With the Hall of Fame's 2011 Veterans Committee convening to vote this weekend in concert with baseball's Winter Meetings, let's review the twelve candidates on this year's ballot, beginning with the player candidates in this post, and the non-players later tonight.
This year's ballot covers candidates who had the bulk of their playing career in the 1973-89 window, which the Hall describes (confusingly, and without explanation) as the Expansion Era. The ballot was composed by a committee of eleven senior writers -- they are named in this article, if you want to know who was involved -- and will be voted on by a committee of 16. The voters include eight Hall of Fame honorees (Johnny Bench, Whitey Herzog, Eddie Murray, Jim Palmer, Tony Perez, Frank Robinson, Ryne Sandberg, and Ozzie Smith), four baseball executives (Bill Giles, David Glass, Andy MacPhail, and Jerry Reinsdorf), and four baseball writers (Bob Elliott, Tim Kurkjian, Ross Newhan, and Tom Verducci). Candidates must receive 75%, or 12 of 16 votes, to earn induction to the Hall.
The player candidates (8): Vida Blue, Dave Concepcion, Steve Garvey, Ron Guidry, Tommy John, Al Oliver, Ted Simmons, and Rusty Staub.
The non-player candidates (4): Billy Martin (manager), Marvin Miller (executive), Pat Gillick (executive), and George Steinbrenner (executive).
Election results will be announced Monday morning, December 6.
Let's check out the players.
1. Vida Blue (playing career)
Previous Hall consideration
BBWAA voting: 4 ballots, peaking at 8.7%.
VC voting: ballot rookie.
Primary position: left-handed starting pitcher.
Playing career: 17 seasons, 1969-83 & '85-86 -- *Oakland Athletics 1969-77, San Francisco Giants 1978-81 & '85-86, Kansas City Royals 1982-83.
Standout season: 1971 -- 24-8 (.750), 1.82 ERA, 39 starts, 24 complete games, 8 shutouts, 312.0 innings pitched, 301 strikeouts, 0.952 WHIP, 182 ERA+.
Other noteworthy seasons: 1976, 1981. Had a brief but brilliant 1970 campaign, only 38.2 innings.
Honoraria and statistical crowns: 1971 AL MVP, 1971 AL Cy Young Award, six All-Star selections (three starts). Led the AL in ERA once, shutouts once, WHIP once (all in that magical 1971 season). Three 20+ win seasons. Member of all five Oakland postseason teams, 1971-75, including the three time 1972-73-74 World Series champions.
Blue had one masterful season when he was 21, and perhaps throwing well over 300 innings in his Cy Young season overworked his valuable arm. He pitched less than half as many the following season, and was not nearly so effective. Blue posted a few more very good seasons over the duration of his career, but barely touched greatness, and more often was around league average, or a little better. There's not enough to say this was a Hall-class career, and that he was suspended for the entire 1984 season due to drug usage problems simply underscores that judgment.
Chipmaker's vote: No.
2. Dave Concepcion (playing career | reviewed on 2008 BBWAA ballot)
Previous Hall consideration
BBWAA voting: 15 ballots, peaking at 16.9%.
VC voting: ballot rookie.
Primary position: shortstop.
Playing career: 19 seasons, 1970-88 -- all with the *Cincinnati Reds.
Standout season: 1978 -- 170 hits, 6 HR, 33 doubles (career high), .301/.357/.405, 114 OPS+, 82 RC.
Other noteworthy seasons: 1974, 1976, 1981. Hitting was never Concepcion's forte, however.
Honoraria and statistical crowns: nine All-Star selections (five starts), 1982 All-Star Game MVP, five NL Gold Gloves for Shortstop, two NL Silver Sluggers for Shortstop, member (and a valuable one) of the legendary 1970s Big Red Machine, which won two World Series championships (1975-76), two other NL pennants (1970, '72), and two other NL West titles (1973, when Concepcíon was injured, and the final blaze of glory in 1979). Jersey #13 retired by the Reds.
