Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 23 - Jack Morris

    Jack Morris has a 3.90 career ERA, and yet he is in the Hall of Fame. What? He pitched in a relatively easy era for pitchers, and still had an ERA of almost 4.00 and an adjusted ERA of 105. I don't even need to go through his career, his case is so obvious. To have an ERA that high and still be deserving of the Hall of Fame means that one has to put up a similar or better record during the 1920's and 1930's. Morris, who went 254-186 (.577) from 1977 through 1994, was basically an average pitcher who stuck around for a long time. 

    The reason why the 3,000 strikeout and 300 win cutoffs are in place is to keep Morris's type out of the Hall. Not only would a 300-186 pitcher with a 3.90 ERA in Morris's time be far in the lower tier among Hall of Famers, Morris doesn't even approach either of those two milestones (he has 2,478 strikeouts). 

    Here is the link to an interesting article that tries to defend Morris's case. 

https://www.cooperstowncred.com/jack-morris-deserves-his-hall-of-fame-plaque/

My opinion: Jack Morris is not a Hall of Famer. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 22 - Herb Pennock

    Herb Pennock pitched from 1912 through 1934 and was remarkably inconsistent and definitely not at a Hall of Fame level. Let me explain why he was undeserving of the honor. 

    Pennock debuted in 1912 with the Philadelphia A's at the age of 18, and was a very poor pitcher until 1914, when he went 11-4 with a slightly below average ERA. Pennock continued to struggle until 1918, when he went into service with the U.S. Navy in World War I, and came back in 1919 to go 16-8 for the Red Sox. After that season, Pennock continued to pitch badly until 1923, his age 29 season, when he went 19-6 for the Yankees and led the AL in winning percentage. From 1923 through 1928, he did pitch like a Hall of Famer, as he went 115-57 (.669; albeit with the greatest hitting team in history) with a 3.03 ERA and 17 saves. In 1929, Pennock skidded to a halt, and pitched quite badly until 1934, when he went 2-0 with a 3.05 ERA in 62 innings at the age of 40. He never again pitched in the MLB after that season. 

    Pennock shouldn't be within 100 miles of Cooperstown. His record (241-162) looks good, but he had plenty of help from the Yankees' Murderers' Row lineup. Pennock pitched well for seven seasons and a tiny stint, and average at best in his other 14. His adjusted ERA is 106. Does this sound like a Hall of Famer to you? 

My opinion: Herb Pennock is not a Hall of Famer. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 21 - Dick Williams

    Dick Williams is in the Hall of Fame as a manager. There are way too many managers in Cooperstown, and Williams may very well be the worst of them all. 

    Williams excited a lot of Boston fans in 1964 when he led the Red Sox to the AL Pennant in his first year as a manager. He managed the A's in 1971, 1972, and 1973, winning two World Series titles. He won 101 games in 1971 and led the Padres to the NL Pennant in 1984. 

    That's about it. Williams had some positively terrible seasons mixed in, going 72-89 with the Angels in 1975, 75-87 with the Montreal Expos in 1977, 76-86 in 1978, and 78-84 with the Mariners in 1987. Whenever he managed only part of a season, Williams had a very bad record, going 156-213 (.423). His overall record is 1,571-1,451-1 (.520). He was ejected 57 times in fewer than 3,000 games. 

My opinion: Dick Williams is not a Hall of Famer. 

Some Notes On Statistical Analysis

The use of statistics is the most useful and convenient way to rate players and teams, simply put. However, not all statistics are perfect, and some shouldn't even exist. For example, when I was ten years old, if I saw a pitcher take the mound in relief and win the game, I would have thought that he'd earned a save (I thought that wins were exclusive to starters). This makes a lot of sense because he really did save the game. If I saw a reliever earn a save, I'd think that he'd gotten a hold (an unofficial statistic for middle relievers), because he merely held onto a lead. The lead wasn't of his doing. I think that it would make sense to disallow every save in MLB history, change the definition of a save, and only credit saves to pitchers who get the ball in relief and don't blow it, as long as he closes out a game that is really in danger of being lost, if it is a one run game or if it is a two run game and there are two runners in scoring position. Then there will be many, many fewer saves, but to earn a save would not only be meaningful, but praiseworthy (to a reasonable extent, of course). The best part is that we would never have to fight over whether 300 or 500 or 652 saves makes someone a Hall of Famer. We could look at a reliever and say, "If this guy has 100 or so saves, a reasonable ERA, and rarely (<25%) blew a save, then he's a Hall of Famer." Do you see how simple this becomes? 

