Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, John Donaldson, Steve Garvey, Dave Parker, Vic Harris, Tommy John and Luis Tiant were revealed today by the Hall of Fame as this year’s candidates on the Era Committee ballot. Most commonly known as the “veterans committee,” a panel of 16 people (comprised of former players, executives, sportswriters, and historians) will meet during the Winter Meetings to vote on whether or not any of these eight candidates will be elected to Cooperstown. At least 12 of 16 votes are needed for induction, and the results of the balloting will be revealed on December 8.
The Era Committee rotates between three pools of candidates every year — players from the “Contemporary Baseball” era of 1980 until the present, managers/executives/umpires from this same 1980-present period, and all individuals from the “Classic Baseball” era of pre-1980. This year’s ballot focused on the Classic Baseball era, ranging from well-known MLB stars to somewhat lesser-known names like Harris and Donaldson, who were both icons of the Negro Leagues.
Several of the candidates have appeared on Era Committee ballots in the past, with Allen infamously falling a single vote short of induction in both 2015 and 2021. Harris was also a near-miss on the 2021 ballot, landing 10 of the minimum 12 votes necessary for induction to Cooperstown.
Narrowly missing out on what is already a second-chance ballot adds to the bittersweet nature of the Era Committee. While the process has corrected many oversights from the writers’ ballot, getting to these oversights sometimes decades after the fact means that some of the inductees aren’t able to personally enjoy their day of glory in Cooperstown. Garvey, Parker, and John are the only members of this year’s ballot who are still alive, as Tiant passed away less than a month ago.
The Era Committee ballot is separate from the annual BBWAA ballot for more modern Hall of Fame candidates, and the results of the BBWAA ballot will be revealed on January 21. Ichiro Suzuki is a lock for induction in his first year on that ballot, and C.C. Sabathia and Felix Hernandez are two other first-timers with solid Cooperstown cases.
phillies012tg
Dick Allen, Garvey , Parker and Tommy John should be in
mgomrjsurf
Second it.
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
Especially Garvey with the 10 all star games, any clean player with 10 all stars should be in (he probably won’t get in with the politics he’s in)
TJ changed the game of baseball and has a career that looks like don sutton who’s in
El Kabong
Tommy John didn’t change the game of baseball. Dr. Frank Jobe did. John was the patient. Jobe was the surgeon whose procedures have resurrected the careers of countless players, especially pitchers. It should be Dr. Frank Jobe Surgery, not Tommy John Surgery. I can’t find a single surgical procedure named after a patient except that one.
Oldguy58
It’s not a surgical procedure, but have you ever heard of Lou Gehrig disease? It wasn’t named after the doctor who diagnosed it
El Kabong
That’s a disease, not a surgical procedure. Surely you can see the difference. Jobe’s impact on the game of baseball is enormous. If not for him, countless players wouldn’t have been able to continue pursuing baseball as a livelihood.
phillies012tg
I went to school with Tommy John’s nephew growing up so maybe I’m biased a bit but he was still very very good and I think deserves to be in.
fox471 Dave
Surely you can stop pretending you know what you are talking about.
fox471 Dave
This was for El Kebong.
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
Tommy John could’ve retired after having no more elbow but he kept trying and now there’s a surgery named after him
Terry B
Check John’s stats, I think he gets in!
Cat Mando
“Especially Garvey with the 10 all star games”…All Star game is a popularity contest.
Looking just at numbers (in a nut shell) of the 3 position players mentioned….
Allen War 58.7 OPS 912 OPA+ 156
Garvey War 38 OPS 775 OPA+ 117
Parker War 40. OPS 810 OPA+ 121
Allen hands down (plus he did it in 4 fewer years than the others)
El Kabong
I’m a Dodger fan but have never felt strongly about Garvey’s HOF credentials.
Allen was dominant. And he did it in just 1,749 games.
Of the players listed, Ken Boyer has better credentials than either Garvey or Parker. Boyer has a BWAR of 62.8 despite playing considerably fewer games than Garvey and Parker. Unfortunately for Boyer, he died in 1982, and not many people lobby for a guy who’s been dead that long.
