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.