HOF Ballot — Who You Picking?

Posted by Adam Hart December 2, 2008 at 6:15 pm

The Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot lists 23 players this year, the final of which Jim Rice will be a part. The title of this post is the question.

Here is the ballot, list in alphabetical order so as not to show any bias whatsoever toward Jim Rice:

• Harold Baines
• Jay Bell
• Bert Blyleven
• David Cone
• Andre Dawson
• Ron Gant
• Mark Grace
• Rickey Henderson
• Tommy John
• Don Mattingly
• Mark McGwire
• Jack Morris
• Dale Murphy
• Jesse Orosco
• Dave Parker
• Dan Plesac
• Tim Raines
• Jim Rice
• Lee Smith
• Alan Trammell
• Greg Vaughn
• Mo Vaughn
• Matt Williams

Oh, wait. Maybe highlighting my picks and italicizing players I think shouldn’t even be on the ballot shows a little bit of bias.

********************

Let us know your thoughts on those eligible. As for me, this is who I would vote for if I had 10 years in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, which I do not. Not even one day’s service time.

Jim Rice — .298, 382 HR, 1451 RBI in 16 seasons (14 with over 400 ABs)
Rice received 392 votes (72.2 percent) in 2008.  That left him 16 votes short of the 75 percent needed. My main gripe is that if Kirby Puckett — woman groper extraordinaire — is in the Hall, Rice cannot be denied. Here’s why:

1. Puckett never won an MVP Award, Rice has one on his shelf.
2. The most home runs Puckett hit in a season were 31, 28, 24; Rice 46, 39(3), 28.
3. Puckett gets credit for a shortened career due to an injury; Rice does not (* see below)
4. Media members hold Rice’s curmudgeon attitude against him; not Puckett’s indiscretions

In Rice’s Wikipedia entry, this excerpt should explain everything:

From 1975 to 1986, Rice led the American League in total games played, at-bats, runs scored, hits, homers, RBIs, slugging percentage, total bases, extra-base hits, go-ahead RBIs, multi-hit games, and outfield assists…

…In 1981, at a point in his career when it looked like he would one day rank among the game’s all-time greats, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time.

Looks to be the dominant player of his era, and that should be the major qualifying trait for a Hall of Famer. Of course, that methodology will be challenged when “steroid era” player become eligible for the Hall. Just ask Mark McGwire, who is not the sure-fire HOFer he was when he broke Roger Maris’s single season home run mark.

It is because of the coming and going of the “steroid era” that Rice’s accomplishments are that much greater. If he had used performance ehancers, he could have prolonged his effectiveness and surpassed 500 career home runs easily. It will be a shame if he cannot gain the 75-percent of votes necessary in this, his final year on the ballot.

* Nick Leco of the The Washginton Post examined Rice’s case this summer. Here is an excerpt from the “CONS” section:

Rice enjoyed a great 12-year run, but essentially all of his production came during that time span. After an excellent 1986 campaign in which he hit .324 with 20 home runs and 110 RBI, Rice fell of the map. He dealt with chronic injuries and was eventually supplanted by in Fenway’s left field by Mike Greenwell.

Leco believes that Rice will be inducted in 2009. But a 12-year run of dominance is a con? Puckett only played for 12 seasons. So Rice is punished for trying to play too long ?  I guess “knowing when to quit” is a key trait to a Hall of Fame player.

Ricky Henderson — .279, 297 HR, 1115 RBI, 1406 Stolen Bases
The career leader in stolen bases, Henderson is easily the most feared baserunner in the history of the game — Ty Cobb and his spikes of terror aside. Ricky averaged — did you hear me? AVERAGED — 74 stolen bases per season over the course of his career. Rick will tell you himself that he’s the greatest base stealer ever:

Other career highlights: He beat out Cecil Fielder and Roger Clemens for MVP in 1990. In 1993, he joined the Toronto Blue Jays, helping them defeat the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.  Henderson is a no-question first ballot HOFer.  And I can’t wait to hear his speech in Cooperstown, swearing up-and-down that he could still swipe a base today if a team gave him a roster spot.

– As far as I am concerned, that should be it for this round of inductees…