Games played
Parker — 2,466
Garvey — 2,332
Boyer — 2,034
Allen — 1,749
abcrazy4dodgers
NL consecutive games played record holder, light years behind Ripken, but still…
avenger65
Allen deserved to be in a long time ago but he wasn’t popular with the media who wrongfully vote on who should or shouldn’t be in the Hall.
El Kabong
Allen was unpopular in Philly due to the infamous Frank Thomas incident (not the White Sox HOF-er but the 50s/60s guy). Good old-fashioned racism (which some might call America’s national pastime).
Bart Harley Jarvis
Dick Allen was traded by the Phillies in 1969 (for mostly off-the-field reasons (starting with the Frank Thomas incident)) in the Curt Flood trade. Allen was treated unfairly in Philadelphia, and he didn’t help himself in response to it. Connie Mack Stadium was a tough place in 1969.
Allen bounced from the Cardinals to the Dodgers (for Ted Sizemore) and then to the White Sox (for Tommy John) where he was the AS MVP in 1972.
The Phillies brought Allen back in 1975 as a veteran presence on a very talented young team. The pendulum had swung from Richie Allen being viewed as a problem in the clubhouse, to Dick Allen the clubhouse elder statesman.
Dick Allen was inducted to the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1994, and Allen was a regular presence at Spring Training until his death in 2020. It’s not a perfect story, but it thankfully came full circle.
socraticgadfly
None of them should be in on your list. Tiant and Boyer are edge players. Dick Allen a skoosh behind.
meandean
Skoosh your behind on out of here
cooperhill
Not Parker, had the same production as Boog Powell in 3,000 more plate appearances. No on womanizer Garvey, too.Allen should have been in long ago.You can’t tell me Jim Rice was better.
drtymike0509
agree on allen and I’m diehard redsox guy
TheMan 3
how many batting titles did Boog Powell win?
How many All Star MVP awards did he win?
Dave Parker and another former Pirate not on this ballot, Al Oliver, both deserve to be inducted into the Hall of Fame
Pickle_Britches
Garvey I disagree only 38 war. John, Boyer and Allen should be in.
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
If Harold baines can get in Garvey can
letitbelowenstein
Parker, yes. Garvey was good, not great. And people pushing for Allen are doing so for race issues. He never even got close to 2,000 hits, let alone 3,000. 351 homers. God-awful fielder and clubhouse cancer. But I imagine he’ll be guilt-voted in.
Sunday Lasagna
Counting stats don’t tell Dick Allen’s story. Career OPS+ 156, an on base power hitter in an era before OBP was appreciated, and throughout the majority of his career was one of the most feared hitters in the game.
Low IQ Angels Management
Where’s Bobby Grich? What a joke.
Clofreesz
You can say the same thing to Lou Whitaker.
Bucket Number Six
Whitaker would qualify for 1980-present ballot. Grich straddles both eras.
LouWhitakerHOF
I second that
BigRedMachine
I really agree with you. Bobby Grich is the Greatest Second Baseman in the History of not one, but two MLB Franchises. The Orioles and The Angels. Tremendous player.
cooperhill
Mazeroski is in and Grich and Whitaker are nit? Scam!
TheMan 3
Mazeroski won 8 consecutive Gold Gloves at second base and holds the major league record for double plays in a season with 215
drtymike0509
both sweet lou and grich should be in. 2nd base is ignored by hof
drtymike0509
I’ll also add second baseman jeff kent who was a clean player next to barry bonds(who also should be in) just one man’s opinion. I’m an * guy
Sunday Lasagna
Among second basemen, 10 of the top 15 in WAR are in the hall of fame. The 5 not in are
#7 Whitaker 75.1 – definitely should be in, a shame he didn’t go in with Trammell
#9 Grich 71.1 – definitely should be in
#10 Cano 68.1 -never getting in
#13 Randolph 65.9 – one of the most overlooked players of his time. At the very least his Yankees 30 Jersey should be retired
#15 Utley 64.5 clutch gutty player many didn’t like, but he played the game the way old timers did
Case could be made for Randolph and Utley
There are 9 second basemen not in the top 15 that are in the hall of fame, the lowest Red Schoendienst ranked #33 with a 44.8 WAR
mduck
Screw Steve Garvey.