I also believe that catchers should get credit for blocking what would be scored a wild pitch and preventing a baserunner from advancing. The only problem is that the scorekeeper would have to score the pitch a wild pitch or a passed ball anyway. Ugh, thinking! Even though this statistic would come at so great a price as to think, everyone would have a better understanding of how good each catcher was defensively in an important spot. 

Pickoffs are important. I think that pickoffs should become official statistics for pitchers, catchers, and baserunners, and that they should help to adjust some other statistics. If a batter can make it to first base but out of his own clumsiness can't stay there, then he's as good off as if he'd gotten out at bat. You know, the way we statisticians score the best hitters is by measuring the amount of runs he produces in the fewest number of outs. If a runner is picked off, then that should count against him as an out in determining how good an offensive player he was. Pickoffs are worth counting, as they are even better for the defending team than a strikeout (because they take away a baserunner and an out). 

If a pitcher makes an error (especially a throwing error) and the runner scores, I think that the run should be earned, since the run scored only through the pitcher's own fault. 

That a hit by pitch raises a batter's on base percentage and a catcher's interference does not is the silliest thing that I've ever heard. They both result in the batter being deprived of a chance to hit, and both allow the batter to automatically advance to first. Pitchers used to intentionally hit batters and catchers used to purposely mess up batters' swings, and both moves instigated rule changes. I think that a catcher's interference should raise a batter's OBP, exactly like a hit by pitch. They also should not be called errors on the catcher, but classified on their own. 

Finally, if a sacrifice fly lowers a batter's on base percentage, then it should lower his batting average, too. I am not saying that it necessarily has to lower the batter's average (because sometimes a manager will ask the batter simply to hit a long fly), but if it doesn't, then it shouldn't affect his OBP, either. The batter didn't make a hit or get on base. However, because he did something good for his team, perhaps on purpose, in hitting a sacrifice fly, the play may not need to lower any of his rate statistics. I will not say whether a sacrifice fly should or shouldn't lower a player's average or OBP, but the fact that he did hit one should affect both statistics, not just on base percentage. 

NOTE: This is a post that will likely be edited and added to after publication, so check it again in a month or two. I also apologize for any confusion that this lining issue has caused. It is a common problem for me for some reason, so please bear with me. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 20 - Jim Bunning

    Jim Bunning pitched from 1955 through 1971 for four clubs, having his best years with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies. He went 224-184 (.549) with a 3.27 ERA in the most pitcher friendly era in history. This is not a Hall of Fame career. Let's first look over his career, and then see why he is not a Hall of Famer. 

    Bunning got started in 1955 with Detroit and struggled as a rookie, turning in an ERA of 6.35 in 51 innings. He went 5-1 in 1956, however, and had a career year in 1957 with a 20-8 mark and a 2.69 ERA. Bunning slumped in his next two seasons, but came back in 1960 with a 2.79 ERA. He then had two good (but not great) seasons and one in which he was below average, which "earned" him a trade to the Phillies. At 32, he was thought to be through, but he had the best four seasons of his career in Philly, posting a 2.48 ERA and a .617 winning percentage. He even pitched a perfect game in 1964. After this, he had a sharp decline. He followed four fantastic seasons with four in which he went 32-51 with an ERA of 4.14. He was gone by 1972. After his baseball career, he became a politician. In 1986, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives from the 4th congressional district of Kentucky. From 1987 through 1999 he served in the House, and later served two terms as the Republican junior United States Senator. In 1996, with ten years of political experience under his belt, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans' Committee. His career as a politician almost assuredly helped boost him into Cooperstown. 

    Jim Bunning had a nice baseball career and a great comeback story. However, he had only two Hall of Fame worthy seasons (1957 and 1960) before his four year run from 1964 through 1967 in which he pitched at a Hall of Fame level. Six great seasons and 11 average seasons do not add up to a Hall of Fame career. Bunning was also a very unpopular player. After his perfect game, he complained about the seats that the Mets gave his family. This shouldn't exclude him from Cooperstown, but it makes him a much less attractive candidate. 

