12-06-2002, 04:45 AM
Bert Blyleven (26.27%) - It's a real shame he isn't in already. He played mostly for subpar teams, but still won almost 300 games in his career. He's simply the best eligible pitcher not yet in the Hall. Roughly in the same class as Ryan and Sutton.
Brett Butler* - Good, solid leadoff hitter. Not a Hall of Famer, not even close really.
Gary Carter (72.67%) - Top 5 all-time catcher (with Berra, Bench, Cochrane and Piazza). It's almost an embarassment that he's not in already, though that will likely change this year.
Vince Coleman* - No.
Dave Concepcion (11.86%) - He's borderline, but I don't see it. Great defense but only decent at bat, with a career .267 average and .679 OPS.
Darren Daulton* - At his best in 90, 92, and 93, he was an outstanding catcher. That's about it really. No chance.
Mark Davis* - No.
Andre Dawson (45.34%) - He's probably borderline, but I'd vote for him. Great defensively until injuries took their toll, and consistent at bat from 77 to 93, putting up excellent numbers in hitter-unfriendly Montreal before breaking out in Wrigley. Probably top 15 all time CF, and definitely a more worthy candidate than Rice, Parker, and Murphy.
Sid Fernandez* - Love the guy, but no.
Steve Garvey (28.39%) - No. Good, not great, and certainly not a HOFer.
Rich Gossage (43.01%) - Should get in, but probably won't, at least for a while. Best reliever in his time, when relievers were more valuable than they are today.
Keith Hernandez (6.14%) - Best defensive 1B ever and a lifetime .296 hitter playing in very hitter-unfriendly parks and before the juiced ball era. He belongs in.
Rick Honeycutt* - No.
Danny Jackson* - No.
Tommy John (26.91%) - Marginal, he had a solid career, but not HOF worthy. He'll likely get in at some point, probably by the vet, which is fine by me. I wouldn't vote for him though.
Jim Kaat# (23.09%) - See Tommy John.
Darryl Kile* - No.
Don Mattingly (20.34%) - No. Keith was a better hitter and a better fielder. Good player, but vastly overrated by many.
Jack Morris (20.55%) - No. In a class below John and Kaat.
Dale Murphy (14.83%) - No. Was helped greatly by playing in The Launching Pad, but a look at his home/road splits tells the whole story. He had a good career, but falls way short.
Eddie Murray* - Should be an automatic first ballot HOFer. One of the top 10 1B of all time. I could see the media bias against Eddie keeping him out this year, which is a shame, because he never really got the credit he deserved.
Dave Parker (13.98%) - Nah. He was amazing from 77 to 79, and very good from 75 to 85. The rest of his career ranges from passable to downright awful. Better than Jim Rice, but not as good as Dawson.
Tony Pena* - No. He was solid, but falls way short.
Jim Rice (55.08%) - No. He, like Murphy, was a good hitter who was helped a ton by playing in a hitter friendly park. Had a nice peak from 77 to 79, and was good but not as good his numbers would indicate. Then he fell of a cliff in 87 at the age of 34. One of the most overrated players ever to play the game.
Ryne Sandberg* - He definitely belongs in. He's a top 10 2B of all time - then again, so was Lou Whitaker, and nobody even noticed when he was on the ballot. I think he'll make it, just not this year.
Lee Smith* - Wildly overrated, he wasn't half the pitcher that Sutter and Gossage were. Unfortunately, his inflated career saves total will probably influence voters to vote for him over more worthy relievers. It's a shame, really.
Bruce Sutter (50.42%) - He belongs in yesterday. He was every bit as good as Gossage, Rollie Fingers, and the like.
Danny Tartabull* - No.
Mickey Tettleton* - No.
Alan Trammell (15.68%) - He's really a very underrated player. Not quite as good as Concepcion defensively but worlds better offensively. One of the top 10 at his position, but that only lasts for maybe another 5-10 years as we see how the current crop shakes out. Still, I think top ten all-time at your position 130 years into the history of MLB... that tends to be a definition of a HOFer. Trammell is better than more than half the SS in the HOF, and is very deserving (along with Lou Whitaker...).
Fernando Valenzuela* - He was amazing for a brief period in the mid 80's before his arm blew up, but overall he's not even close.
Mitch Williams* - No.
Todd Worrell* - No.
