CDIH

Okay, atrocious was probably a bit too strong.

However, a career .262/.337 batter is hardly HOF caliber, regardless of his SB total (which I admittedly didn't realize was as great as it was).

Still, Otis Nixon had a higher BA/OBP AND more SB's than Smith. Sure, Smith was "good" offensively, but nowhere near HOF quality. The only reason he is in the Hall is because of his defense.

Bloody Anus Wrote:Okay, atrocious was probably a bit too strong.

However, a career .262/.337 batter is hardly HOF caliber, regardless of his SB total (which I admittedly didn't realize was as great as it was).

Still, Otis Nixon had a higher BA/OBP AND more SB's than Smith. Sure, Smith was "good" offensively, but nowhere near HOF quality. The only reason he is in the Hall is because of his defense.

There's absolutely no question that Ozzie Smith's defense got him into the HOF. He was an above average hitter (and the second best from his position at the time after that Ripken guy), but there was never anyone who played SS as well as he did.

If Oz played Right Field and put up the same numbers at the plate, then no, he wouldn't ever even be considered for the HOF. There are different standards for different positions for a reason.