Melvin McMurf
totally agree. pay your taxes deadbeat
lowtalker1
Let’s not get too personal here
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
Don’t look at his hof resume as a politician look at it as a player
playhard9
Neither resume is good enough.
positively_broad_st
Garvey’s reputation as a great defender is unearned. He had good hands, but the reason that he made so few errors is because he wouldn’t throw the ball when a double play was in order or if a runner was trying to score. Dude couldn’t throw accurately, so he usually held onto the ball. On day in the clubhouse, Don Sutton called him on it, and he and Garvey got into a fist fight. Apparently it started to get out of hand, especially after Sutton told Garvey that Reggie Smith was the real star of the team – which was the truth.
Garvey was selfish and a glory hound. Good hitter, sure, but a first baseman that played in as much games that he did should be way up the list in assists, but he’s not. Garvey played in more games at first base than Keith Hernandez, but Keith is up near the very top all-time in assists because he was a complete defender. Garvey didn’t want to look as bad of a thrower as he was, so he held the ball instead of trying to get more outs recorded for his pitchers. Steve Garvey is totally overrated as a great ballplayer, especially his defense. His Gold Gloves mean nothing…
Zippy the Pinhead
The reason they moved his short stumpy body to first was because he was such a lousy fielder at third base. Fans behind the first base dugout regularly put on their gloves and stood every time there was a grounder to third in the hopes they’d catch the next errant throw. I was a kid back then and saw it. while he could hit, his fielding got him sent back down to the minors. Playing first hid all that unless he ever had to throw to a base, like a bunt to the right side. Politics and myriad love children aside, he was a good hitter, lousy fielder, and a prime candidate for the hall of very good.
i believe we can lose
Apparently, many have screwed Steve Garvey.
puigpower
Garvey!
cooperhill
Garvey had knee to knee range.
Gwynning
Put all the old-timers in, what the hell already. Ichiro should be unanimous, I could make a case for C.C. and I’m stuck on King Felix. I would want to see him get in but I would have a tough time voting for him. Perplexing quandary, I know.
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
CC should make it, his innings pitched and the 09 World Series is HOF caliber
I’m a mariners fan (big surprise) but Felix is nothing close of HOF with 5-8 good years in a pitchers park and nothing notable in October (September too)
Acoss1331
CC has 250 wins and 3000 strikeouts, and his playoff performance helps his case. Felix is a difficult case and Ichiro probably would have been the hit king if he comes over from Japan sooner, he’s a no doubter.
cooperhill
Chub Chub!
Clofreesz
If Ichiro is to be unanimous, it would make a bad picture to other guys such as Aaron, Mays, Ruth, and Williams (All were not unanimous).
Gwynning
I understand Clo, and certainly no disrespect, but wake me when Aaron, Mays, Ruth, and Williams complain. “Shouldn’t be unanimous” is an extremely antiquated take. If you’re a modern day sportswriter and BBWAA voter, then I don’t see how you don’t vote for Ichiro-san.
afsooner02
Allen, Garvey and Parker would get my votes.
Tommy John is like the pitching version of Julio Franco. Played forever and racked up tons of stats but doesn’t have the accolades for the hall. He’s more famous for a surgery or underwear (not him I know)
Atlanta Jack
Dick Allen should have been in years ago.voters please wake up and do the right thing.
letitbelowenstein
No he shouldn’t have been. Garvey and Mattingly are more deserving.
Lifelong Reds Fan
How is Dave Concepcion omitted?
This one belongs to the Reds
He was Ozzie before Ozzie.
BigRedMachine
Won Five Gold Gloves (Four in a row) and a better hitter than Ozzie! Dave Concepcion was a NINE Time All-Star and finished with over 2,300 hits! Come on! He needs to be on this ballot!
This one belongs to the Reds
Concepcion’s omission is one of the great injustices over the years.
