HOF 2016

Griffey
Trammel
Raines

Make the other guys sweat another year.

Also, I think A-Rod is going to break Bonds HR record. Pujols may have a shot as well.

Griffey
Trammel
Hoffmann
Raines
Bagwell

Until Alan Trammell, Tim Raines, and Lee Smith get in them other guys have to wait ! I guess Griffey should go in.

I think Trammell should be in.

Curious. Are there any players you once thought did not deserve to be in that you now lean toward because the advanced metrics available now shed more light on how good they were?

Everyone knows for example I am not a champion of WAR. But they noted on MLB network that of the 16 highest career WAR for shortstop only Trammell and Jeter are not in HOF. And of course Jeter is not yet eligible but most certainly will be a first ballot guy which would only leave Trammel at either 7 or 8 right there in neighborhood with Jeter.

The nebulous impossible to define requirements that separate someone who makes the hall of fame vs somone who dies not never ceases to amaze me.

Look at these numbers for comparison. .284/.376/.527 and 8 Gold gloves vs .284/.370/.588 and 9 gold gloves (BA/OBP/SLG). Almost indentical career numbers. Yet Edmonds, the first of the 2 gets dropped after getting only 2.3% of the vote, while Griffey gets the highest percentage of votes ever, 99.3%.

Makes little sense to me. Griffey played a few more years, but Edmonds had a 17 year career, hardly a flash in the pan. And their stats are almost identical. Is Griffey a bit more deserving due to longevity? Sure. Should there be such a difference in the votes each recieved? No way.

Look at another pair. .263/.394/.588 vs. .308/.377/.545. .982 career OPS compared to .853 OPS. McGwire to Piazza numbers. And talk about 1 trick ponies, McGwire was an average to slightly below average, while Piazza was a defensive Liability. One (PIazza) gets over 75% of the vote, the other (McGwire) gets 12% of the vote. McGwire was a bigger offensive threat, and less liability as a defender. The only reason I can think of here is the steroids issue, otherwise it is clear that McGwire was more deserving than Piazza.

The politics of getting into the baseball Hall of Fame never ceases to amaze me.

I compared 1st ballot Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn to Tim Raines this morning. Apparently the voters prefer BA over runs produced.

All interesting points.

I'd like to know the reason the 3 who didn't vote for Griffey left them off their ballots. As fas as the PED guys let them in. PED use goes back to the 60's and their are players from the 60's, 70's and into the 80's in the HOF that used them. The most prevalent difference is the development of Strength and Conditioning Program and why players became bigger, hit the ball farther, threw harder and played longer. Weight training was thought to be taboo in the 60's and 70's and even in the beginning of the 80's. Also the guys that get crucified are the Superstars. Geez think of the number of players that took and still remained a bench player. More of them than the Superstar. But they don't make for front page news!

I agree with you Frank. Amphetamines are definitely PED's, yet we do not have a problem with them. Why not? Because most ballplayers, even some of our iconic greats were using them? Same holds true for steroids.

How many ballplayers are in the HOF right now that used roids? I'd bet at least a few. Some may say, well those that used roids that are in the HOF just were not caught, and I understand that logic. But then that logic should be applied to all ballplayers. Some not in the HOF are "tainted" because it is thought that they did them, but there is no proof. The fact that they hit a lot more homeruns, or were able to hit with power into their 40's is only circumstantial proof.

Heck, look at Griffey. Played well for 22 years. Suffered "wierd" injuries such as his hamstring hearing off his bone. Both are certainly possible circumstantial evidence indicating the use of steroids. Yet he seems to be "taint free". Why? A friendly guy liked by sportswriters perhaps, unlike say McGwire or Bonds?