Yet another sterling piece of the Big Red Machine, Concepcion was the sort of up-the-middle player that a championship team needs -- excellent defense, adequate offense. And, on those Reds teams of the 1970s, he didn't have to hit any better than he did. The point, Concepcion isn't being considered because of his bat. Defense-heavy candidates, I think, need a component of legend to their story in order to win the Hall plaque. Olde tymers could have that, because that's all that remains of their defensive prowess, what tales were told from the keyboards. Modern era players are subject to recorded, high definition analysis from every angle, so legends don't happen today unless truly merited. Concepcion's era falls in the middle -- he was seen on TV a lot, and often, seeing denies believing. Metaphors and hyperbole crash against visual witness. No, we don't have a lot of film of Concepcion doing his stuff, but if there was legend to be found, it would still be standing out today, even amongst the tempest of talent that was the Big Red Machine. He was very good, but not Hall class. I didn't support him before and I am not convinced to change that today.
Chipmaker's vote: No.
3. Steve Garvey (playing career)
Previous Hall consideration
BBWAA voting: 15 ballots, peaking at 42.6%.
VC voting: ballot rookie.
Primary position: first baseman.
Playing career: 19 seasons, 1969-87 -- *Los Angeles Dodgers 1969-82, San Diego Padres 1983-87.
Standout season: 1978 -- all 162 games played, 89 runs, 202 hits, 36 doubles, 9 triples (his career high, and by a lot), 21 HR, 113 RBI, 40 walks, 10 stolen bases, .316 / .353 / .499, 137 OPS+.
Other noteworthy seasons: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979.
Honoraria and statistical crowns: 1974 NL MVP, ten All-Star selections (nine starts), 1974 & '78 All-Star Game MVP, 1978 & '84 NLCS MVP, four NL Gold Gloves for First Base. Led NL in games played six times and hits two times. Six 200+ hit seasons. Member of five postseason teams, all of which went to the World Series, including the 1981 champion Dodgers. Jersey #6 retired by the Padres.
Garvey was impressively durable, once playing in 1207 consecutive games. still the fourth longest streak in major league history. And he was a good hitter, sometimes very good, for long span, the better part of ten seasons from 1974-83. But he was not a great hitter, was not much for taking a walk (career high of 50, and only took 40 one other time), did not have that much power (never slugged .500, though he came close more than once), and was vastly overrated on defense. Garvey was known to avoid tough plays so as not to risk being charged an error; that he won several Gold Gloves is further testament to how looking good, not necessarily being good, with the leather is more than enough to sway the voters. Garvey did come up aces in the postseason, batting .338 / .361 / .550 with 11 HR in 55 games, 232 plate appearances, including a dramatic walk-off blast in Game 4 of the 1984 NLCS. But the writers never saw fit to give Garv even half of their votes when he was on the original ballot, and I think they got it right the whole time.
Chipmaker's vote: No.
4. Ron Guidry (playing career)
Previous Hall consideration
BBWAA voting: nine ballots, peaking at 8.8%.
VC voting: ballot rookie.
Primary position: left-handed starting pitcher.
Playing career: 14 seasons, 1975-88 -- all with the *New York Yankees.
Standout season: 1978 -- 25-3 (.893), 1.74 ERA, 35 starts, 16 complete games, 9 shutouts, 273.2 innings pitched, 248 strikeouts, 0.946 WHIP, 208 ERA+.
Other noteworthy seasons: 1979, 1983, 1985.
Honoraria and statistical crowns: 1978 AL Cy Young Award (unanimously), four All-Star selections, five AL Gold Gloves for Pitcher. Led the AL in ERA twice, wins twice, W-L percentage twice, complete games once, shutouts once, WHIP twice, ERA+ once. Member of three Yankees World Series teams, including the 1977-78 champions. Jersey #49 retired by the Yankees.
Louisiana Lightning had an incredible 1978 season, picking up his 25th win in the playoff game against Boston, finishing second in the AL MVP voting, and Yankees fans to this day think he should have won it instead of Jim Rice (they have a point, but I think Rice did have the slightly better year). He had a great peak, but after 1979 he was only a little better than league average (sometimes not even that), and couldn't help bring the Yankees back to the postseason after their loss in the 1981 World Series. Injuries derailed his last few seasons, and that was that.
