2023 Baseball Hall of Fame Class

It’s amazing how limited, or outright bad, some players were in the 80s. Carmelo Martinez played LF and admitted that he found fly balls to be difficult. Lots of guys had limited range.

Al Oliver won a batting title for the Expos, but he couldn’t throw. He should have been a DH. Around the same time the Expos had an aging Doug Flynn at 2B. Doug had nice hands and great hair, but no range, no power and a .240 average.

 

The deciding factor for many (a lot) of voters in saying YES Posey, NO Mauer is going to be not only was one the backbone of a three-time dynastic champion, he also walked away off a season -- .304 / .390 / .499 with 18 homers and 56 RBI with a +140 OPS in 113 games -- that showed he was truly walking away and that he had more productive seasons to add to his career totals

 

I like the fact that you're willing to die on the Madlock hill of all places, the emptiest of high-average guys.

 

The decision making by front offices back then is baffling in hindsight. Since this has been a referendum on third basemen, guys like Boggs and Edgard Martinez should have been called up years before based on just the basic stats they were putting up in the high minors....and then you look at what they were rolling out at the major league level and makes no sense why they trotted that out for 600 at-bats

 

Except the guys you noted are the “pretty goods.” The 27th best centerfielder shouldn’t get in before the ninth best third basemen.

 

Martinez was held back because Dick Williams loved the way Jim Presley played third defensively. Presley wasn’t that good.

The Sox held down Boggs because they thought Carney Lansford was great defensively. He wasn’t, but he dived for balls so he looked good to them. Meanwhile, stats show that Boggs was very good defensively despite the mantra in the 1980s that he was bad.

 

And even at that time neither decision, which now look like abject stupidity, should have been made because both teams had the DH.

 

Just remember you’re standing in line behind Lou Whitaker and Bobby Grich

Jeff Kent calls Baseball Hall of Fame voting an 'embarrassment' after falling off the ballot

 

Someone help me out here, because I'm not finding it easily with da Google.

How is defensive WAR determined/calculated?

 

I've never understood how defensive runs saved is calculated.

 

Kent's comments are correct.
When I voted, "being an asshole" was not part of the analysis. Kent might be -- probably is -- an asshole. So was Steve Carlton.
I would vote for Kent over Rolen -- and Dick Allen over Rolen -- any day of the week. Kent earned his spot. I hope the Veterans Committee rectifies the BBWAA mistake.

 

IMHO if you are using a stat that somehow shows that Alomar was a marginal HOF’er I’m out. He was one of the best 2B ever with zero doubt.