My opinion: Jim Bunning is not a Hall of Famer. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number Number 19 - Phil Rizzuto

    Phil Rizzuto was a fine defensive shortstop for the Yankees from 1941 through 1942 and from 1946 through 1956, taking three seasons off in service to the U.S. Navy in World War II. He was not only a good defensive shortstop, but he batted .273 lifetime and was a very good bunter. Rizzuto also stole bases, accumulating 149 in his career. 

    All this is nice, but nothing stands out as deserving the Hall of Fame. Firstly, Rizzuto is often called the greatest bunter of all time. It's true that he bunted not only to sacrifice but to collect singles, and that he led the MLB in sacrifice hits four years in a row, but he totaled only 193 in his career. Compared with Hall of Famer Eddie Collins, who had 512 (and also bunted for hits) and many, many others, Rizzuto was not a good bunter. Secondly, Rizzuto, typically the Yankee leadoff hitter, scored 100 runs in a season only twice, in 1949 and 1950. He also hit into a lot of double plays for a leadoff hitter, bouncing into 107 in a short career of only 1,661 games (an average of ten per 162 games), including 18 in 1949. Thirdly, Rizzuto, the 1950 AL MVP (.324, 7 home runs, 66 RBI's) was lucky to beat out teammate Yogi Berra (.322, 28, 124) or fellow shortstop Vern Stephens (.295, 30, 144). Fourthly, Rizzuto slashed .273/.351/.355 in the regular season, good only for an adjusted OPS of 93. He topped the league average of 100 in only four of his 13 seasons. Finally, in the World Series, when the Yankees needed him most, Rizzuto hit .246/.355/.295 with 45 hits in 52 games. He batted .111 in the 1941 World Series, .167 in 1949, .143 in 1950, and .148 in 1952. 

My opinion: Phil Rizzuto is not a Hall of Famer. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 18 - Gaylord Perry

    Gaylord Perry has a Hall of Fame worthy resume. Despite his .542 winning percentage and other iffy statistics, Perry won 314 games, which ordinarily would be enough for a plaque. However, Perry has admitted to using an illegal spitball, which not only made him a dirty cheater and a man not deserving of fame, but it also peppered his statistics. Perry said that in 1964, "I had to use it or get out of baseball. That's how bad I was going." It's true - in 1962 and 1963, Perry went 4-7 for great Giants teams with a 4.46 ERA. Suddenly, he put up a 2.75 ERA in 1964 and wound up in Cooperstown. 

    Perry never denied throwing the spitball. He even wrote a book about it called Me and the Spitter. But the "spitter" is an ILLEGAL pitch. It was outlawed almost 20 years before he was born and over 40 years before he started pitching in the Big Leagues. Therefore, any pitcher who uses it is none other than a cheater. A final word: CHEATERS DO NOT BELONG IN COOPERSTOWN. 

My opinion: Gaylord Perry is not a Hall of Famer. 

An Announcement

    Although I haven't really "advocated" for many single players' Hall of Fame cases lately, I am by no means finished with them. I simply ran out of pre-written posts and, since my schedule is getting tighter, am writing shorter articles. At some point my normal posts will return, but I will also finish my Lucky Hall of Famers series, continue to cover each year's Hall of Fame ballot, and eventually published a really long article about factors that affect how good each era's players are (in order to more efficiently pick out the best in history). For you newer readers, you can always read the archives. So although I have published a ton of content already, there is far more still to come. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 17 - Catfish Hunter

    Catfish Hunter pitched from 1965 through 1975 for the A's in both Kansas City and Oakland and for the New York Yankees through 1979. He was a pretty good pitcher, but not a Hall of Famer. Let us look over his career. 

    Hunter started out with the Kansas City A's in 1965 and went 8-8 with an ERA of 4.26. In his second season, he went 9-11 with a 4.02 ERA, giving him an adjusted ERA of 84 in his first 309 2/3 innings. In 1967, however, Hunter had a good year, 13-17, 2.81, 196 strikeouts, and the A's moved to Oakland for the 1968 season. Hunter, at age 22, pitched a perfect game on May 8, but altogether had another rather disappointing season and wasn't much better in 1969 or 1970, either. Hunter won 21 games in both 1971 and 1972, posting ERA's of 2.96 and 2.04, respectively. From then he went 21-5 (despite an ERA only 107% better than the league average) and 25-12. In 1974, Hunter won the Cy Young Award and led the AL in ERA to help the A's to their third straight World Series title. After that season, Hunter was granted free agency and signed with the Yankees, enjoying one last good season in 1975. In 1976, Hunter turned 30, and from then on his career started to fall apart. That season, Hunter led the AL in earned runs allowed and home runs allowed for the second time each. From 1976 through his final season of 1979, Hunter went 40-39 with an adjusted ERA of 91. He was finished after his age 33 season, when he went 2-9. 