My ballot would be: Bert Blyleven, Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Rich Gossage, Keith Hernandez, Eddie Murray, Ryne Sandberg, Bruce Sutter, Alan Trammell
Who I think will get voted in this year: Eddie Murray, Gary Carter
Brett Butler* - Good, solid leadoff hitter. Not a Hall of Famer, not even close really.
Gary Carter (72.67%) - Top 5 all-time catcher (with Berra, Bench, Cochrane and Piazza). It's almost an embarassment that he's not in already, though that will likely change this year.
Vince Coleman* - No.
Dave Concepcion (11.86%) - He's borderline, but I don't see it. Great defense but only decent at bat, with a career .267 average and .679 OPS.
Darren Daulton* - At his best in 90, 92, and 93, he was an outstanding catcher. That's about it really. No chance.
Mark Davis* - No.
Andre Dawson (45.34%) - He's probably borderline, but I'd vote for him. Great defensively until injuries took their toll, and consistent at bat from 77 to 93, putting up excellent numbers in hitter-unfriendly Montreal before breaking out in Wrigley. Probably top 15 all time CF, and definitely a more worthy candidate than Rice, Parker, and Murphy.
Sid Fernandez* - Love the guy, but no.
Steve Garvey (28.39%) - No. Good, not great, and certainly not a HOFer.
Rich Gossage (43.01%) - Should get in, but probably won't, at least for a while. Best reliever in his time, when relievers were more valuable than they are today.
Keith Hernandez (6.14%) - Best defensive 1B ever and a lifetime .296 hitter playing in very hitter-unfriendly parks and before the juiced ball era. He belongs in.
Rick Honeycutt* - No.
Danny Jackson* - No.
Tommy John (26.91%) - Marginal, he had a solid career, but not HOF worthy. He'll likely get in at some point, probably by the vet, which is fine by me. I wouldn't vote for him though.
Jim Kaat# (23.09%) - See Tommy John.
Darryl Kile* - No.
Don Mattingly (20.34%) - No. Keith was a better hitter and a better fielder. Good player, but vastly overrated by many.
Jack Morris (20.55%) - No. In a class below John and Kaat.
Dale Murphy (14.83%) - No. Was helped greatly by playing in The Launching Pad, but a look at his home/road splits tells the whole story. He had a good career, but falls way short.
Eddie Murray* - Should be an automatic first ballot HOFer. One of the top 10 1B of all time. I could see the media bias against Eddie keeping him out this year, which is a shame, because he never really got the credit he deserved.
Dave Parker (13.98%) - Nah. He was amazing from 77 to 79, and very good from 75 to 85. The rest of his career ranges from passable to downright awful. Better than Jim Rice, but not as good as Dawson.
Tony Pena* - No. He was solid, but falls way short.
Jim Rice (55.08%) - No. He, like Murphy, was a good hitter who was helped a ton by playing in a hitter friendly park. Had a nice peak from 77 to 79, and was good but not as good his numbers would indicate. Then he fell of a cliff in 87 at the age of 34. One of the most overrated players ever to play the game.
Ryne Sandberg* - He definitely belongs in. He's a top 10 2B of all time - then again, so was Lou Whitaker, and nobody even noticed when he was on the ballot. I think he'll make it, just not this year.
Lee Smith* - Wildly overrated, he wasn't half the pitcher that Sutter and Gossage were. Unfortunately, his inflated career saves total will probably influence voters to vote for him over more worthy relievers. It's a shame, really.
Bruce Sutter (50.42%) - He belongs in yesterday. He was every bit as good as Gossage, Rollie Fingers, and the like.
Danny Tartabull* - No.
Mickey Tettleton* - No.
Alan Trammell (15.68%) - He's really a very underrated player. Not quite as good as Concepcion defensively but worlds better offensively. One of the top 10 at his position, but that only lasts for maybe another 5-10 years as we see how the current crop shakes out. Still, I think top ten all-time at your position 130 years into the history of MLB... that tends to be a definition of a HOFer. Trammell is better than more than half the SS in the HOF, and is very deserving (along with Lou Whitaker...).
Fernando Valenzuela* - He was amazing for a brief period in the mid 80's before his arm blew up, but overall he's not even close.
Mitch Williams* - No.
Todd Worrell* - No.
My ballot would be: Bert Blyleven, Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Rich Gossage, Keith Hernandez, Eddie Murray, Ryne Sandberg, Bruce Sutter, Alan Trammell
Who I think will get voted in this year: Eddie Murray, Gary Carter