I was attending college in the Albany area in 1986, and remember reading about Guidry making a rehab start for the Yankees' AA level team, which played nearby at the time. I didn't attend, but thousands did, more than the park could seat, so they were lined up in foul territory behind ropes. Everyone wanted to see the big league star. Gator gave them three innings, and apparently everyone was pretty happy about it.
A few great seasons, a few more good ones, but Guidry's career doesn't mount up to the Hall's standards. The success he did have is partly due to the strong offense he had behind him, because in his later seasons, he needed it. Totally deserved that Cy Young Award, though.
A curious note, if Guidry is elected to the Hall, he will be the first honoree to have played in the major leagues and never once come to the plate; he had zero plate appearances in regular season play (he did bat in two World Series).
Chipmaker's vote: No.
5. Tommy John (playing career | reviewed on 2008 BBWAA and 2009 BBWAA ballots)
Previous Hall consideration
BBWAA voting: 15 ballots, peaking at 31.7% on his final ballot.
VC voting: ballot rookie.
Primary position: left-handed starting pitcher.
Playing career: 26 seasons, 1963-74 & '76-89 -- Cleveland Indians 1963-64, Chicago White Sox 1965-71, *Los Angeles Dodgers 1972-74 & '76-78, New York Yankees 1979-82 & '86-89, California Angels 1982-85, Oakland Athletics 1985.
Standout season: 1968 -- 10-5 (.667), 1.98 ERA, 25 starts, 5 complete games, 1 shutout, 177.1 innings pitched, 117 K, 1.038 WHIP, 161 ERA+.
Other noteworthy seasons: 1974, 1977, 1979, 1981. But his most important season was 1976, as no one ever expected him to pitch at all.
Honoraria and statistical crowns: four All-Star selections, three coming after 1975. Led the AL in shutouts three times, and the NL in winning percentage twice. Three 20+ win seasons, all coming soon after the landmark surgery. Wait, surgery? Yes! John was the first baseball player to undergo ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery, a procedure which now informally bears his name: Tommy John surgery.
John played forever, which was in part due to his pitching elbow being much younger than the rest of him. That elbow is what gives John much of his historical weight, and while that is good and memorable, and I'd support his physician, Dr. Jobe, in a microsecond were he to come up for Hall consideration, I look at what John did on the diamond, and there just isn't enough greatness there. His career numbers are not particularly sparkly other than the 288 total wins, and his seasons -- my preferred review metric -- don't stand out. John was courageous (and desperate) in undergoing an experimental procedure that today is almost routine, but that doesn't make him a better player than he was. Good, sure; great, not really; Hall measure, no.
Chipmaker's vote: No.
6. Al Oliver (playing career | reviewed on 2007 VC and 2009 VC ballots)
Previous Hall consideration
BBWAA voting: one ballot, finishing with 4.3%.
VC voting: 2007 17.1%, 2009 14.1%.
Primary position: center field, then left field, then first base.
Playing career: 18 seasons, 1968-85 -- *Pittsburgh Pirates 1968-77, Texas Rangers 1978-81, Montreal Expos 1982-83, San Francisco Giants 1984, Philadelphia Phillies 1984, Los Angeles Dodgers 1985, Toronto Blue Jays 1985.
Standout season: 1982 -- 90 runs, 204 hits, 43 doubles, 22 HR, 109 RBI, 61 walks, .331 / .392 / .514, 150 OPS+.
Other noteworthy seasons: 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980.
Honoraria and statistical crowns: seven All-Star selections (one start), three Silver Sluggers (at three different positions – 1980 OF, 1981 DH, 1982 1B). Captured one NL batting title, and led the league in hits once, doubles twice, RBI once. Two 200+ hit seasons. Member of the 1971 World Series champion Pirates and five other postseason teams.
A good hitter, but played positions that require great hitting in order to earn the key to Cooperstown. Oliver did have the one great season, but it takes more to gain the plaque. I didn't support him before, and see no reason to do otherwise now.
Chipmaker's vote: No.
7. Ted Simmons (playing career)
Previous Hall consideration
BBWAA voting: one ballot, finishing with 3.7%.
VC voting: ballot rookie.
Primary position: catcher.
