2014 RCs and the HOF
 

Betts seems on track. DeGrom, the big maybe, and the test case for a new generation of pitchers with fewer IP and wins. Other than that, don't see anyone.

Betts is on track

Degrom is a HOF talent but he’s got less innings than some relievers and has only hit 162 to even qualify for league leads 4 times. He’s 34 year olds. I think he is unlikely, and while career length standards will lessen to reflect the new era, his totals are extremely low even in this context. I hope he stays healthy and aged well, I root for him. But I think it’s unlikely.

The other one that comes to mind as a possibility is Xander Bogaerts. 29, premium positions, consistently good stat line, 34.8 WAR so far. His similarity scores are hall of famers or guys who were on track before poor second half careers. The kind of guy who gets in if he ages well. Not a peak value dominator like Betts.

I’m probably forgetting someone, I don’t stay up on rookie cards much. Probably somebody we don’t guess also has a strong second half career, hits counting milestones, and makes it in as well.

Yeah I guess Xander is still in the running, fair point.

Isn’t Jose Abreu a 2014 rookie? He started way too late, he’s 35, but he’s been a great hitter and has a 134 OPS+. As a 1B, he’s just not going to hit the counting milestones since he started at 27. Seems like he should be mentioned though, as he’s a HOF talent, and would be on track if he hadn’t defected so late. His rookie year was one of the all time great rookie seasons, he clearly was major league quality before he actually got here.

I believe Jose Ramirez was technically considered a rookie even though he debuted, the year before. I think he's on his way to the Hall, barring a major career downturn. He's already accumulated 40 WAR. Still stealing bases at a decent clip as well.

I think Jose Ramirez was a 2013 rookie card class, but looking at his numbers he’s better than I thought. He’s very much in that same category as Boegarts. 129OPS+

JRam was 2014 as well...he absolutely has an HOF shot

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Hi Peter, Jim here. I'm thinking a great prospect is Rafael Devers. He played his first minor league game in 2014, and his Bowman prospect is 2014. The RC logo card wasn't issued of course until 2018. With that said, Devers is quite the talent and in the next couple of years we will see his career projections much better. For now, I think he has a lot of potential. Your thoughts?

Yeah he kind of crashed second half this year but definitely potential.

Thank you for correcting, I could have sworn he was in my 2013 set.

I realize it's a different sport, and in a lot of ways an unfair comparison to baseball, but I'm amazed by Aaron Donald. It's unusual in any sport for someone to be lock HOF after so few years. He's played 8 seasons and would be a HOF if he never played another snap.

8-time Pro Bowl
7-time All-Pro
Super Bowl Champ
2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year
3-time Defensive Player of the Year (with 4 other top-5 finishes)
He's over 100 sacks, which is an insane feat, considering he isn't a DE or OLB

Since we're talking cards, what are the go-to RC options for deGrom, Mookie and Jo-Ram?

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ed65a368_c.jpg

A generational defensive player IMO.

+1 on Jose! Has all the tools for a 5' 9" guy.

He got called up on 9/1/13 when they expanded the ML rosters, and only had 14 plate appearances in the 15 games he appeared in that season. So, I believe you are absolutely correct, and he isn't considered a rookie till 2014. In 2013 he clearly was on the ML active roster for less than 45 days, and had nowhere near 130 at bats.

A 4-time All-Star, 3-time Silver Slugger recipient, and has received MVP votes in 5 seasons, including two 3rds and one 2nd place in the MVP voting, so far. And those figures don't include SS or MVP results for 2022 yet. He's had 5 seasons so far where he's been in the Top Ten for WAR, and he's got the 26th highest total WAR of all active players, despite only just turning 30 last month. And he even led all of MLB with intentional walks this season.

Still, the HOF might be a reach without a lot more great years from him. Most every position player ahead of him on the active WAR list have more years played than Jose, except maybe for Betts and Arenando, who are both comparable in age and seasons played to Ramirez. Yet both are double digits ahead of Ramirez in total WAR. A great player, nonetheless.