WHY I THINK TONY FERNANDEZ SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN
By- Damien
It may come as a shock to many of you, but Tony Fernandez actually compares quite favorably to first ballot Hall of Famer and contemporary shortstop Ozzie Smith. In terms of hitting, Fernandez outdoes Smith by a wide margin in batting average (.288 to .262), home runs (94 to 28), and RBI’s (844 to 793 in 415 fewer games) among other things. In terms of fielding, the Wizard of Oz has more Gold Gloves (13 to 4), but Fernandez had to compete with Cal Ripken Jr. for his entire career, and that he beat him four times in a row for the Gold Glove was remarkable. He also had a higher career fielding percentage at shortstop (.980 to .978) than Smith and played over 500 games at second base and third base as well. Even though he was better than Ozzie Smith, this in itself isn’t proof that Fernandez is a Hall of Famer, but his entire resume suggests that he was one of the greatest shortstops ever to take the field. Tony Fernandez began his career with the Blue Jays in 1983, hitting .265 in a 15 game trial. He played 88 games in 1984 and took over as the Jays’ regular shortstop in 1985, hitting a solid .289. He was an all-star in 1986 when he collected 213 hits and again in 1987 when he hit .322. From 1986 through 1989, he won the Gold Glove award and captured MVP votes each year, three times backing up Ripken in the all-star game. In 1990, Fernandez led the Majors with 17 triples, and spent the next two seasons with the Padres, making the NL all-star team in 1992. In 1993, he started the season with the Mets, but played 94 games with the Blue Jays, batting .306 with them and helping them win the World Series. He batted .333 with nine RBI’s (the World Series record for a shortstop) in the Series dominated by Joe Carter’s famous walk-off homer in Game 6. He stayed consistent until 1996, when he missed the entire season to injuries. He came back in 1997 with the Indians and played the next two seasons in a third tenure with the Blue Jays. In 1998-1999, Fernandez’s age 36 and 37 seasons, he batted a combined .324 with his two highest RBI totals. He played in Japan in 2000, batting .327 with the Seibu Lions, and returned to the Majors in 2001. He hit .293 in 76 games for two teams (including a fourth stint with the Blue Jays) before finally calling it quits. Tony Fernandez was a fantastic defensive infielder, a fine hitter, an ideal leadoff batter, and a tough ballplayer whose career was certainly worthy of a plaque in Cooperstown.
LIFETIME STATISTICS
Games career: 2,158 season high: 163 in 1986 led AL: 163 in 1986
At Bats career: 7,911 season high: 687 in 1986 led AL: 687 in 1986
Hits career: 2,276 season high: 213 in 1986
Doubles career: 414 season high: 41 in 1988 and 1999
Triples career: 92 season high: 17 in 1990 led AL: 17 in 1990
Home Runs career: 94 season high: 11 in 1989 and 1997
Runs career: 1,057 season high: 91 in 1986
Runs Batted In career: 844 season high: 75 in 1999
Stolen Bases career: 246 season high: 32 in 1987
Walks career: 690 season high: 77 in 1999
Strikeouts career: 784 season high: 74 in 1991
Batting Average career: .288 season high: .328 in 1999
On Base Percentage career: .347 season high: .427 in 1999
Slugging Percentage career: .399 season high: .459 in 1998
Total Bases career: 3,156 season high: 294 in 1986
Sacrifice Hits career: 67 season high: 9 in 1992
Fielding Percentage career: .978 season high: .992 in 1989 led AL SS: .983 in 1986, .992 in 1989 led NL 3B: .991 in 1994
Double Plays career: 1,089 season high: 109 in 1985
Putouts career: 3,214 season high: 297 in 1990 led AL SS: 294 in 1986, 270 in 1987, 297 in 1990
Assists career: 5,544 season high: 480 in 1990 led AL SS: 478 in 1985, 480 in 1990
DID YOU KNOW?
-nicknamed “Cabeza” and “El Fantasma”
-finished eighth in the AL MVP Award voting in 1987, 14th in 1986, 19th in 1989, and 26th in 1988
-had an 18 game hitting streak in 1987
-batted .327 in 43 career postseason games (including .395 in World Series play) with 11 doubles and 23 RBI’s
-had the only homer ever in a 1-0, extra innings postseason game in the 1997 ALCS
-was named the AL Player of the Week on June 20, 1999
-his 213 hits in 1986 set the MLB season record for a shortstop
-led the AL in singles (161) in 1986
-led AL shortstops in games in 1986 and 1990
-set the MLB record for fielding at shortstop in 1989
-his .992 fielding percentage at shortstop in 1989 is the 13th highest mark of all time, and his .989 in 1990 ranks 36th
-his .991 fielding percentage at third base in 1994 is the second highest of all time
-set the MLB record for the fewest errors in a full season at shortstop in 1989 (six)
-also played 27 games as a DH, 98 as a pinch hitter, and 11 as a pinch runner
-was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008 and into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2016
Tony Fernandez was a very good player, but I think he's a bit below hall of fame quality.
ReplyDeleteHis fielding was good, very good in his prime, but it's clear that he was nowhere near Ozzie. For the most part, his age 31 season was his last as a shortstop as he moved to easier positions. Compare this to Ozzie, who was an above-average shortstop until his retirement at 41.
Ozzie was legendary, and Tony was a .270, solid defense guy for most of his career. Good; nowhere close to Ozzie. (I'm sorry if I'm being over-vehement, I'm not trying to be.)
You never need to worry about being over-vehement. You're pretty moderate and honest when you comment.
DeleteWhat's so clear about Smith's fielding being better than Fernandez's? I was surprised when I initially made the comparison, but I'd also considered Fernandez to be one of the greatest fielding shortstops of all time, if not for the Gold Gloves, then for the fielding percentages and his own unique, spectacular defensive play.
I also would like to know what makes you think that second base and third base are easier to play than shortstop. This seems to be a common opinion, and I have a post about that coming soon.
Well, range factor is something to consider. Fernandez, for his career at short stop, had a 4.83 RF/9 vs. a league average of 4.66. That's very good. But Ozzie had a RF/9 of 5.22 vs. an average of 4.78.That's .27 plays a game better than Fernandez, or almost 40 plays a year.
DeleteAlso, defensive stats have limited accuracy, so we have to be respectful of contemporary opinion. Tony was a great fielder in his youth, but not even Blue Jays fans think he was as good as the Wizard of Oz.
A good measure of the defensive importance of a position is how badly players hit at that position. This can be taken too literally, but it is generally true. Pitchers, for example, are the worst hitters because almost all of their value is defensive, so who cares if they hit .069?
Short stops, at least until the 1990s, usually hit .260 with a couple homers a year. Or worse. Rabbit Maranville had an 82 OPS+, and they put him in the Hall of Fame. Mark Belanger had a 68 OPS+, but played for 18 years and was good as Rabbit Maranville.
Second basemen and third basemen have always hit significantly better than short stops, and short stop has been considered the most important position, other than catcher, for all of modern baseball. Why this is I am not certain.