In addition to the three pitchers I chose to vote for to go in to the Hall of Fame, I also selected five hitters. The hitters were harder to choose than the pitchers and I took into account the same things as the pitchers- Sabermetrics, conventional stats, and my opinions. Let’s look at the hitters.
My Hall of Fame Ballot, Part 2 (Hitters)
1.) Edgar Martinez, designated hitter (1987-2004)
One of the main detractors for Martinez is that he never played the field. However, if the designated hitter is a position in the American League and he excelled at it, then he can’t be faulted. He walked more than he struck out, including four seasons of 100+ walks compared to just one his season (his final) of 100+ strikeouts. His WAR of 68.3 is higher than fellow Hall of Famers Ryne Sandberg, Carlton Fisk, Ernie Banks, and Roberto Alomar. Martinez has a career On Base Percentage of .418, good for 20th all-time. Martinez twice led the American League in average, once led in RBIs, including a seven season span in whoch he never recorded less than 86 RBIs and recorded 103 or more six out of those seasons. Martinez is a career .312 hitter with 1261 RBIs, 514 doubles, and 1219 runs scored. Over his career, Martinez recorded 838 extra-base-hits and out of his 2,247 hits, that means that nearly 37% of his hits went for extra-bases.
2.) Tim Raines, left fielder (1979-2002)
“Rock.” That’s exactly what he was. Rock…solid. He was rock solid in every facet of his game, whether it was in the field, on the bases, or at the plate, Raines put up some outstanding numbers. Raines is a seven time All-Star, with all of them coming consecutively. Raines also stole 30 or more bases in 12 consecutive seasons, and 808 in his career. Plate discipline is also another one of Raines’ fortes as he drew 1330 walks in his career, helping him accrue a career .385 OBP. Raines led the league in runs scored twice, and scored a total of 1571 in his career. Raines had 2,605 hits in career and has a higher WAR (69.1) than Ernie Banks, Eddie Murray, and Tony Gwynn.
3.) Larry Walker, right fielder and first baseman (1989-2005)
Hailing from Canada, Larry Walker solidified himself as a consummate powerhouse in his 17 years in the MLB. Walker is the record holder in every major category out of all 244 Canadians to play in the MLB. Walker won an MVP award in 1997 with the Rockies after posting a ridiculous .452 OBP to go along with a league high 49 home runs, 130 RBIs, 143 runs, and 208 hits. Over his career, he finished with a .312 batting average, .400 on-base-percentage, 383 home runs, and 1311 RBIs. Walker’s support is waining, which is surprising as he was one of the most consistent players during his time in the sport.
4.) Alan Trammell, shortstop (1977-1996)
Trammell’s case is interesting. It’s his 14th year on the ballot and his support is waining, too, which is surprising. Trammell and Lou Whitaker created one of the best and longest lasting double play combos in history. Keeping with fielding, Trammell won four Gold Gloves in his career and was consistently among the league leaders in fielding metrics. Trammell could hit, too. Trammell’s .352 OBP and 1,003 RBIs are no small feats, neither are his 2365 hits. He accumulated a career WAR of 70.4, higher than 25 players listed on the ballot.
5.) Craig Biggio, second baseman, catcher, outfielder (1988-2007)
Talk about well rounded. Craig Biggio. It’s evident by the fact he received 74.8% of the votes in 2014. Biggio is a seven time All-Star and four time Gold Glove winner. Biggio accrued 3,060 hits over his career, one of just 28 players with 3,000 or more hits. Biggio could hit, be it home runs, extra base hits, or singles, Biggio was a hitter. He led the league in doubles twice and is fifth on the all-time list. Biggio also hit 291 home runs, no small feat and drove in 1,175 RBIs despite never posting 90 or more RBIs in a season. He also stole 414 bases in his career, including a league high 39 in 1994. His 65.1 WAR is higher than those of Andre Dawson, Willie McCovey, and Dave Winfield.
Of all of these hitters, Biggio and Raines are likely the only two that will get inducted, but if I had it my way, I’d induct all five.
Honorable Mention(s): Barry Bonds, Fred McGriff, Gary Sheffield
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