Monday, January 8

Those worthy of enshrinement into the Hall:

Cal Ripken, Jr.
Tony Gwynn
Bert Blyleven
Andre Dawson
Harold Baines
Tommy John

Andre Dawson and Harold Baines each had Hall Standard scores of 43, equivalent to those of Willie Stargell and Lou Brock. To me, those are quality Hall of Fame guys. Jim Rice's and Mark McGwire's Hall Standard scores were just below that at 42, equivalent to such enshrined names as Ryne Sandberg, Bill Terry, Ernie Lombardi, Jim Bottomley, and active player Luis Gonzalez. Now, I've never heard of Terry, Lombardi, or Bottomley, but as we get to the bottom of the Hall Standard scores, the only reason folks get voted in is because they're big names, not because of their stats (Hack Wilson, 39; Kirby Puckett, 38; Jackie Robinson, 37). Rice and McGwire are toeing the line in regards to both their stats and their name recognition, and I don't think that someone on the fence should be elected.

In regards to pitchers, I based my cutoff at 41, because that's what John Smoltz' Hall Standard score is, and I think he should definitely be voted in. Both Blyleven and John had Standard scores above that (50 and 44, respectively). For reference, the Hall Standard scores of Sandy Koufax, Catfish Hunter, and Don Drysdale are 46, 42, and 42, respectively.

It should be interesting to see what percentages Dawson and Baines get; their scores are identical, but I think far fewer voters will check Baines than Dawson. Also, relievers should not be elected into the Hall of Fame, for reasons I don't think I need to get into.

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