Oh yeah I guess Kirk snitched on those guys too I remembered some Pettitte thing with “injury recovery” used as an excuse, and he was very “ashamed” iirc. Obviously never did it before that, very out of character, etc.
― omar little, Friday, 24 January 2020 03:12 (four years ago) link
I think Cone came out about even for the strike year in terms of his HOF résumé : you're right, it may have cost him 200 wins (although he would've needed 22 on the year), but he eked out a Cy Young that he could very well have lost to Johnson or Key or Mussina if the season had played out.
― clemenza, Friday, 24 January 2020 03:40 (four years ago) link
guys andy pettitte was just trying to get healthy so he could help the team
― mookieproof, Friday, 24 January 2020 04:34 (four years ago) link
For just those two days out of his whole entire life.
― Andy K, Friday, 24 January 2020 15:17 (four years ago) link
from that list, grich and whittaker should already be in
i will fight for lofton and evans
i will root for reuschel, the only decent thing about some truly horrible mid-80s pirates teams
― mookieproof, Friday, 24 January 2020 15:30 (four years ago) link
It would have been great if Big Daddy's comeback started in Chicago in '84, they could have used him and with a good Reuschel in the rotation, they might have won it all.
The baseball play I would have loved to have seen and I guess there is no video of is that Jim Abbott hit a triple off Big Daddy in spring training.
Reuschel looked like the ringer pitcher on any Indiana slow pitch softball team in the 80s. For authenticity, you know they are good if they are wearing work boots on the field.
― earlnash, Saturday, 25 January 2020 03:24 (four years ago) link
Grich and Lofton should 100% be in. The case for Grich is stronger, but Grich was a little before my time so I feel more emotionally engaged with the case for Lofton.
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Tuesday, 28 January 2020 19:09 (four years ago) link
Lofton's career box is kind of amazing: 10 years in Cleveland (two tours), exactly one year with 10 other teams. Not saying it should--I think he was far more a player that teams always wanted rather than wanted to get rid of--but I'm sure that's a big part of what's holding him back.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 28 January 2020 19:35 (four years ago) link
I feel like it should be the other way! Nobody really LIKES Derek Jeter except Yankee fans, nobody really likes Ryan Braun except Brewers fans; but half the fans in the league cheered for Kenny Lofton at some point!
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Tuesday, 28 January 2020 23:39 (four years ago) link
People often confuse Lofton with Willie Mays Hays, that might be part of the problem.
― earlnash, Wednesday, 29 January 2020 04:18 (four years ago) link
Congratulations to the 2020 Inductees.Canadian slugger Justin Morneau, former Blue Jays first baseman John Olerud, ex-Blue Jays set-up man & later closer Duane Ward & Montreal Expos broadcaster Jacques Doucet will be inducted on June 20 in @townofstmarys. https://t.co/BDqrTtnl2a pic.twitter.com/8LBkTwbIpi— CDN Baseball HOF (@CDNBaseballHOF) February 4, 2020
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 4 February 2020 15:35 (four years ago) link
If all goes as planned, I'll be a volunteer there by the time they're inducted.
― clemenza, Wednesday, 5 February 2020 19:33 (four years ago) link
awesome!
― FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Wednesday, 5 February 2020 23:01 (four years ago) link
isn't it way outside the GTA?
I live in St. Mary's now, Thermo--I can walk to the HOF.
― clemenza, Thursday, 6 February 2020 02:43 (four years ago) link
(St. Marys--no hyphen.)
there is a townin southwestern ontario
― mookieproof, Thursday, 6 February 2020 03:11 (four years ago) link
Nothing too contentious here:
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/what-active-mlb-players-will-make-hall-of-fame-trout-cabrera-pujols-among-locks-cano-on-the-bubble/
Is Betts being given a pass for sign-stealing in a way that Altuve isn't? I really don't know the details there.
