The 21st Century Hall of Famers
Here is an interesting question. How many of the “great baseball players†of modern times have fans of the game been able to see during the 21st century (since 2001)? Let’s first take a look...
View ArticleJust How Good is Chipper Jones?
As Chipper Jones seems to be heading towards retirement at the end of the 2010 season, it would appear to be a good point at which to ask – Just how good a career has he had? After all, he has...
View ArticleJust How Good is Mariano Rivera?
“Mariano Rivera is the best reliever in baseball history.â€Â If I were to make such a claim, there would surely be some fans who would agree with me and many who would not. And, of course, all...
View ArticleJust How Good is Pedro Martinez?
It does appear at this point that Pedro Martinez is probably retired so this may be a good time to ask: Just how good was Pedro and does he have the numbers to justify induction into the Hall of Fame?...
View ArticleJust How Good were Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens?
Here is the short answer. According to the numbers alone, Barry Bonds had the #2 best career of any position player of the modern era (behind only Babe Ruth) and Roger Clemens is the greatest...
View ArticleJust How Good is Jim Thome?
Jim Thome recently passed Mark McGwire for the #9 spot on the all-time home run list with 584 round trippers. So, an obvious question arises: Just how good is Jim Thome? Or, better yet, does his...
View ArticleThe Class of 2010 – the New Hall of Famers
At the beginning of the 2010 baseball season, there were eight active major league players who had already earned obvious Hall of Fame numbers during their careers. Here are those players: Alex...
View ArticleExpansion Era Hall of Fame Ballot
There will be a Veterans Committee Hall of Fame election in December, 2010 for what is being called “The Expansion Era (1973-Present).â€Â There are twelve names on the ballot: eight players, one...
View ArticleJust How Good is Roy Halladay?
Roy Halladay was just awarded the Cy Young award for the National League for 2010. He becomes only the fifth pitcher to win the award in both leagues. The others are Gaylord Perry, Roger Clemens,...
View ArticleTim Raines – Some Stars Get No Respect
Tim Raines appeared on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot for the third time in 2010. In 2008, he got 24.3% of the votes, and in 2009, he got only 22.6% of the vote. In 2010, he increased to 30.4%. This...
View ArticleThe 2011 HOF Ballot – How Many REAL Hall of Famers?
The BBWAA 2011 Hall of Fame Ballot contains the names of thirty-three players that the baseball writers may vote for if they feel they belong in the Hall of Fame. Of the thirty-three players, I view...
View ArticleNo Tears for George
I am a native New Yorker who still lives in the NY/NJ area and I watch the 6 PM News on NBC each evening. On Monday, December 6, the sports newscaster announced that George Steinbrenner was not...
View ArticleJust How Good was Bert Blyleven?
Bert Blyleven is in the Hall of Fame at last!! It took fourteen years on the ballot to do it but the writers finally saw the light. This was a true victory for sabermetrics – as recognized in the...
View ArticleStarting Pitchers: Judging Their Careers
How do you judge whether a starting pitcher had a Hall of Fame career? Obviously, there are many fans who will have different opinions on this question. And many of the answers may be influenced by...
View ArticleJust How Good was Jeff Bagwell?
Jeff Bagwell appeared on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot for the first time this year (2011). He should have been a first-ballot inductee into the Hall. Instead, he received only 42% of the vote.Â...
View ArticleA New “Rule of Thumb†– 300 Win Shares
When fans talk about who belongs in the Hall of Fame, mention is often made of the three “rules of thumb†that have been around for some time. That is, a player “deserves to be in the Hall of...
View ArticleThe BBWAA Report Card for the 21st Century – Part 1
As all devoted followers of baseball know, the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) has an election each year to determine if any of the current candidates are worthy of induction into the...
View ArticleThe BBWAA Report Card for the 21st Century – Part 2
In Part 1 of this series, I indicated that the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) has been quite successful since 2001 in their selection of major league players for induction into the...
View ArticleThe BBWAA Report Card for the 21st Century – Part 3
In Part 1 of this series, I indicated that the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) has been quite successful since 2001 in their selection of major league players for induction into the...
View ArticleThe BBWAA Report Card for the 21st Century: Part 4
In Part 1 of this series, I indicated that the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) has been quite successful since 2001 in their selection of major league players for induction into the...
View Article
