Nick's Hall of Fame Picks

There are twenty three former players on this years Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. If I had a vote only 2 of those 23 would receive my endorsement. Here would be my ballot.

Harold Baines – No. A very good and consistent hitter, but being a DH for a vast majority of his career hurts him. Baines was a solid Major Leaguer but in order to get in as a DH you need to put up astronomical numbers in my book. Frank Thomas will be the first primary DH to get in.

Jay Bell – No. Bell had a couple of nice seasons in Arizona and Pittsburgh but is in no way a Hall of Famer.

Bert Blyleven – No. If there is a Hall of Fame for very good players and nice guys then Blyleven would be a shoe in. However, I can not induct a guy who won only 20 games once and while he played 22 seasons was only an All Star twice. In 22 years he only got Cy Young votes in 4 years. Blyleven played a long time and because of that some of his stats look better then they are. I saw him pitch and he was never an elite starter.

David Cone – No. This is actually closer then I thought it would be. Cone received Cy Yong votes in 5 separate seasons winning the award in 1994.Cone’s biggest problem is that he didn’t pitch long enough. He was arguably one of the best pitchers of the late 80’s and early 90’s. In my book he makes a better case then Blyleven but he is still a tad short on the overall numbers.

Andre Dawson -Yes. It seems every year I type the same thing endorsing the Hawk. Am I biased in that I saw him play everyday for six seasons, probably. But, that does not mean the guy doesn’t belong. Dawson, was a five tool player that was MVP on a last place team in 1987. In nine different seasons Andre received MVP votes. He was an all-star 8 times. He won 8 gold gloves for his defense. He hit 438 homers and stole 314 bases playing a large part of career in the knee killing dome in Montreal. To me the criteria for the HOF is was he the best player at his position for a significant period of time, and in my mind he was.

Ron Gant – No - Do I really need to explain this one.

Mark Grace - No. I want names and numbers of people who vote for Grace. As much as I am biased in favor of Dawson that is how biased I am against Grace. Grace batting 3^rd or 4^th for much of his career never drove in 100 runs. Tommy Herr drove in 100 runs once. Grace never hit more then 16 homers. I know he had the most hits in the 90’s. Big deal, he was a base clogger who can take his pack a day Marlboro habit and stay in Arizona.

Ricky Henderson - Yes. Ricky will be a first ballot hall of famer. And he deserves it. As weird as he was, that does not take away from what he did as a player. Not only does he have more stolen bases then anyone he has almost 500 more then anyone else. Think about that for one second. That is mind blowing. He was MVP in 1990 and without question he was the greatest leadoff hitter of my lifetime. Henderson is also the leader in walks which for a guy who was not a huge homerun hitter is saying something.

Tommy John – No. I have nothing but respect for John who came back from a horrific injury at the time which led to a surgery being named after him. But, to call him a Hall of Famer is a large reach. There again needs to be a stipulation between someone who was adequate for a long time so, their numbers are inflated and the truly great players. John pitched in 26 seasons and didn’t win 300 games or strike out 3,000 hitters. A solid major leaguer but not a great one by any stretch.

Don Mattingly – No. I will say he is close. His biggest problem is that he only played 14 years. However, during a 6 year run that began in 1984 he was one of the best players in either league. He was over .300 each season, knocking in over 100 each year except one in that stretch. Another plus is that he received MVP votes in 7 of his 14 seasons winning the award in 1985. With all that evidence, I still have a hard time thinking of Mattingly as a HOF’er. His career was short and that hurts him, a lot. For some reason he retired at 34. If he played another four or five productive years I would be all for him getting in. As it is I can not vote for him. But he has a compelling case.

Mark McGuire – No. This has zero to do with steroids. McGuire was an awesome power hitter. That’s all he was. He never hit for average, nor was he very good with the glove. I know he was paid to hit the long ball and he was very good at it. But, I can not forgive his other glaring deficiencies.

Jack Morris – No. No way a guy with that ERA should get in. If he were to get elected it would be highest ERA ever for a pitcher to be enshrined. In 18 seasons Morris won 20 games once. In 18 seasons he never won a Cy Young. As a matter of fact he never finished higher then third in the voting. His supporters point to the fact that he won more games in the 80’s then anyone. I ask who won the most games from 85-95? My point is that it is a useless statistic. He was great in the postseason and that means something to me. But, in no way was he ever in my mind a Hall of Famer.

Dale Murphy – No. Murphy was great for a couple of seasons. But, when he lost it he lost it in a hurry and he was not even a shell of his former greatness. Just can’t vote for a guy who didn’t play at a high level long enough.

Jessie Orosco – No. Orosco is proof that if you can throw left handed you can have a very long career. He appeared in more games as a pitcher then anybody else. He had a hell of a run. If there was a longevity hall of fame he would be in on the first ballot.

Dave Parker – No. But, he is another player that gets overlooked. For awhile in the late 70’s to early 80’s Parker was one of the most feared hitters in the game. He received MVP votes in 9 seasons. He had a rocket arm and won 3 gold gloves. He is hurt by the low power numbers. In 19 seasons Parker only hit 339 homers. His candidacy is just as legit as Rice but, he didn’t play in Boston.

Dan Plesac – No. I will miss Dan on the Cubs post game show. Plesac had a nice career but in no way was a Hall of Famer.

Tim Raines – No. Raines was a very solid major league ballplayer. He put up some really good years in the 80’s with the stolen base and is fifth all time in that department. However, he was only adequate in the outfield and while his average is nice at .294 for a singles hitter that is not high enough.

Jim Rice – No. The Boston bias with Rice is insane. This guy was a very good player who had three monster seasons in the late 70’s. To me that is not a hall of famer. Many people claim Rice should get in ahead of Dawson. Well, Dawson had more hits, homers, RBI, stolen bases and won 8 gold gloves. Rice was a great power hitter but in my book his greatness was not over a long enough period. He is close but in my book not worthy.

Lee Smith – No. I loved Lee Smith and still am pissed the Cubs traded him when they did. With that said Smith was the king of the one inning save and was never someone I would ever consider dominant. In 19 seasons he received Cy Young votes in 4 of them. He was a great closer but not in the same league as Sutter, Gossage, and Rivera.

Alan Trammel –No. I really gave a good and hard look at Trammel this year after I read some information about him touting his candidacy. And you know I have underestimated him. But, not enough to believe he should be in the HOF. Trammel did receive MVP votes in 8 seasons. He was an All Star 6 times and wound up with some very impressive numbers for a shortstop. Still, he is not what I would call a HOF player. Trammel was a very good all around shortstop and again while he was good, I just don’t think his numbers are what anyone would call great. I agree he was better then Ozzie Smith, but I would argue that Smith has no business being in the Hall of Fame either.

Greg Vaughn – No. Nice career but if he gets a vote it should be investigated.

Mo Vaughn – No. Actually had a nice six year run in Boston capped off by winning the MVP in 1995. (Even though Albert Belle had better numbers.) But, once he left the coziness of Fenway he sucked.

Matt Williams – No. A guy who other then a couple of nice power seasons was just an average Major Leaguer.