Hall of Fame Open Thread

by gondeee on Jan 9, 2007 9:36 AM EST

Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken are no-brainers, but is this the year that the writers catch up and elect several other deserving players to the Hall, and is there anyone more deserving than Dale Murphy. Yes this is a Braves blog, so we are Braves-centric in all things, but we are also realistic. But is everyone realistic? I've never been that big of a naysayer of ESPN analysts, but when I saw this it just made me question their collective logic:

ESPN.com has 12 Hall of Fame voters among its contributors. And here are the votes they submitted for the Class of 2007. Those in bold received the 75 percent needed for election...

The only people they elected were Gwynn, Ripken - both easy picks - and Gossage, Dawson, and Rice. But they voted Trammell, Baines, Belle, Concepcion, and Garvey over Dale Murphy. Are they smoking a marijuana cigarette, and are they being cheesy enough to call it a marijuana cigarette?

Murphy: 398 HR, .815 OPS during the 70's and 80's (non-steroids era)

Garvey: 272 HR, .775 OPS
Concepcion: .670 OPS, does the fielding make up for that?
Belle: 381 HR, .933 OPS, career shortened by bad back (or was it steroids - if we ask the question of McGwire don't' we ask the question of everyone during the middle-to-late `90s)
Baines: 384 HR, .821 OPS
Trammell: .767 OPS, mainly a fielder
Rice: 382 HR, .854 OPS
Dawson: 438 HR, .805 OPS

I think a case can be made that none of these guys is more deserving than Dale Murphy, and all he got from the ESPN writers was one vote. Even the fan poll they conducted only netted Murph 26.6% of the vote. Add his numbers up with his two MVPs and his five gold gloves and I think it's a tough but manageable decision.

Oh well, Braves fans have the same complaints about this every year. Maybe one day he'll get elected. If anyone else has any thoughts on this I'd love to hear them. The official announcement comes at 2 pm today.

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I Love Murph, But...

...I don't think he's a Hall-of-Famer. Too sudden and too steep a decline in production. Too many consecutive brutal years at the end of his career. Same deal with Dawson and Rice. Splendid players whose vote totals and support among non-HOF voters reflect that they are thought of as being among the elite to ever play the game. And that's important to note...it's not as if those three are being totally snubbed. But just short of HOF material, IMO.

by Piff Bocoroba on Jan 9, 2007 4:20 PM EST reply actions

Dominance is the key

I've often heard criteria for the HOF described as a player who was dominant at his position for a sustained period of time.

That would explain solid players who hung around long enough to tally impressive cumulative stats often feel the BAA snub. Case in point, Dave "King Kong" Kingman. He amassed 442 life time dongs, but could hardly be considered dominant for his era.

Rice and Dawson, while more complete players, where not in the same class as Mike Schmidt or a George Brett. Great players, but not dominant.

Murph is a tough call. The 398 lifetime HR mean much less than the back to back MVP seasons. From 1980 to 1987, excluding the strike shortened 1981 season, he was nearly as good as it got. But do six strong seasons get him in the Hall? It is a tough call.

Not your typical Assenmacher LOOGY

by Herb Urban on Jan 9, 2007 6:39 PM EST reply actions

I got linked...

...by the USAToday blog. They called my piece a lament, ha! It was more of a complaint...there is a difference...right!?

At any rate, the Hall voters were stingy as usual - I think that will only get worse as the juiced players come up for election with the gaudy stats of that/this era they carry with them. Murph's almost 400 homeruns will look small in comparison. There are currently 13 active (within the last two years) players who have more homeruns than him. There are 4 guys with more than 500 homeruns, and 5 guys who will reach 500 in the next year or two.

Anyway, my/our lament continues.

by gondeee on Jan 9, 2007 8:36 PM EST reply actions

Off-Topic Questions.

Why are people so optimistic about Kelly Johnson as our 2B? I mean, his stats were not good in his rookie year. What am I missing here?

Also, what's wrong with playing Matt Diaz in LF everyday? The guy's not yet 30, he gets paid the league minimum, he had 3/4 of his career MLB AB last season and he responded by posting very nice numbers. The only holes I see in his stats are his poor baserunning abilities and his lack of HR power, but he makes up for the later in other forms of XBH and he really doesn't have to do the former. He really doesn't walk very often, so his OBP is pretty dependant on his AVG, but he doesn't K much either. All in all, I like the guy as an 8-hole hitter with top-of-the-order potential if others fail up there. Am I wrong about him?

by ejruiz on Jan 10, 2007 3:01 PM EST reply actions

Diaz

He kind of reminds me of Kevin Millar, back in his more obscure Marlin days. He is a cheap polished bat that should provide above league average numbers in LF. His defense wouldn't kill you either. I'd love to see him get a shot. They really have nothing to lose by playing him.

Not your typical Assenmacher LOOGY

by Herb Urban on Jan 10, 2007 3:44 PM EST reply actions

I don't mind Diaz

In fact, I prefer him over Langerhans.

But I think KJ has a lot more potential as a younger player.

by wuky on Jan 10, 2007 7:35 PM EST reply actions

Dale Murphy

I really loved watching Dale Murphy play, but I do not think that he makes the cut. I think that a stronger case could be made for Rice, Trammell and Conception.

by Stephen @ Talking Chop on Jan 11, 2007 2:26 AM EST reply actions

Murph

Like most young boys growing up in Atlanta in the early 80's, I worshipped Murph. He was not only a great ballplayer, but was and is a good man and a worthy role-model. I'm probably looking back with rose-tinted glasses, but I never remember him embarassing the team in any fashion. I know a lot of Jewish and Catholic kids who took heart in that he was a Mormon in the heart of the Bible Belt who earned nothing both love and admiration from the fans.

He's a marginal HOFer in my opinion. But he was a much better player than Jim Rice, who is set to go in. I guess it pays when you have the Red Sox Nation loudly trumpeting your every deed and proclaiming you the "most feared hitter" even though you weren't. Murph, and his fans, prefer to let his accomplishments speak for themselves.

by mhsiegel14 on Jan 11, 2007 11:15 AM EST reply actions

Murph Never Embarassed The Braves?

What about all those fans he killed in the dugout level seats around the visitors' on-deck circle whenever he waved at a slow bender on the outside corner? He and Julio Franco should have a bat-tossing competition.

Just funnin', of course. I think Murph, along with Piazza, had just about the sweetest opposite-field power alley stroke I've ever seen...but, man, that slow curve was totally his kryptonite. Especially with two strikes.

by Piff Bocoroba on Jan 11, 2007 4:19 PM EST up reply actions