Sunday Lasagna
Agreed on Concepcion, but I would also say that Bert Campaneris was as good if not an even more valuable shortstop of that era
BigRedMachine
Nice call on Campy!
El Kabong
Defensively, Mark Belanger was Ozzie before Ozzie. All-star shortstops in the 70s were bad. especially in the National League. Bud Harrelson, Don Kessinger, Larry Bowa, Chris Speier, Bill Russell, and Concepcion all made multiple all-star teams. Not a strong bunch compared to those who came later.
BigRedMachine
You just listed Six outstanding fielding shortstops who were great for their teams but could not hit like Dave Concepcion could.
El Kabong
OPS .679 and OPS+ 88. Concepcion wasn’t that good of a hitter.
BigRedMachine
He was a better hitter than those six SS.
This one belongs to the Reds
Not to mention shottstops were not power hitters back then for the most part.
dodgergreg
How many votes does each panel member hold?
bcjd
Three. Each panelist can vote for up to three players on the ballot.
DarrenDreifortsContract
Tommy John and Steve Garvey not already being in is a travesty!
Longtimecoming
Does Tommy John’s bust consist of his elbow / forearm instead of his head?
Clofreesz
Donaldson, Harris, and Boyer.
iron
At first I thought it was the Vic Harris from the 70’s. He was terrible. I remember I got about 25 of his 1975 baseball cards. I didn’t know about the good Harris.
I would say, Allen, Parker and Tiant. Garvey is a borderline “no” for me. I rank Keith Hernandez over Garvey and it’s not likely Keith gets in either.
Clofreesz
Donaldson was perhaps one of the greatest pitchers of all time. He amassed over 5000 Ks (3000-3500 if he played in the MLB), had over 400 wins, and threw 12 no-hitters. He may have played in the Negro Leagues, but he played until he was 58. (!) Harris is the manager with the highest winning percentage in baseball. (.663)
jyosuckas
Really disappointing group honestly. No one before 1950, just a bunch of Hall of Very Good candidates, surely not a single one that slipped through the cracks
Atlanta Jack
You must not ever saw Dick Allen swing that 40 oz bat like it was a wiffle ball bat.
Sunday Lasagna
Over 20,000 ballplayers have been in major league games, only 274 are in the HOF. Less than 1.5%
Very Good beginning when looking at ballplayers below the 98.5 percentile seems like too high of threshold.
Seeing the top 2.5%, 500 ballplayers would still be very elite. Even the top 5%.
Jim A.
It’s total B.S. that Thurman Munson isn’t included in this group. FFS, nobody would take Ted Simmons over Munson. Nobody.
playhard9
I would. Ted Simmons was a great player.
El Kabong
Munson was better than Fisk and certainly better than Simmons.
FOmeOLS
if Munson hadn’t died in a plane crash, he might’ve gotten in, but he frankly didn’t last long enough
Old York
Honestly, none of them really stand out as amazing players that should be in the Hall of Fame. They all probably belong in the Hall of Very Good.
jaxcards
oof. Why is Harold Baines in and Dwight Evans not?
TheMan 3
I never thought Baines was Hall worthy
LFGMets (Metsin7) #BannedForBeingABaseballExpert
Only Garvey deserves it
FOmeOLS
Cough cough see my comment below
Acoss1331
Dick Allen, Luis Tiant and Tommy John should be voted in. All three dudes are more than worthy, but Dick Allen especially deserves it in my opinion.
CarryABigStick
Tiant? That’s a stretch.
Redstitch108* 2
Mark McGwire Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling all belong in the Hall. There are worse dudes than these guys in there already. These guys dominated their era, and it’s time to forgive the steroid era stars. And the so-called “character clause” is a total joke.
For Love of the Game
Curt Schilling doesn’t belong in that group of steroid users. He’s not in because of his politics.
El Kabong
What Schilling did to Tim and Stacy Wakefield should be enough to keep him out forever. Character matters and that was as low-character as it gets.
Redstitch108* 2
For the Love, the last line I wrote addressed Schilling. I never implied he was a roid user.