― clemenza, Wednesday, 15 April 2020 16:10 (four years ago) link
Betts is probably the consensus best player in baseball
I would like to contend this!
― k3vin k., Thursday, 16 April 2020 11:54 (four years ago) link
I hadn't read the piece, but I see that now and, uh, that might actually be an actionable offense. (Much better might have been that at many points in history, except this one, Betts would have been the best player in baseball.)
― clemenza, Thursday, 16 April 2020 12:28 (four years ago) link
2020 induction ceremony officially canceled
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 29 April 2020 20:54 (four years ago) link
evan longoria turns 35 today. as he's now merely a league-average hitter at best, he's not going to get there, but he's closer to hall status by bWAR/JAWS than i anticipated
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 7 October 2020 21:24 (three years ago) link
Could see him being one of those guys who moves to a hitters park and goes nuts for a few years
― ✖, Wednesday, 7 October 2020 21:35 (three years ago) link
none of this during playoff games
― brooklyn suicide cult (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 7 October 2020 21:44 (three years ago) link
Not sure that I've ever seen someone's HOF case take a bigger hit within a year than Altuve's, both on and off the field--from somewhere up near near-certain down to almost no chance.
― clemenza, Wednesday, 14 October 2020 14:31 (three years ago) link
eww
https://i.imgur.com/bwNjXQj.jpg
― mookieproof, Monday, 16 November 2020 17:29 (three years ago) link
there's still like 9 on there
― Its big ball chunky time (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Monday, 16 November 2020 17:33 (three years ago) link
If all goes well for Schilling, he'll get to show up at his induction ceremony without a mask.
― clemenza, Monday, 16 November 2020 18:27 (three years ago) link
none of the new adds this year should make it (in an ideal world), right?
― na (NA), Monday, 16 November 2020 18:30 (three years ago) link
seems like a mediocre set of adds
one could make (weak) arguments for buehrle, hudson and hunter. the other additions aren't even close
― mookieproof, Monday, 16 November 2020 21:25 (three years ago) link
Whole lot of baseball played by guys on the list, but outside your usual 'roid and ragers of different stripes, more the hall of very good for the most of them.
It just seems weird that Dan Haren has been out of baseball that long, seems like he should still be pitching.
LaTroy Hawkins had such an odd career. At points he was a great reliever, but then at others he was very hittable. Hawkins still had a pretty good fastball late into his career. For whatever reason, the guy seemed to really struggle when he was the 'closer'. I guess like retail, it's all about location in the end.
Shane Victorino always seemed like a fun player, but he played for teams I usually did not like. Seemed to be a fan favorite where ever he played. I dug that he used a two ear batting helmet as a switch hitter.
― earlnash, Tuesday, 17 November 2020 01:21 (three years ago) link
Heh...Nick Swisher's similars on Baseball Reference is a fun list. Swisher always looked to me that he knew the strike zone and what to do at the plate. I kinda think he might be one of those guys that made the most out of his talent. Considering the time he played in, the guy did not look nearly as athletic as his team mates.
Similar Batters
Carlos Santana (955.8) Jayson Werth (929.3) Bob Allison (926.7) Jeff Burroughs (926.0) Andre Thornton (920.5) Pat Burrell (918.8) Kevin McReynolds (913.1) Matt Stairs (910.8) Mark Reynolds (908.1) John Mayberry (907.1)
― earlnash, Tuesday, 17 November 2020 01:30 (three years ago) link
Will never forget watching Dan Haren warming up while sitting next to Dr. Morbius whose running commentary had me (and several others in earshot) in stitches.
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 17 November 2020 02:30 (three years ago) link
I always enjoyed Victorino's nickname ("The Flying Hawaiian") more than his gameplay itself.
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 17 November 2020 02:32 (three years ago) link
I think that nickname is mandatory for anyone from those islands with functioning legs.
― FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 17 November 2020 04:16 (three years ago) link
uh, are you willing to expand on that?