    Catfish Hunter's career record is 224-166 (.574) with a 3.26 ERA. The ERA was good only for an adjusted OPS of 104, since he pitched in the most pitcher friendly era of baseball history. His record is inflated too, because he pitched for some of the best teams in baseball. 

My opinion: Catfish Hunter is not a Hall of Famer. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 16 - Red Ruffing

    Red Ruffing pitched from 1924 through 1947 for Red Sox, Yankees, and White Sox. He went 273-225 (.548) lifetime with a 3.80 ERA. Despite the fact that he pitched in the 1920's and 1930's, Ruffing wasn't among the top 1% of MLB players. Let's see why not. 

    Red Ruffing debuted in 1924 for the Red Sox and was a pretty lousy pitcher through 1931, posting a 4.52 ERA (93 ERA+) and a .378 winning percentage. In 1932 with the Yankees, Ruffing went 18-7 with a 3.09 ERA and led the league in strikeouts, starting a kind of second career. He slumped to average in 1933 and 1934, but from 1935 through 1942 (his age 30 through 37 seasons), Ruffing was pitching at a Hall of Fame level for the Yanks, four times winning 20 games and once winning 19. He even posted a 2.98 ERA in 1937 and an improved 2.93 in 1939. Ruffing then lost the next two seasons to military service. When he returned in 1945, he was 40 years old, but he was better than ever, going 7-3 with a 2.89 ERA in 87 1/3  innings. He had a 1.77 ERA and a 5-1 mark across 61 frames the following season. In 1947, however, Ruffing went 3-5 with an ERA over 6.00 for the White Sox in limited action. He was released by the club on September 30. 

    Despite his success, Ruffing is best known for two other things. Before his MLB career, he suffered the loss of four toes on his left foot when a coal car ran over it. Secondly, he was regarded as one of the greatest hitting pitchers in history, batting a career .269 with 36 home runs. 

    Additionally, Ruffing had a 7-2 record in the World Series with a 2.63 ERA and 61 strikeouts, winning six rings. 

    However, Ruffing's career winning percentage is 41 points below the Hall of Fame average, and his adjusted ERA is only 109. To start out a career like Ruffing did and still make the Hall of Fame would take a pretty amazing turnaround. Ruffing did have a fantastic turnaround starting in 1932, but it wasn't strong enough. 

My opinion: Red Ruffing is probably not a Hall of Famer. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 15 - Jesse Haines

    Jesse Haines pitched in 1918 and from 1920 through 1937 for the Reds and the Cardinals, and was good, winning 20 games in three different seasons, but he got hit pretty hard at times and failed even to reach 1,000 career strikeouts (981). His overall case isn't very compelling. Let's take a closer look at his career. 

    Haines debuted for the Reds at age 24 in 1918 and pitched one game, a five inning relief stint, and allowed only one run. He next played in the Majors in 1920 for the Cardinals and remained in St. Louis for the rest of his career. Haines was little more than average in his first three full seasons, but exploded for 20 wins and a 3.11 ERA in 1923. The following season, at age 30, Haines went 8-19 with an adjusted ERA of 86 (with 100 being the league average). He struggled through a similar season in 1925 but was one of the best pitchers in baseball from 1926 through 1928, going 57-22 with an ERA of 3.01. In the 1926 World Series, Haines went 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA, and won another World Series in 1934, contributing to a World Series record of 3-1 with a 1.67 ERA as the Cardinals made four World Series in his time. In 1929, Haines was crushed for a 5.71 ERA, but lowered it in 1930 to 4.30, the year that the entire NL batted .303. He had one last great season in 1931, 12-3 with a 3.02 ERA, but struggled in 1932. From 1933 through 1937, Haines provided much value in 485 innings as a reliever and occasional starter, ultimately hanging up his glove at the age of 44. 