CardsFan6969
I recall with Schilling, one time he wore a t-shirt that advocated killing journalists. I recall one of the baseball writers denying Schilling a HoF vote because he didn’t want to vote for someone who wanted him dead. Makes sense to me.
TheMan 3
Schilling is a hater of freedom
misterb71
McGwire, Bonds, Sosa and Clemens cheated their peers and knew that when they were doing it. They can buy a ticket like the rest of us to visit the Hall.
El Kabong
What about Piazza and Big Papi?
Digdugler
Their peers did steroids too.
TheMan 3
It’s called steroids and Schilling is hardly Hall worthy
Texas Outlaw
Parker 100%
DaveParkerHOF
Need i state my position?
Redstitch108* 2
I agree that Bobby Grich deserves it. Jim Edmonds and Tim Salmon also. Players who have played the majority of their careers on the West Coast get the shaft in All Star invites and Hall of Fame votes.
Rsox
While Salmon did accumulate a 40.5 WAR he didn’t hit 300 HR’s and didn’t get even 2000 Hits. He wasn’t necessarily that good defensively and the only hardware he took home in his career was AL ROY in ’93 and a Silver Slugger in ’95. This King Fish is not a Hall of Famer.
Edmonds did hit almost 400 HR’s (393), didn’t get to 2000 hits and was a defensive machine in CF in his prime. Edmonds’ numbers make a better HoF case than Salmon’s
RyÅnWKrol
From 1993-2000, Salmon was on track to basically be a right handed Fred McGriff. Had he played as long as the Crime Dog, King Fish would’ve probably had to wait until his last year(s) of eligibility to get in.
Edmonds’ problem was that he spent 5 years in the minors as a sleeper prospect before he was finally called up, and then he took two more years bouncing back and forth between AAA and the Angels before finally breaking out at age 25. His career was bookended by that and becoming a part time player in his late thirties. Broke out too late and broke down too early. Would’ve either needed to fill those ends with more playing time or a really high peak to get in.
LeGrandBleu
Luis Tiant should have been a shoe-in for the HOF.; he was a fantastic pitcher and inspiring person. It’s absolutely shameful they did not vote him in before he passed away. They waited for Santo to pass away before honoring him, and now Tiant faces the same fate. Disgusting.
hiflew
Tiant actually stated before his death that he did not want to be enshrined after his death if they were unwilling to put him in while he was alive. I respect that so much. All they are doing when they elect someone posthumously is trying to make money off a dead man. Disgusting is not the word I was thinking of, but I think it fits better.
mrkinsm
Historically, it’s nearly impossible to get 12 votes, I wouldn’t count on many if any getting in.
Redstitch108* 2
Also Dale Murphy deserves it. Compare to Joe Mauer, who is in.
El Kabong
Mauer is a Top 10 catcher. He belongs. So does Thurman Munson, who was a better player than Carlton Fisxk when both were active in the ’70s.
hiflew
Except Fisk continued to play after the 70s. I know it is clearly not Munson’s fault that he didn’t, but he still didn’t. We cannot assume what Munson would have done had he survived. If we do that we might as well induct Jose Fernandez next. Or Oscar Taveras. Or Lyman Bostock. Or Ken Hubbs. There are lost of players that were lost during their career that COULD have become HOFers had they survived,
El Kabong
I understand, but Munson was a great player during the decade he played. The second-best catcher in baseball after Bench.
Comparing Munsion to those other players you mentioned is, frankly, sick.
hiflew
It’s not a great comparison because those other players all died much younger. But they were all talented enough to get to the level of second best in the league. It’s tough to find a perfect Munson comparison because not too many died at their peak like he did.
