Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 50 - Tony Lazzeri

Tony Lazzeri was the second baseman for the dominant Yankees teams of the 1920's. Long a polarizing Hall of Fame candidate, he was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1991. However, he was likely inducted into Cooperstown more for his fame than his playing ability. Let's examine his case. 

    Lazzeri had a very good career, but was hardly a Hall of Famer. He was a good hitter (.292 / .380 / .467 slash line, 178 homers), but was rarely among the league leaders in offense. In fact, the only offensive category he ever led in was strikeouts, with 96 in 1926. Lazzeri's had seven seasons with over 100 RBI's, which seems impressive, especially for a second baseman, but they too are a product of place and time. Lazzeri usually hit fifth or sixth in the Yankee batting order, with guys like Ruth and Gehrig constantly on base in front of him, so he always had a lot of opportunities to drive them in. In the field, Lazzeri was an indifferent defender, as he led the league in errors three times and had below average range. Finally, his career was short for a Hall of Famer (only twelve years as a regular), leaving his overall counting stats a bit low. 

My opinion: Tony Lazzeri is not a Hall of Famer.