In a Perfect World

    Sometimes I think that the Hall of Fame was never meant to be so large. Remember my post Hall of Fame Ratings? It chronicled and classified every Hall of Famer between three categories - the Elite, the Rank and File, and the Basement. Well, I get the impression that only the Elite were meant to be in. When the Old Timers' Committee started to go nuts circa 1946, it lowered the Hall's standard quite a bit, and hence we get the Rank and File (typical Hall of Famers) and the Basement (mistaken selections). If the Hall had stayed pure, then guys like Babe Ruth and Willie Mays would be immortalized, and being in the Hall of Fame would be more meaningful. People could still remember how good George Kell and Andre Dawson were without making them Ruthian. As it is now, the Hall of Fame makes no distinction between guys like Honus Wagner and guys like Joe Tinker. Now this blog mostly advocates for players who could be in (i.e. those who would fall among the Rank and File). The reason why it is here in the first place is to point out mistakes made by the "real" Hall of Fame. If they had done their jobs in the first place, then I wouldn't have to write for this blog at all. Don't get me wrong. I truly enjoy writing for this blog and my book. What I don't appreciate is constantly criticizing an institution that's supposed to know what it's talking about. I shouldn't have to. 

Hall Of Fame Ratings

    Every Hall of Fame player falls into one category, in my opinion, that more or less determines how good they were. I rank them in three tiers - as Jay Jaffe puts it, the Elite, the Rank and File, and the Basement - in order to more purposefully take into account how good they were and how Hall of Fame candidates stack up against the competition. Most players who I have published about on this blog would probably fall under the Rank and File if they eventually were inducted. A few of my players, however, would fall among the Elite, and the ten in the last post would probably all be in the basement. I will now rank every Hall of Fame player under the three categories and a fourth, those who I don't know what to make of (so read this after work if you're headed out the door). This list is made primarily for the Hall of Famers' skills as a player - so Frank Chance, Roger Bresnahan, Ray Schalk, and a few others, while decent Hall selections for their overall contributions to the game, are listed as if they weren't good enough. 

The Elite  

Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, Ty Cobb, Cy Young, Buck Ewing, Tris Speaker, Nap Lajoie, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Lou Gehrig, Eddie Collins, Ed Delahanty, Kid Nichols, Dan Brouthers, Ed Walsh, Carl Hubbell, Lefty Grove, Three Finger Brown, Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Harry Heilmann, Joe DiMaggio, Billy Hamilton, Tim Keefe, Jackie Robinson (a lot of credit for his breaking the color barrier as well), Bob Feller, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Warren Spahn, Mickey Cochrane, Gabby Hartnett, Roberto Clemente, Bill Dickey, Sam Thompson, Mickey Mantle, Buck Leonard, Cool Papa Bell, Oscar Charleston, Roger Connor, Ernie Banks, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Yogi Berra, Al Kaline, Frank Robinson, Carl Yastrzemski, Johnny Bench, Bill Foster, Ernie Lombardi, Willie Wells, Roy Campanella, Bullet Rogan, Turkey Stearnes, George Brett, Gary Carter, Carlton Fisk, Jud Wilson, Mule Suttles, Biz Mackey, Ray Brown, Cal Ripken Jr., Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, Chipper Jones, Joe Torre, Pedro Martinez 