El Kabong
It’s hard to find one because Munson is an all-time great. He was the player who began the Yankees’ return to relevance. Outstanding behind the plate and one of the best clutch hitters I’ve ever seen. Reggie was called Mr. October for the home runs. But if you needed a run-scoring hit with men on base, Munson was the guy. As a Dodger fan, I used to turn off the sound and peek through my fingers when Munson came to bat in the World Series. In those two series, he was 16-50 with 10 RBI. And he had three straight 100-RBI seasons hitting less than 20 HR. Since I lived in the NYC area, I came to respect his greatness. Fantastic player.
weaselpuppy
Bill Freehan would like a word about that
stathead.com/baseball/versus-finder.cgi?request=1&…
El Kabong
Munson played 321 fewer games than Freehan but still had better overall numbers. Thanks for supporting my point.
I favor a bigger HOF and would be inclined to put Freehan in. But of the two players, I prefer Munson. Mr. Clutch.
Redstitch108* 2
El Kabong, you are 0 for 2. Mauer was a good, not a great catcher. I’m okay with him in the hall, but equivalent players such as Dale Murphy need to be in as well. Murphy was a 2 time MVP. Schilling belongs for his playing, not for his politics. See Ty Cobb.
El Kabong
Mauer is a Top 10 catcher. Three batting titles, an MVP, and a career .338 with runners in scoring position.
You know the Curt Schilling/Tim Wakefield story, right? For that reason alone, I feel he shouldn’t be in. It’s not about “politics” with Schilling. It’s about his bigotry, which is always wrong, no matter how you care to spin it.
Ty Cobb? I assume you’re one of those people,e who think Cobb was a vile racist. That theory has been shot down. Cobb favored integration and wanted to play against the best players. He wasn’t some kind of Proud Boy.
Assdribble_Cabrera
This Ty Cobb narrative has to change. His reputation was smeared by a hack author who wanted sell his book. In reality, Cobb’s father was an abolitionist and Cobb himself was for the integration of baseball. Sure, he was a surly player vs. opponents, umpires, and occasional fan, but he’s not the racist that Al Stump portrayed him to be in his fictionalized biography. There’s plenty of evidence to be found if interested or you can just follow along with the same old tired narrative spread in chats and on message boards.
mets1977
Garvey was not the best 1st of his era. If you look at the stats Keith Hernandez almost doubles him in WAR and GG, yes Garvey hit more home runs and has more RBI’s, but Hernandez has the better OPS+.
hiflew
Well you don’t necessarily have to be the absolute best of your position of your era to get in. Roberto Clemente was not the best RF (Hank Aaron) of his era, but I don’t anyone ever said he didn’t deserve to be in the Hall.. Not that I think Hernandez and Garvey are on the same tier as Aaron and Clemente, but just an example.
positively_broad_st
Garvey was tremendously overrated on defense too. It’s easy to not make errors when you hold onto the ball instead of trying to turn double plays. Garvey’s arm was weak and erratic, so he wouldn’t throw the ball. It hurt his pitchers, but the low error total helped his image. His Gold Gloves weren’t earned…
El Kabong
Garvey could not throw to a base. He couldn’t make the 3-6-3.
bravesnation nc
Dale Fricken Murphy!
blakestreet
I’ll never forget the jaw-dropping HR I saw Dick Allen hit into the far reaches of the Comiskey Park right- center upper deck, when I was a teenager. It was electrifying! Wow, what a superstar he was for the White Sox. Vote him into the Hall of Fame!
Old York
Ichiro is most likely getting in but I don’t think CC or Felix are close to being HOFers. They’re more likely Hall of Very Good players.
FOmeOLS
Suzuki Is one of the most amazing players to ever play the game. Who cares if he didn’t hit home runs, of all the guys who ever played the game, if you want one guy to get on base, you want Ichiro.
And he was an astonishing defender, his last Web Gem was in his final few months as a Mariner when he was 44 or 45 and stole a home run from Jose Ramirez.
What an amazing play that was.
Ichiro Should be unanimous. There was never anybody like him and never will be again.
El Kabong
Still no Dr. Frank Jobe. After Marvin Miller, no person has had a greater impact on the sport in the last 50 years than Dr. Jobe. Miller is deservedly in. Why not Dr. Jobe?
Idiot_Wind
Finally Dave Parker. He was the best player in baseball for a decent while and not to mention the first million dollar player.
