I generally agree with Mr. (Joseph A.) Reaves’ baseball Hall of Fame assessments from the July 30 edition, but there were several notable omissions:
Could make it in a year when competition isn’t tough:
– Dennis Martinez. 100-plus wins in each league, perfect game and a stellar career ERA.
– Alan Trammell. A casualty of Cal Ripken’s allure. Trammell was robbed of the 1987 AL MVP Award, and might have more .300 seasons than any shortstop in history.
– Don Mattingly. Never underestimate the power of playing in New York, especially if he hangs around for three more years and approaches 2,500 hits.
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Need to play a few more years at current level:
– Joe Carter. More RBIs than anyone in baseball from 1984-94; back-to-back World Series championships; consistent power hitter.
– Fred McGriff. Perhaps the most blatant omission. We all know about his streak of 30-homer seasons. More RBIs, home runs, and higher batting average than Willie McCovey at identical points in their careers.
– Cecil Fielder. Because of his age, he’ll never hit 500 homers, but if he stays healthy in Tiger Stadium he’ll have impressive career numbers to go along with his 51-homer season.
– Carlos Baerga. He’s young, but his power sets him apart. At his pace, Baerga could have a career batting average over .300, plus lead all second basemen in RBIs and homers.
– Matt Williams. Three-time Gold Glove winner has comparable offensive numbers to Mike Schmidt at the same point in their careers.
Discussions like these maintain my affinity for the wounded game.