Posted By:
Chris CountsJodi,
Personally, I like the idea of Ken Boyer in Cooperstown, but not for any obvious reason. On numbers alone, third base is by far the most underrepresented position in the Hall of Fame. Boyer was not one of baseball's greatest players, but he was one of its greatest third basemen. And as a former third baseman myself, I can't imagine a Hall of Fame without its fair share of players from that critical defensive position.
Analyzing who is and who isn't worthy of induction is not an easy task, in part because we are all so swayed by the players we like. I always thought Vada Pinson, one of my childhood heroes, was worthy until I looked at his on base average, which didn't occur until just a few years ago.
Here is a comparison I like to use to illustrate how the perception of a player’s greatness differs greatly from reality. Here are two pitchers who were born just a few months apart and whose careers started the very same season. One is unquestionably a Hall of Famer, while the other’s name never, ever comes up in Hall of Fame discussions and probaly never will ...
Pitcher #1 ... 192-121, 3.19 ERA, 1140Ks, 739BB, 30 shutouts and 192 complete games;
Pitcher #2 ... 189-102, 3.34 ERA, 1468Ks, 1095 BB, 28 shutouts and 173 complete games
Statistically, they are as close as two pitchers could be. One guy threw harder, the other had better control. And they played during the same era. Which one is the Hall of Famer?