    Haines's overall record is 210-158 (.571; below the Hall of Fame average of .589) with a 3.64 ERA, good only for an adjusted ERA of 109. While Haines was a fine pitcher with a very interesting career, his record simply isn't Hall of Fame worthy. He wasn't a top starter long enough to earn anywhere near the Hall of Fame average of 247 victories, and he had some poor seasons right in the middle of what should have been his peak. 

My opinion: Jesse Haines is not a Hall of Famer. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 14 - Don Drysdale

    Don Drysdale pitched for the Dodgers from 1956 through 1969. His career statistics were helped greatly by the era in which he pitched. 

    Drysdale went 209-166 with a 2.95 career ERA, capturing the NL Cy Young Award in 1962. In 1968, he set the MLB record for the most consecutive scoreless innings pitched (58), a record which would stand for 20 years. However, Drysdale had some below average seasons interspersed with his peak seasons. In 1958, 1966, and 1969, his age 21, 29, and 32 seasons, he went a 30-32 with a 3.83 ERA. A normal Hall of Famer would stay strong consistently. 

    Drysdale also led the NL in hits allowed twice and in hit by pitch five times. On top of that, he never received any Cy Young Award votes other than in his winning season. This means that he was not among the best of his era. 

    Finally, Drysdale didn't stick around long enough. He pitched for fourteen seasons (eleven of them full seasons), and was through by the time he was 32. 

My opinion: Don Drysdale is not a Hall of Famer. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 13 - Fred Lindstrom

    Fred Lindstrom was a third baseman for four NL clubs from 1924 through 1936. He was a good hitter, as he led the NL with 231 hits in 1928 and had an adjusted OPS of 110 for his career, but his hitting statistics were ballooned by the heaviest hitting years in baseball history. 

    From around 1920 through around 1940, hitters ruled baseball. For example, during that span there were eight .400 hitters. In 1930, the entire National League batted .303. Lindstrom picked the perfect time to hit plentifully. Lindstrom was above average for his time, batting .311 lifetime and .353 over a three year peak, but he wasn't hitting close to guys like Rogers Hornsby, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, or Mel Ott... you know, the established best of the era. He drove in 100 runs only twice in his career and led his league only in hits in 1928 (and in caught stealing that same season). 

    Some say that Lindstrom  was a phenom because he debuted in the Big Leagues at age 18. Well, he was below average in his teenage years and played his last MLB game at thirty, playing only 13 seasons in the Majors. Thirteen seasons simply isn't long enough to merit induction into the Hall of Fame with Lindstrom's hitting statistics. 

My opinion: Fred Lindstrom is not a Hall of Famer. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 12 - George "Highpockets" Kelly

     George "Highpockets" Kelly was primarily a first baseman, but he played 145 games at second as well. Kelly was a good fielder and a good hitter, but he wasn't a Hall of Famer. 

    Let's take a look at his hitting. He was a good hitter, batting .297 lifetime with one home run title and two RBI titles. However, he only had a six year peak (1925 through 1930) in which he batted .313 with some good run production, but his numbers were not even Hall of Fame worthy during that span. Kelly was simply never an overwhelmingly good player. 

    Kelly's Hall of Fame plaque says, 

"Established Major League record by hitting seven home runs in six consecutive games (1924). Rapped homers in three successive innings (1923). Drove in more than 100 runs four consecutive years, 1921 - 1924. Set league records for chances accepted (1,862) and putouts (1,759) by first basemen in 1920. Also led in chances accepted 1921 - 22 -23." 

    Okay. The plaque just reads off some interesting career accomplishments of Kelly's. It may sound like the plaque says that Kelly hit 42 homers in six games, but he hit seven in a six game span. 

My opinion: George "Highpockets" Kelly is not a Hall of Famer. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 11 - Chick Hafey

    Chick Hafey was a truly great hitter. The problem is that his career was too short. He played from 1924 through 1937, but only played in over 100 games in seven seasons and 1,283 in his career. 

    Hafey batted .317/.372/.526 for an .898 OPS, which was 133% better than the average batter's in the heaviest hitting era in history, but his play wasn't without flaw. He was no great shakes as an outfielder, hardly walked very much, and batted .205 in four World Series. 

