There are sports writers who did not cast votes for Babe Ruth.  Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Mets great Tom Seaver were all first ballot Hall of Famers who voters found a reason not to vote for.  Yogi Berra was not elected to the hall of Fame until the third ballot.

While only Mariano Rivera has been a unanimous Hall of Fame electee in the 80 year history of the Hall of Fame, one of the more common and reasonable ways for both fans and sports writers to determine who is deserving of a spot is to see if the statistics of the player they are considering for Hall of Fame membership has statistics that are similar, or exceed, the statistics of an already elected Hall of Fame player.

Let’s compare the career statistics of two players. For our comparison, we’ll call them Player A and Player B.

We’re looking at two outstanding, really similar ballplayers. Note both were power-speed guys, with 400+ home runs and 300+ stolen bases. Both sluggers plated many men, with over 1,500 RBIs each. Very similar statistically, both players had the same lifetime batting average, player B had three more home runs, four more RBIs and two additional stolen bases in 159 more at bats. We can note that player B scored 209 fewer runs which is something to consider as we continue to compare the two ball players.

Well, now we see that Player A had a significant advantage in on base percentage compared to Player B. With the same batting average, Player A was able to get on base more than Player B, which led to Player A scoring 209 more runs than Player B.

We can also see that while Player A had a tick higher slugging percentage (.004), it was really his higher on base percentage that made his OPS higher than Player B. Despite having different OPS’s though, the two players had the same OPS+, which is OPS adjusted for the offensive era and the player’s home ball park. We can surmise that Player A played in a higher  offensive era than Player B, which is why his higher offensive output is adjusted downward compared to Player B.

As we review some of the hardware the two players collected, Player A had one more All Star appearance, and both players were Rookie of the Year in their respective debuts. Player B did win two additional Silver Slugger Awards, but the biggest difference in the chart above is that Player B won five additional gold gloves.

Both Player A and Player B were consistently excellent, with 16 years of MVP votes among them. Player B does have the advantage though, as he won 1 MVP and had two more top-5 finishes than Player A.

Interesting to note that despite the different number of gold gloves noted earlier, both players had the same career dWAR, and Player A actually had more offensive value (remember the better on base percentage and the greater number of runs scored) than Player B. Player B had a few better peak years, considering the top-5 MVP finishes, but for their career, Player A had the more productive career of these two very statistically similar players.

Player A  played 20 years in the majors, with the majority of that time in center field, although several seasons were spent in right field and DH. Player B played 21 seasons in the majors with a significant percentage of those games played in center field, although the majority of his games defensively were played in right field.

Player A is Carlos Beltran.

Player B is Andre Dawson.

Andre Dawson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2010, after never receiving less than 45% of the vote while on the ballot. Carlos Beltran becomes eligible in 2023. Carlos Beltran, as a player, had a Hall of Fame career.

The post Carlos Beltran: Deserved Hall of Famer appeared first on Metsmerized.

I am on board with Curtis Granderson becoming an outfielder for the Mets over the next four seasons.  But not everyone is.  So I decided to generate a chart that lists all the players in baseball history who have produced 200 doubles, 200 homers, 80 triples and 100 stolen bases in their respective careers.

For the record, Curtis Granderson’s first double for the Mets will be the 200th in his career.  When he gets it, he will join this group of players in the 200 double, 200 homer, 80 triple, 100 steal club.  See if you recognize any of the names listed below.

The post Curtis Granderson Is About To Join An Exclusive Club appeared first on Metsmerized.

Jacob was the Mets Kidcaster in 2011 when he made his memorable, emphatic call, “It’s gone!”

These days, Jacob is one the many featured writers on MMO. In honor of Carlos Beltran returning to New York, albeit our crosstown rivals, here’s a piece he wrote last Summer on which hat Beltran will wear when he’s eventually enshrined in the hallowed halls of Cooperstown. Enjoy this MMO Flashback from July 29, 2013.

I find it impossible to read an article about Carlos Beltran without there being some mention of “the curveball” or Adam Wainwright. That of course refers to Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS where, with the bases loaded and the winning run on first base with two outs in the ninth, Beltran stared a curveball from Adam Wainwright all the way into the glove of Yadier Molina, thus ending the series.

I also find it appalling that many choose this one playoff at-bat to define Beltran’s career. Do they forget that Beltran owns the highest career OPS in Major League Baseball post season history? Or that he is a career 11/11 in stolen base attempts during games in October?

Enough about the post season. Beltran’s career batting average at .283 is higher than that of Hall of Famers Willie Stargell and Larry Doby. His career OPS surpasses that of George Brett and Al Kaline. If his eight All Star nominations (equivalent to the number reached by Andre Dawson, Darryl Strawberry, and Chipper Jones) and his eight 100 RBI seasons aren’t Hall of Fame worthy, well, he’s sixth in WAR among active players, and he’s only 36.

He still has maybe three more decent years before he decides to hang up the spikes. And according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that’s exactly how many more years Beltran actually wants to play. So let’s say Beltran gets into the Hall of Fame. What team’s cap should he wear? Which team deserves it? Let’s find out.

