was the memorable 1995 season with the Seattle Mariners where he came in 3rd in the MVP race batting a league leading .356 with 182 hits (52 2B, 0 3B, 29 HR) and 113 RBI and led the league in runs scored with 121. That season Martinez also had an OPS of 1.107 (league leading .479 OBP and .628 SLG). Martinez was a 7-time All-Star and won 5 Silver Slugger awards.

David Schoenfield of ESPN.com has written this article making his points for why Edgar Martinez should be in the Hall of Fame. Click here.

I think baseball's traditionalists and snobs within the Baseball Writers Association lack the foresight to see past the fact that Martinez was a DH. He was more than that. Martinez was a player that was asked to do a job, and he did it not only to the best of his capacity but also better than anyone else. In my book if you can do all that is asked of you and put up impressive numbers to back it up, then you have proved your worth as Edgar Martinez has. We'll see what the election results show.

I think the rest of the candidates for election will get the necessary 5% of the ballot to remain eligible for next years election with Bert Blyleven moving to the top of the list. PS, after today's announcement of the retirement of 303 game winner Randy Johnson, there will be no doubt who gets in 1st ballot in 2015.

Later FH.