    The biggest excuse for Hafey's election is that he was one of the first MLB players to wear glasses on the field, and despite the fact that he was vision impaired, he was one of the best hitters of the era. Well, Hafey saw fine with his glasses on. My proof for this statement: Hitting is all about seeing the ball, and Hafey hit well. That he wore glasses shouldn't make a difference. 

    Some also point to his NL Batting Title in 1931. Well, one Batting Title doesn't make a Hall of Fame career. The only major offensive categories that Hafey led his league in were slugging percentage (.590) in 1927 and batting (.349) in 1931. 

My opinion: Chick Hafey wasn't around long enough to be a Hall of Famer. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 10 - Harry Hooper

    Harry Hooper was a rightfielder for the Red Sox and White Sox from 1909 through 1925. He was a good bunter, a famous postseason hero, and a fine fielder, but he had a career slash line of .281/.368/.387, which was only good for an OPS 114% as good as that of the average hitter of the era. Hooper never led the AL in any offensive categories except for plate appearances and sacrifice hits in 1910. Furthermore, he batted .242 in his age 24 season and .235 at age 27. He should have been in his prime in those seasons. Those seasons are pretty tough to look past if you're trying to induct an outfielder. 

    Almost every one of Hooper's statistics is good, but none of them really stand out. For example, this Hall of Fame leadoff hitter only scored 100 or more runs in three seasons. 

    Hooper's Hall of Fame plaque reads, 

"Leadoff hitter and right fielder for of 1912-15-16-18 World Champion Red Sox. Noted for speed and strong arm. Collected 2,466 hits for .281 career average. Had 3,981 putouts and 344 assists. Lifetime fielding average .966." 

    Well, 2,466 hits isn't close to 3,000, and .281 isn't .300. His .966 fielding percentage was six points above the league average, when they had pretty weak gloves, but a .966 fielding percentage would be a terrible mark if recorded today. 

My opinion: Harry Hooper was too ordinary to be a Hall of Famer. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 9 - Rube Marquard

    Rube Marquard was a starting pitcher for the New York Giants, Brooklyn Bums (I mean Dodgers), and Boston Braves from 1908 through 1925. He had a lifetime record of 201-177 (.532). Marquard's 3.08 ERA looks good, but it is actually above the Hall of Fame average of 3.00 and was only good for an adjusted ERA of 103 (with 100 being the league average for his time). Any questions? 

    Now, Marquard was a good pitcher with over 200 wins and some pretty neat career accomplishments, but come on. He was only slightly above average for a dead ball era hurler. He simply stuck around for a while. Only about 1% of all MLB players make it into Cooperstown, but if every player as good as Rube Marquard were in, the Hall of Fame would lose most of its luster and become far less meaningful. 

My opinion: Rube Marquard is not a Hall of Famer. 

Never Mind

In my post titled Update II, I listed Cole Hamels as retired. Well, it appears that he has signed a one year contract with the Dodgers, which means that he is back for more. Hamels will still be a longshot Hall of Fame candidate, but this is a big step forward for him. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 8 - Rabbit Maranville

    Rabbit Maranville is only in Cooperstown on account of his great defense. Maranville played 2,153 games at shortstop and 513 at second base, and had an overall fielding percentage 11 points above the league average (.956 to .945). He won two fielding titles at second base and three at shortstop. However, Maranville was a below average hitter. In fact, his adjusted OPS says that he was only 82% as successful as the average hitter of his time. Maranville slashed .258/.318/.340 from 1912 through 1935. 

    Maranville's biggest offensive strength was his stolen base potential. He stole 291 bases in his career and as many as 32 in 1916. Not bad for somebody who averaged less than one hit per game. 

    I will not deny that Rabbit Maranville was one of the greatest defensive middle infielders who ever lived. However, even Ozzie Smith hit fairly well for a shortstop, and he stole 580 bases. Maranville probably wasn't Ozzie Smith defensively, and he was a poor hitter. 

My opinion: Rabbit Maranville is not a Hall of Famer. 

