5 Year Hall of Famers? Make your case

[Kenny Cole]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

He was not well-liked, to put it mildly.

Depends on who you ask. His longest managers, Mauch and Tanner, swore by him, said he was not a clubhouse lawyer, led the team, etc. So did a lot of his teammates. Agreed that a lot of the sportswriters didn't like him because he did things his way. Some people would argue that he is the worst omission in the HOF. I don't have a real informed opinion on that, but I will certainly say that he and Oliva are the worst omissions I can think of from the 60s/70s. They were both studs on the field. I personally think they probably should both be elected.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Kenny Cole

Depends on who you ask. His longest managers, Mauch and Tanner, swore by him, said he was not a clubhouse lawyer, led the team, etc. So did a lot of his teammates. Agreed that a lot of the sportswriters didn't like him because he did things his way. Some people would argue that he is the worst omission in the HOF. I don't have a real informed opinion on that, but I will certainly say that he and Oliva are the worst omissions I can think of from the 60s/70s. They were both studs on the field. I personally think they probably should both be elected.

They both had short careers. Only 11 seasons with 100+ games. Neither had 2000 hits. Oliva didn't even get to 1000 RBI. Their resumes are typical of players who don't get elected by the BBWAA, but may get elected by a Veteran's Committee.