The Rank and File  

George Sisler, Hoss Radbourn, Willie Keeler, John McGraw, Cap Anson, Wilbert Robinson, Jim O'Rourke, Michael "King" Kelly, Hughie Jennings, Hugh Duffy, Jimmy Collins, Fred Clarke, Rube Waddell, Eddie Plank, Joe McGinnity, Jack Chesbro, Jesse Burkett, Frankie Frisch, Pie Traynor, Charlie Gehringer, Paul Waner, Bobby Wallace, Al Simmons, Dizzy Dean, Chief Bender, Bill Terry, Dazzy Vance, Frank "Home Run" Baker, Hank Greenberg, Joe Cronin, Sam Crawford, Zack Wheat, Max Carey, Edd Roush, Sam Rice, Elmer Flick, John Clarkson, John Montgomery Ward, Heinie Manush, Luke Appling, Pud Galvin, Joe Medwick, Goose Goslin, Stan Coveleski, Lou Boudreau, Joe Kelley, Jake Beckley, Dave Bancroft, Ross Youngs, Early Wynn, Sandy Koufax, Lefty Gomez, Mickey Welch, Ralph Kiner, Judy Johnson, Billy Herman, Earl Averill, Monte Irvin, Robin Roberts, Bob Lemon, Joe Sewell, Amos Rusie, Al Lopez, Eddie Mathews, Addie Joss, Duke Snider, Johnny Mize, Bob Gibson, Brooks Robinson, Juan Marichal, Pee Wee Reese, Harmon Killebrew, Luis Aparicio, Hoyt Wilhelm, Arky Vaughan, Enos Slaughter, Lou Brock, Willie McCovey, Bobby Doerr, Billy Williams, Willie Stargell, Jim Palmer, Joe Morgan, Tony Lazzeri, Ferguson Jenkins, Rod Carew, Tom Seaver, Hal Newhouser, Rollie Fingers, Reggie Jackson, Steve Carlton, Vic Willis, Mike Schmidt, Richie Ashburn, Phil Niekro, Nellie Fox, Don Sutton, Larry Doby, George Davis, Nolan Ryan, Robin Yount, Orlando Cepeda, Tony Perez, Dave Winfield, Kirby Puckett, Bill Mazeroski, Ozzie Smith, Eddie Murray, Paul Molitor, Dennis Eckersley, Ryne Sandberg, Wade Boggs, Hilton Smith, Andy Cooper, Ben Taylor, Bruce Sutter, Tony Gwynn, Jim Rice, Rickey Henderson, Joe Gordon, Andre Dawson, Bert Blyleven, Roberto Alomar, Ron Santo, Barry Larkin, Deacon White, Frank Thomas, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Craig Biggio, Tim Raines, Alan Trammell, Jim Thome, Trevor Hoffman, Vladimir Guerrero, Lee Smith, Mariano Rivera, Mike Mussina, Roy Halladay, Edgar Martinez, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons, Earle Combs, George Kell, Red Schoendienst, Eppa Rixey, Red Faber, Derek Jeter, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso, Tony Oliva 

The Basement 

Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, Frank Chance, Rabbit Maranville, Ray Schalk, Rube Marquard, Harry Hooper, Roger Bresnahan, Chick Hafey, George "Highpockets" Kelly, Whitey Ford, Fred Lindstrom, Don Drysdale, Jesse Haines, Red Ruffing, Catfish Hunter, Gaylord Perry, Phil Rizzuto, Jim Bunning, Herb Pennock, Jack Morris, Rick Ferrell, Rich "Goose" Gossage, Harold Baines, Whitey Ford, Waite Hoyt, Burleigh Grimes, Ted Lyons, Lloyd Waner, Hack Wilson, Travis Jackson, Chuck Klein, Jim Bottomley, Kiki Cuyler 

Players Who I Don't Know What To Make Of 

Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Piazza, Ivan Rodriguez, Jeff Bagwell, Martin Dihigo, John Henry Lloyd, Ray Dandridge, Leon Day, Smokey Joe Williams, Willard Brown, Frank Grant, Pete Hill, Jose Mendez, Louis Santop, Cristobal Torriente 

Of course McGraw, Lopez, and Torre were inducted as managers, but as players they were good enough to stand among their respective ranks. 

Most Hall of Famers are comparable to the second group. If your candidate is comparable to those in the Elite, put him in. If he's comparable to those in the Rank and File, then he's probably a Hall of Famer, and if he would be in the Basement, then he's not a Hall of Famer. 

NOTES 

-Whitey Ford and Gaylord Perry would be among the Rank and File if not for their cheating. 

-Had Ross Young survived and put up the same stat line, he wouldn't be a good pick for the Hall of Fame. 

-You must know how to compare players meaningfully, and if your candidate is comparable to only one or two members of the Rank and File at the same position and is behind the rest, then he's probably not a Hall of Famer. 

-Overall, Cap Anson was not a good pick by the Hall of Fame on account of his part in instituting the color line.