WHY I THINK FRED LYNN SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK FRED LYNN SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Fred Lynn was always a five tool player. He won the AL Batting Title in 1979, hit as many as 39 home runs in a season, had a career fielding percentage eight points above the league average, three times led AL centerfielders in double plays, and was a fine baserunner. What really made Fred Lynn famous was his incredible outfield defense. He would make leaping (or diving) catches to rob doubles and triples. Lynn did that so many times that the spectacular play became second nature for him. He was so fearless that he often injured himself, and once broke a rib when he crashed into an outfield wall. Fred Lynn was compared with Hall of Famer Joe Dimaggio for his fielding skills and hitting style. Lynn started his career by batting .419 for the Red Sox in 15 games towards the end of the 1974 season. In 1975, Lynn became the first of two players ever to win the Rookie of the Year Award and the MVP Award in the same season. That season, he batted .331 (second in the AL) with 21 homers and 105 RBI’s and led the AL in four offensive categories. Lynn followed up his great rookie season by batting .314 in 1976. In 1977, however, Lynn slumped to .260 and 18 home runs, but had a great season in 1978, which set the table for the best season of his career. In 1979, he batted .333/.423/.637 (leading the league in all three statistics) with 39 home runs, 122 RBI’s, and 116 runs scored. He finished fourth in the AL MVP Award voting, and the three players ahead of him (Don Baylor, Ken Singleton, and George Brett) really weren't in the same league as Lynn was that season. In 1980, he batted .301 but broke his big toe with a foul ball late in the season, limiting him to 110 games. Lynn’s loss very likely cost the Red Sox the pennant that season. After the injury, Lynn was never the same again. He took an Albert Pujols like turn for the worse, both going from Superman to a bit above average after a foot injury. After this, Lynn was used as a DH more often, and he started to age, but he was still good for seven more 20 homer seasons (hitting 20 homers in the 1980’s was regarded as highly as hitting 30 today) and a .299 average for the California Angels in 1982. He retired after the 1990 season. Fred Lynn had all the skills and most of the numbers that people tend to look for in a Hall of Famer. Come on, how can they keep a phenom like Lynn out of Cooperstown? 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 1,969 season high: 150 in 1978 

At Bats career: 6,925 season high: 541 in 1978 

Hits career: 1,960 season high: 177 in 1979 

Doubles career: 388 season high: 47 in 1975 led AL: 47 in 1975 

Triples career: 43 season high: 8 in 1976 

Home Runs career: 306 season high: 39 in 1979 

Runs career: 1,063 season high: 116 in 1979 led AL: 103 in 1975 

Runs Batted In career: 1,111 season high: 122 in 1979 

Stolen Bases career: 72 season high: 14 in 1976 

Walks career: 857 season high: 82 in 1979 

Strikeouts career: 1,116 season high: 100 in 1985 

Batting Average career: 

On Base Percentage career: .360 season high: .423 in 1979 led AL: .423 in 1979 

Slugging Percentage career: .484 season high: .637 in 1979 led AL: .566 in 1975, .637 in 1979 

Total bases career: 3,352 season high: 338 in 1979 

Sacrifice Hits career: 25 season high: 6 in 1975 

Fielding Percentage career: .988 season high: .994 in 1980 and 1985 led AL CF: .994 in 1980 

Double Plays career: 33 season high: 5 in 1984 led AL CF: 4 in 1976, 1980 and 1983 

Putouts career: 4,556 season high: 408 in 1978 

Assists career: 114 season high: 13 in 1976 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-he and teammate Jim Rice were nicknamed the “Gold Dust Twins” 

-also finished 24th in the AL MVP Award voting in 1980 and 25th in 1978 

-was a nine-time all star (1975 - 1983), and won its MVP award in 1983 by hitting the only grand slam in the game's history 

-won the 1982 ALCS MVP Award (.611/.650/.889, one home run, five RBI’s), contributing to his .407 career postseason batting average 

-homered in the 1975 World Series 

-won four Gold Glove awards 

-won two career AL Player of the Month awards and six AL Player of the Week awards 

-led the AL in OPS in 1975 (.967) and 1979 (1.059) 

-led AL centerfielders in games (144) in 1975 

-hit three home runs and two triples with ten RBI’s in one game on June 18, 1975 

-hit for the cycle on May 13, 1980 

-hit exactly 23 home runs every year from 1984 through 1987 

-among MLB centerfielders, ranks 30th in career games, 27th in double plays, and 25th in putouts 

-also played 135 games in leftfield, 144 in rightfield, 69 as a DH, 122 as a pinch hitter, and three as a pinch runner 

-was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2002 and into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007