Long overdue WE ARE FAM-A-LEE
positively_broad_st
Hope Parker gets in. His throws in the ’79 ASG made me fall in love with baseball. Terrific player!
I assume with your user name that you are a Bob Dylan fan?
Rsox
Allen, John, Tiant. But i doubt all three because it’s unlikely anyone other than Ichiro gets voted in on the other side
El Kabong
After all these years, Willie Davis still hasn’t been on any type of Hall of Fame ballot. Ridiculous.
DodgerOK
HOF should be reserved for the all-time greats; not the very good.
El Kabong
It’s difficult to define what an all-time great is. There are different ways to get in. It’s not a statistical formula.
DodgerOK
Simple formula: If you have to debate whether they are a hall of famer or not, then they are not an all-time great.
hiflew
The HOF needs to have inductees every single year because the whole ceremony is just designed to get people to visit a museum and bring money to Cooperstown, NY. That’s all it was EVER designed to do. It is a museum to tell the history of the game of baseball, not a shrine to the gods. The question I always ask when trying to decide if someone should be in the Hall is can you fully tell the story of baseball during the years they played without mentioning them. If the answer is yes, then I don’t think they need to be in the Hall. If no, then they should be in there so future generations can learn about the ENTIRETY of baseball and not just the top 1% of players..
DodgerOK
So Mario Mendoza should be in the HOF? He established the Mendoza line.
Rick Dempsey should be in the HOF? He was a World Series MVP!
Sunday Lasagna
Agreed @hiflew. What you describe is why Munson belongs in the Hall, the rivalry of Munson and Fisk epitomized the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry.
CubbyMike
At first I thought they meant Vic Harris the mediocre utility player and was wondering what I was not understanding.
Sunday Lasagna
Steve Garvey is not a hall of famer. He accumulated hits and BA at the expense of walks and OBP. Not that Ron Cey is a hall of famer, but in the same era, he was more valuable to the Dodgers than Garvey, and so were Reggie Smith and Jimmy Wynn.
Dick Allen and Luis Tiant No doubt should be in.
For those that would put Tommy John in for changing the game, I’d say his teammmate Andy Messersmith did just as much to change the game.
El Kabong
@Sunday Lasagna,
As a 16-year-old Dodger fan in 1974, I was stunned when Garvey got the MVP. The difference-maker on the team that year was Jimmy Wynn.
playhard9
Garvey was highly overrated. Numbers aren’t close to HOF worthy.
mike q.
I’d say that Reggie Smith is an incredibly underrated player, but not enough people remember him to be rated in anyway.. I’m not sure he is a hall of famer, but he was very very good.
positively_broad_st
Yep. And his defense was totally overrated as well. Good hands, but no arm. That’s why his error total was so low. Can’t make a throwing error if you hold onto the ball instead of trying to turn a double play to help the pitcher. Don Sutton got so mad about Garvey’s unwillingness to throw that he tried to kick his tail in the clubhouse. Sutton straight up told Garvey that Reggie Smith was the real star of the Dodgers. Don was absolutely right about that…
El Kabong
Sutton said that in an interview that Garvey read.
Ah, the clubhouse fight between Garvey and Sutton at Shea Stadium.
According to Tommy John, during the brawl someone yelled, “Stop the fight, they’ll kill each other!” Catcher Joe Ferguson’s response: “Good.”
stevewpants
Along with CubbyMike I appreciated that this article had me learn a few new things. Vic Harris as a manager definitely deserves to be in and the stories about John Donaldson will entertain you all for awhile and he quite possibly would have been in the top 10 for pitcher wins all time.
Blackpink in the area
The hall of fame is a mess but certainly fun to talk about.
Lou Whitaker is a hall of famer.
As a Cardinals fan I don’t know why Edmonds isn’t in. He was a stud both offensively and defensively for a while. Rolen got in let Edmonds in.
playhard9
Edmonds has great all-around numbers. Won 8 Gold Gloves and is a WS champion. How he slipped off the ballot after one round is just ridiculous. Yet Harold Baines got in.
Redstitch108* 2
Agree Whitaker and Edmonds should be in there.
redhaze1
All worthy players.