Playing career: 21 seasons, 1968-88 -- *St. Louis Cardinals 1968-80, Milwaukee Brewers 1981-85, Atlanta Braves 1986-88.
Standout season: 1975 -- 80 runs, 193 hits, 32 doubles, 18 HR, 100 RBI, 63 walks, .332 / .396 / .491, 142 OPS+.
Other noteworthy seasons: 1974, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980.
Honoraria and statistical crowns: eight All-Star selections (two starts), one NL Silver Slugger for Catcher. Twice led NL in runners caught stealing. Member of the only two Brewers postseason teams prior to 2008, including the 1982 American League champions.
Simmons was a rare talent, a switch-hitting catcher who could really hit and was very durable. Twice he caught over 150 games (and remember, playing C is physically grueling), and crouching behind the plate for more than 130 games in five other seasons. When he retired, he owned a bunch of records or Top Five marks for catchers -- most games, most hits, most doubles, second in RBI, fourth in runs scored, fifth in home runs, fifth in walks -- and the guys ahead of him are some or all of Bench, Berra, Carter, and Fisk, all HOFers themselves. (This was through 1988; even today, more than 20 years later, only Ivan Rodriguez has also vaulted past Simmons in more than one category.) He collected some MVP consideration during his peak seasons as well -- never enough to threaten to win, but he commanded some attention. Much like Raines playing exactly contemporary with Henderson, however, Simmons had the hard luck to be playing at the same time and at the same position and in the same league as Johnny Bench, so he was doomed to never look better than second-best. That's some hard beans to swallow, always being really good but always being outclassed by an all-time great, but whaddya gonna do? Simmons also never lead the league in any headliner category, but he was always up there with a high batting average (he finished second in 1975), a bunch of hits, a bunch of doubles, a pile of RBI, and (we now know) a high adjusted OPS. Never the best, but always a challenger, sticking around in the Top Ten of so many things for a long stretch of quality seasons, and doing this while playing, quite well, the toughest position on the diamond. And the BBWAA barely gave him a thought when he had his one time on their ballot. Well, let's hope the VC gives him much more of the love he deserves, because Simmons delivered a Hall-measure career, and deserves to be smiling in bronze in Cooperstown.
Chipmaker's vote: Yes!
8. Rusty Staub (playing career)
Previous Hall consideration
BBWAA voting: seven ballots, peaking at 7.9%.
VC voting: ballot rookie.
Primary position: right fielder.
Playing career: 23 seasons, 1963-85 -- Houston Colt .45's/Astros 1963-68, Montreal Expos 1969-71 & '79, *New York Mets 1972-75 & '81-85, Detroit Tigers 1976-79, Texas Rangers 1980.
Standout season: 1969 -- 89 runs, 166 hits, 26 doubles, 29 HR, 79 RBI, 110 walks, .302 / .426 / .526, 166 OPS+.
Other noteworthy seasons: 1967, 1970, 1971, 1976, 1981.
Honoraria and statistical crowns: six All-Star selections (one start). Led NL and AL in games played once each, led NL in doubles once. Jersey #10 retired by the Expos, though the Nationals have so far chosen not to recognize this. Member of the 1973 National League champion Mets.
Staub, nicknamed for his hair and known as Le Grande Orange in Quebec, was the second man (after Ty Cobb) to hit a major league home run before his 20th birthday and again after his 40th. So he played forever, and remains the only player to have over 500 hits with four different franchises. These are interesting tidbits, and Staub's career is more filled with such trivia (most games played before turning 20 years old) than memorable performances. He was nothing special on defense -- Detroit and Texas mainly used him as their DH -- and his last few seasons saw him become a pinch-hitting specialist. And yes, he was a very good hitter, with exactly 100 pinch hits to his credit. Good young, adequate specialist when older, something of a folk legend in Montreal and New York -- it adds up to an interesting player profile, but I don't see it as a Hall level career. It's tempting to support Staub's candidacy just to see one more Expo in the Hall (and maybe even adorn a plaque cap, though the Mets would be far more likely), but I just can't do it.
Chipmaker's vote: No.
Player candidates I support for the Hall: Simmons.
Non-player candidate evaluations coming up in a bit.
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