2011 Baseball Hall of Fame - Announcement 1/5/11, 1 pm EST

[NHSparky]

Edgar Martinez was one of the best hitters I've seen.  However, I have a hard time supporting him since he almost exclusively "played" as DH.

He has 2055 games played, and according to Baseball-Reference, only 564 at 3B and 28 at 1B.  Most of which were early in his career.

I tend to cut him some slack because he was very unlucky in the regard that the Mariners didn't make him a regular until his age 27 season.  Which is in the range of a player's prime (27 to 29 is generally regarded in stat-circles as a hitter's prime).

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martied01.shtml

If you look at the 10 most comparable players to Martinez, none are or will be in the HOF:

Todd Helton (912)
Will Clark (902)
John Olerud (885)
Moises Alou (879)
Bobby Abreu (874)
Bernie Williams (860)
Bob Johnson (857)
Magglio Ordonez (855)
Paul O'Neill (852)
Ellis Burks (850)

If baseball were ONLY about hitting, I might give a shit.  I feel the same way about all guys who hung on the roster solely for their swinging skills (some well after their bats fell silent too). 

Frankly, if you played DH for a significant (more than, say, 1/3) portion of your career and you don't have WELL over 550-600 HR's, don't even THINK about getting into Cooperstown.

That means that Jr would be in, but that's about it.  Maybe Thome if he gets picked up by someone this year.

That also means that, IMO, the following should NOT make it in, and I challenge anyone here to tell me that anyone I list DOES deserve inclusion into the hall:

Rafael Palmeiro (roids more than anything else)
David Ortiz (numbers and roids)
Fred McGriff
Frank Thomas

anyone else you think should or shouldn't be on this list, please let me know.


JMO.

[Rebel]

Because he's a So. Miss guy, or because that batshit crazy old bastard drafted him number 1 back in the day?

I kid, I kid--yeah, there's basically a problem with a player who's on the All-NFL 75th anniversary team and not in Canton.  Even as a Broncos fan, I have to agree that ain't right.

How about the Rush out, Run DMC in BS?

[NHSparky]

How about the Rush out, Run DMC in BS?

That's because Geddy Lee didn't get shot while in a recording studio.

[Red October]

If baseball were ONLY about hitting, I might give a shit.  I feel the same way about all guys who hung on the roster solely for their swinging skills (some well after their bats fell silent too). 

Frankly, if you played DH for a significant (more than, say, 1/3) portion of your career and you don't have WELL over 550-600 HR's, don't even THINK about getting into Cooperstown.

That means that Jr would be in, but that's about it.  Maybe Thome if he gets picked up by someone this year.

That also means that, IMO, the following should NOT make it in, and I challenge anyone here to tell me that anyone I list DOES deserve inclusion into the hall:

Rafael Palmeiro (roids more than anything else)
David Ortiz (numbers and roids)
Fred McGriff
Frank Thomas

anyone else you think should or shouldn't be on this list, please let me know.


JMO.

You know Frank Thomas is going in.  It's' pointless to bemoan the fact.  Larkin should have gone in already, but I'm confident it will happen next year.

[Red October]

And Alomar's spitting incident was hardly the most aggregious offense by a Hall of famer. 

[Red October]

How about the Rush out, Run DMC in BS?

Because there's no accounting for taste.  Chicago should be in the HOF too. 

[NHSparky]

Because there's no accounting for taste.  Chicago should be in the HOF too. 

Like hell.  Frankly, the wrong singer blew his head off.  Peter Cetera sucks.  That's like saying Van Halen without David Lee Roth was just as good as when he was with the band.

Back O/T, yeah, maybe Frank Thomas, but you sure as hell can't tell me Ortiz belongs.  Manny maybe, but only if he gets rid of the "bitch tits" first.

I think you're going to have a hard time justifying anyone in the "Steroids Era" belongs in the hall.

[Red October]

Like hell.  Frankly, the wrong singer blew his head off.  Peter Cetera sucks.  That's like saying Van Halen without David Lee Roth was just as good as when he was with the band.

Back O/T, yeah, maybe Frank Thomas, but you sure as hell can't tell me Ortiz belongs.  Manny maybe, but only if he gets rid of the "bitch tits" first.

I think you're going to have a hard time justifying anyone in the "Steroids Era" belongs in the hall.

Oh no... I don't believe Ortiz rates it.  And obviously none of the steroid guys.  Thomas played more DH than 1st throughout his career, but 970 games at first counts for something.  Career DH's are, in my opinion, just a baby-step above steroid users.  They provide artificially inflated numbers by not playing the whole game.    

[Red October]

And don't player hate on Chicago.  Tho you're right... Terry Kath was blatantly superior.