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 17 November 2020 04:49 (three years ago) link
Well I can’t seem to find any evidence - maybe it was just a thing my uncle would do
― FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 17 November 2020 05:07 (three years ago) link
I was thinking there was a football player that got called 'The Flying Hawaiian' and I guess it has been applied to any football player that was a non-lineman or known as 'The Throwing Samoan'. Outside both Marcus Mariota and Troy Polamalu, there is a guy that plays for the Argonauts and a football character on King of the Hill that use that nickname. [sorry good doc for talking football on ILB.]
― earlnash, Wednesday, 18 November 2020 02:21 (three years ago) link
I was tuned out enough that I didn't realize Robinson Cano had a very good season, at least offensively. I assume he's dead for the HOF...may end up with 3,000 hits, almost 400 HR, and a .300 career average.
― clemenza, Saturday, 21 November 2020 06:09 (three years ago) link
yeah he was locked in, but a *second* positive really ended it
there's a psych study waiting to happen there
― mookieproof, Saturday, 21 November 2020 06:15 (three years ago) link
Going to be 38 next year and is 375 hits shy of 3000, so he would probably need to play at least three full seasons to hit that number. This will be 81 game suspension for second time, I think.
― earlnash, Saturday, 21 November 2020 12:44 (three years ago) link
Ha--when I posted yesterday, I hadn't even heard the news. Definitely RIP now.
― clemenza, Sunday, 22 November 2020 17:51 (three years ago) link
Happy 80th to Luis Tiant--get him in there!
― clemenza, Tuesday, 24 November 2020 02:27 (three years ago) link
Ballot #8 comes from a voter who wishes to remain anonymous. Aramis Ramirez and Torii Hunter are on the board. We're not able to report on any gained or lost votes, if any, on anonymous ballots.Anonymous ballots are listed at the bottom of the Tracker: https://t.co/cVpo9e9n0y pic.twitter.com/A06B0pqzCe— Ryan Thibodaux (@NotMrTibbs) November 25, 2020
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 25 November 2020 16:55 (three years ago) link
Still extremely early--17 ballots--but my recollection is that, early on, eventual inductees tend to jump out really fast. Rolen leads with 65% right now (along with Bonds/Clemens, who always drop as the vote progresses); wouldn't be surprised if no one goes in. Along with the lack of a sure-thing debut, the pandemic makes it all feel that much more remote.
― clemenza, Monday, 30 November 2020 21:45 (three years ago) link
Find it interesting how little support Jeff Kent gets--he's running just above 5% in his 8th year on the ballot.
Checked Jay Jaffe, and he's got him 21st among second basemen. What's interesting to me is the seven non-HOF'ers ahead of him: Cano, Grich, Utley, Whitaker, Randolph, Kinsler, Pedroia. Cano is active, and a PED case who won't go in, and Pedroia's career was derailed by injury. The other five guys are all sabermetric favourites. I suppose Kent loses votes from some writers because Grich, Whitaker, and Randolph aren't in. (I think Utley will also fall short, and Kinsler obviously won't go in because of the nature of his career.)
― clemenza, Thursday, 3 December 2020 01:02 (three years ago) link
I've listened to Jeff Blair so much on the Fan the past few years, but I didn't realize he had a HOF ballot. He only used three spots this year: Bonds, Clemens, Manny (but not Sosa or Sheffield).
― clemenza, Monday, 14 December 2020 20:31 (three years ago) link
Schilling has moved over 70%; still only 37 ballots. Normally he's the kind of guy that doesn't do well with late, non-public voters--a sabermetric rather than bulk-numbers pick--but, I don't know, maybe supporting Schilling is something you'd rather keep to yourself.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 15 December 2020 21:15 (three years ago) link
You're right that he's an early voter guy, he's actually doing worse than last year. Added to one ballot, removed from two.
― ✖, Wednesday, 16 December 2020 01:19 (three years ago) link