Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike D.
One of the things I like about this class is that where some of the players may feel a little light statistically to a purist, those players have significant off-field contributions that add to their case. I know the Hall of Fame doesn't give "lifetime achievement" awards, but it's hard to look at any of these players and feel bad about their total contribution to the game being honored.
Although I've been writing a few articles on the hall of fame lately, and I can say that Kaat's induction does lower the "HOF Standard" based just on his pitching numbers. Last week, the average career WAR of a Hall of Fame starting pitcher was 73.1. Today, it's 73.0.   |
If we're going to dip that far into intangibles (which I'm ok with, as long as it's consistent) then Dale Murphy and Mattingly become a different situation too.
The '80s was a great time for baseball, and when people think back fondly about it, who comes to mind more than Murph and Donnie baseball?
If Minoso and Kaat are going to get the extra needed nudge because of their their positive impact on the game (and society) off the field, then why not those two guys as well?
Especially with Murphy, who would've been voted in 20 years ago if he'd hit just two more HRs