I would vote for Concepcion and Dwight Evans in the future. Compare Evans’ stats with other hall members.
hiflew
I REALLY hope they don’t put Luis Tiant in ever. His dying request was if they didn’t want to elect him when he was alive, they should NOT put him the Hall after his death. He should have been put in before his death, but since they didn’t they should really respect his wishes.
That being said, Dave Parker is not doing well physically and I really hope they can get him in there while he is still alive to enjoy it. And for his fans to get to see him enjoy it.
Sunday Lasagna
I wonder if Luis said that in an emotional moment. The Hall is a pathway for generations to appreciate his on field accomplishments and also maybe learn about the person and teammate he was.
James Midway
Garvey needing all kinds of votes this year.
positively_broad_st
Allen, Parker, Tiant…
Cat Mando
I am not understanding the case for Garvey (and yes I was a BB fan back then….heck I was a BB fan when Dick Allen one RoY in 1964)
Garvey:
38.0 career WAR | 28.7 7yr-peak WAR
Average HOF 1B (out of 25):
64.8 career WAR | 42.0 7yr-peak WAR
He doesn’t come close to measuring up to other 1B
ChuckB13
The Hit king should have been in long before he passed. PETE
El Kabong
He’s not eligible due to his permanent ban from the game.
differentbears
Should have been, but he agreed to a permanent ban to avoid further embarrassment. Because he broke the one rule you can’t by betting on baseball.
fox471 Dave
John Donaldson and Tommy John for sure.
Dave Parker probably. The rest for the Hall of the Very Good!
Zippy the Pinhead
John Donaldson. Maybe Richie/Dick Allen. No one else deserves it.
olmtiant
My monicker says it all.. put El Tiante in!!! Deserving !!!
Niekro floater
I remember Garvey sailing throws into stratosphere trying to get lead runner @2nd. Not only terrible arm strength but scattered arm as well. He is perfect example of player who wins gold gloves based on reputation n not on the field performance. Im big Dodger fan n those early ’80s teams were a special group but Garvey always seemed to play for himself. It was bout Garvey n not the team. When LA won WS in ’81, 3 players were named MVP, Steve Yeager, Ron Cey, n Pedro Guerrero but if u watch the mvp presentation in clubhouse that nite, Garvey musta thought he was 1 of winners because he talked more than the other 3 combined. He is not a HOFr n was highly overrated back @a time when cutting edge metrics was OB%.
ctbronx7
Allen and Tiant deserve it — as they did for many years. The crime is they won’t be here to enjoy being honored.
FOmeOLS
Dave Parker is a no-brainer; One of the greatest of all pirates
FOmeOLS
In his book, “the baseball 100,” Joe Posnanski has very interesting comments about Steve Garvey in his chapter on Bert Blyleven;
Basically that Steve Garvey was famous and flashy, but ultimately Not really productive:
“… People couldn’t help but notice how low Garvey on base percentage was, how he never slugged 500, how his defensive numbers didn’t impress, how he really didn’t place himself among the -time greats(He’s not in the top 100 in RBIs, homers, doubles, runs, or just about anything else.)”
Joe may or may not have a personal ax to grind, but that’s a very telling comment.
Thirsty Pig
I assume Josh Donaldson, not John Donaldson
Zippy the Pinhead
No. John Donaldson. Negro Leagues star.
Beldar
Dale Murphy > Steve Garvey
Rstett219
I’d like to see Dave Parker and Tommy John get in while they’re still alive-especially Cobra
I’d like to see the max 3 get in, but I think not 2 will: Dick Allen and most likely Dave Parker.
johncoltrane
TJ should have been voted into HOF a long time ago
ArianaGrandSlam
Felix? Seriously?
phenomenalajs
Keith Hernandez belongs on that list. He was a contemporary to Garvey and a better fielding first baseman.
SportsFan0000
Lou Whitaker should be in the Hall of Fame both individually
and as the longest running double play combination with Alan Trammell.
It is a crime that “Sweet Lou” is not in Cooperstown!