Baseball Hall of Fame Golden Era vote set for Dec. 5 ...

[mets41]

Is anyone here planning or considering going to the induction ceremony?

[bcbgcbrcb]

My guess is that Santo gets in, with a small chance for Hodges and/or Boyer.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I wouldn't vote for any of them, but if I had to vote for one, it would be Hodges. Santo is more likely to get in though.

[sportscardpete]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I wouldn't vote for any of them, but if I had to vote for one, it would be Hodges. Santo is more likely to get in though.

Santo came oh-so close too many times, that he probably gets in. Not sure if I would vote for him either.

[KenBoyerCollector]

Obviously, you can tell who I want in I'm not sure if he does though, but it would be nice for the Captain to make it!

If he did, I would be there at Cooperstown. I live in Syracuse -- only an hour and half away from Cooperstown I was just there two weeks ago for my annual pilgrimage

[Runscott]

I would combine Tony Oliva and Gil Hodges into one player, and put that guy in.

There needs to be a "Hall of Really Good"

[David W]

I've wondered about Minnie Minoso also, but I'm not sure the stats are there even if he had made the majors earlier than age 25 in 1951 (most likely due to his race). Even giving him 500 more hits only gets him to around 2500.

He's Vada Pinson, with less stats.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by sportscardpete

Santo came oh-so close too many times, that he probably gets in. Not sure if I would vote for him either.

If he couldn't get in in the first 35 +- years of his eligibility, I would say he is not deserving. As I recall he had almost no support when he was eligible by the conventional route. My test for a HOFer is like the Supreme Ct. test for obscenity, you know one when you see one.

[Big Ben]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

If he couldn't get in in the first 35 +- years of his eligibility, I would say he is not deserving. As I recall he had almost no support when he was eligible by the conventional route. My test for a HOFer is like the Supreme Ct. test for obscenity, you know one when you see one.

Santo most definitely belongs in the HOF. Don't blame the player, blame the inept and biased baseball writers who did not vote for him. Santo was a better player than most of the third basemen already in the HOF.

[CubsFanCurt]

Originally Posted by Big Ben

Santo most definitely belongs in the HOF. Don't blame the player, blame the inept and biased baseball writers who did not vote for him. Santo was a better player than most of the third basemen already in the HOF.

Ain't that the truth! If he's in my dad and I are going to the induction

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

If he couldn't get in in the first 35 +- years of his eligibility, I would say he is not deserving. As I recall he had almost no support when he was eligible by the conventional route. My test for a HOFer is like the Supreme Ct. test for obscenity, you know one when you see one.

Also, he fails the 'baseball card' rule. As a kid during the Santo era, while his card was desirable, it was no Ernie Banks or Fergie Jenkins. More like a Ken Holtzman. Same for Oliva and Kaat. Hodges was a Mets manager card, so that was a disaster

[Anthony S.]

I always check a player's career road splits to get a better idea of what they really accomplished. It's a low tech, convenient way of balancing out home field hitting advantages (Coors field, especially pre-humidors being an extreme example) due to short porches, clever groundskeepers, prevailing winds, etc. These are Santo's career road numbers:

4375 PA, 171 2B, 126 HR, 588 RBI, .257 BA, .406 SLG, .747 OPS

Compare that to Ron Cey's - for whom nobody is demanding hall of Fame consideration - road splits:

4135 PA, 184 2B, 150 HR, 556 RBI, .261 BA, .445 SLG, .797 OPS


Incidentally, Santo's lifetime fielding percentage was .954. Cey's was .961