Knuckle Curve » alan_trammell

Hall of Fame Voting: A Closer Look

Geoff Young — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:31:51 +0000

Okay, here’s the full vote. My thoughts below the table…

2008 Hall of Fame Vote
Player	Votes	Pct
Courtesy MLB.com.
Rich Gossage	466	85.8%
Jim Rice	392	72.2%
Andre Dawson	358	65.9%
Bert Blyleven	336	61.9%
Lee Smith	235	43.3%
Jack Morris	233	42.9%
Tommy John	158	29.1%
Tim Raines	132	24.3%
Mark McGwire	128	23.6%
Alan Trammell	99	18.2%
Dave Concepcion	88	16.2%
Don Mattingly	86	15.8%
Dave Parker	82	15.1%
Dale Murphy	75	13.8%
Harold Baines	28	5.2%
Rod Beck	2	0.4%
Travis Fryman	2	0.4%
Robb Nen	2	0.4%
Shawon Dunston	1	0.2%
Chuck Finley	1	0.2%
David Justice	1	0.2%
Chuck Knoblauch	1	0.2%
Todd Stottlemyre	1	0.2%
Jose Rijo	0	0%
Brady Anderson	0	0%

As promised, my take:

The voters finally stopped screwing Goose Gossage. This business about Bruce Sutter paving the way for him is absolute garbage. Gossage came first and was a better pitcher.
They completely dropped the ball on Tim Raines. There is no way in Hades that Jim Rice was a better player than Raines. Why folks in charge of this sort of thing fail to recognize this is beyond me.
Speaking of outfielders, if Andre Dawson is a legitimate borderline candidate, then Dave Parker deserves much more serious consideration than he’s getting.
Jack Morris was not a better player than Alan Trammell. Sorry, he just wasn’t.
How many years will it take Lee Smith to overcome the idiocy that kept Gossage out for so long?

Sigh. I’ve probably missed some others, but I hate to work myself up over this stuff. I just would like to see the folks in charge of these things do a better job of it. Is that so much to ask? Apparently it is.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Hall of Fame: Who Do You Like in ‘08?

Geoff Young — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 16:21:44 +0000

I’ve been meaning to say something about the Hall of Fame for a while. To help us out, Sean Forman has created nice little reports for batters and pitchers eligible in the current balloting.

{democracy:31}

Of the new guys, Tim Raines absolutely belongs. Not sure? Several respected analysts have developed a web site that presents a compelling case for Raines. His biggest misfortune, of course, was playing opposite Rickey Henderson for most of his career. That and being buried in Montreal.

Of the holdovers, Bert Blyleven and Goose Gossage deserve enshrinement (and both are long overdue, IMHO). My guess is that one will finally be handed the keys, while the other will be left to wonder what the voters are thinking.

Lee Smith probably belongs as well, but given the reluctance to induct Gossage, that ain’t gonna happen. Alan Trammell? Seems to me if Ryne Sandberg and Ozzie Smith are in, then Trammell should be. Then again, on that basis, you could make a strong case for guys like Bobby Grich and Lou Whitaker.

Ah well, the system is inherently flawed; what are you gonna do? More importantly, who do you think will get in this time? Who do you think should?

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Not Your Father’s Shortstops

Geoff Young — Tue, 22 May 2007 17:37:12 +0000

Have you noticed the National League shortstops this season? These are not the players I remember watching as a kid — Bill Russell, Davy Concepcion, Rafael Ramirez, Rafael Santana, Larry Bowa, Tim Foli, et al. Sure, Adam Everett is around, but most of the other guys manning the position now wield a potent bat.

Cal Ripken created a big stir when he first came into the big leagues. Redefined the position, they said. Alan Trammell. Robin Yount. And later, of course, the big three of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Nomar Garciaparra.

Those guys all called the American League home. What did the NL have? Barry Larkin (who hopefully will have better luck than Trammell did when it comes time for the Hall of Fame folks to hand out keys to the executive washroom), and that’s about it.

Young NL Shortstops
Player	Age	AB	BA	OBP	SLG
Stats courtesy of ESPN, through May 21, 2007.
J.J. Hardy	24	186	.312	.355	.602
Hanley Ramirez	23	170	.335	.411	.541
Jose Reyes	24	182	.324	.394	.505
Troy Tulowitzki	22	155	.258	.348	.361
Stephen Drew	24	158	.234	.302	.310

Now, though, we’ve got J.J. Hardy, Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes, Edgar Renteria, and Jimmy Rollins tearing up the league. Renteria and Rollins have been around a while, but those other three might have untapped upside, which is a scary thought.

Troy Tulowitzki and Stephen Drew aren’t there yet, but they will be. Remember that Reyes hit .273/.300/.386 in his first full season.

Hardy leads the league in home runs. He now has 28 for his career, or three more than Foli knocked over 16 seasons. Yeah, I think the game has changed a little in 30 years…

Post from: Knuckle Curve