Beltran has played for five teams. The Royals, the Astros, the Mets, the Giants, and he currently wears the uniform of the Cardinals. We can eliminate two of those right away. Beltran played in Houston for all of three months, so bye bye ‘Stros. Beltran was traded to the Giants at the deadline in 2011 for Zack Wheeler and ended up playing in San Francisco for 44 games so no love in the Bay Area when the Hall of Fame comes knocking.

That leaves us with Kansas City, New York, and St. Louis. Beltran played for the Royals and Mets for six and a half seasons each, and he’s currently in his second year with the Cardinals. So let’s say Beltran plays his three more years with the Cardinals, and makes two more All Star teams. 10 selections sure isn’t bad. With that being said, the Cardinals do have to go, only because five years loses to six and a half in the end. Why do years matter? Well, look at history. Gary Carter went in to the Hall of Fame as an Expo because he played more years there than he did in New York despite having some of his greatest seasons in the Big Apple.

So we’re down to two. The Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets. Let’s take a look at what Beltran did in a Royals uniform. Despite only receiving one All Star spot in his tenure, the 1999 American League Rookie of the Year hit .287 with 123 HR while he was there. He lost his starting center field job in 2000 to Johnny Damon but got his job, and his Rookie of the Year form, back in 2001 when he hit .306 and recorded 101 RBI. Beltran went on to hit over .300 once more during his time in Kansas City. All in all, a solid career in the state of Missouri.

And now for an analysis of his Mets career. In his six and a half years in New York, Beltran hit .280 with 559 RBI and 149 HR. Not to mention his two years with ten or more assists. He was named to the NL All Star squad six times and racked up three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers for his mantle. His time with the Mets was shortened by injury, hitting only 17 HR from 2009-2010, but despite this still managed to play at least 60 games in every year. Beltran recorded 100 stolen bases and managed to get caught only 16 times. He finished with an above average OPS at .869 and his SLG was an even .500. A brilliant career in New York that is unfortunately overshadowed by one pitch.

So now the decision. Beltran stole 164 bases and hit .287 with the Royals, but hit 149 HR and drove in 559 runs with the Mets. He posted a 129 OPS+ with the Amazins and a 111+ OPS with KC. Beltran also posted a 31.1 WAR with the Mets, and 24.6 with the Royals. He can’t go into the Hall with two hats, so….

The post MMO Flashback: Beltran Will Go Into The Hall Of Fame As A… appeared first on Metsmerized.

Carlos Beltran told Mike Puma of the NY Post that he wouldn’t be against a return to the Mets when he becomes a free agent this offseason.

“Maybe I’ll see you, maybe I won’t,” Beltran said laughing when asked about a return to the Mets. “I’m going to listen to everybody and we’ll see what happens.”

According to sources, Beltran spoke with Mets COO Jeff Wilpon at the All-Star Game in July, and the two sides may have patched up old wounds. Beltran did acknowledge on Saturday that he spoke with Wilpon, but declined to specify what was discussed.

The Mets will have some level of interest in the 36-year-old Beltran, according to what a source told Puma, but they do have concerns about his diminished range in right field.

Beltran batted .296 with an .836 OPS for the Cardinals this season. In 600 plate appearances he racked up 30 doubles, 24 homers and 84 RBIs.

Original Post 10/3

St. Louis outfielder Carlos Beltran led the assault as the Cardinals pounded the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-1 in Game 1 of the NLDS on Thursday.

Before a sellout crowd of 45,693 delirious Cardinal fans, Beltran blasted a three-run bomb off Pirates starter A.J. Burnett that rocketed its way into the second deck of Busch Stadium. The 443-foot blast was the second-longest ever hit in the ballpark by a left-handed batter.

When Beltran came out of the dugout for a curtain call, the stadium let out a thunderous roar of approval. It was the latest chapter in Beltran’s historic post-season career and with tonight’s homer he equaled Babe Ruth with 15 playoff home runs.

An All-Star for the eighth time this year, Beltran is the all-time postseason leader in slugging (.782) and OPS (1.252), while ranking sixth all-time and first among actives in on-base percentage (.470).

Perhaps Matt Snyder of CBS Sports presents the strongest case for why Beltran has put together a convincing Hall of Fame resumé…

He has the highest career postseason slugging percentage and OPS (1.238) in baseball history. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Beltran has the second highest home run rate in postseason play (15 homers in 129 at-bats — so one home run for every 8.6 at-bats), trailing only Babe Ruth. Ever heard of him? In terms of postseason play, an argument could be made Beltran is the best postseason hitter of all-time.

We’re talking about a guy with over 350 homers and 300 stolen bases. Here are the only players in baseball history to have done that: Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez, Andre Dawson and Beltran.

The eight-time All-Star Beltran carries a career triple-slash line of .283/.359/.496, good enough for a 122 OPS+ (22 percent better than the league average throughout his entire career). His 67.5 WAR (baseball-reference.com version) puts him 83rd among position players in history. That might not sound impressive, but we need to think about just how many thousands upon thousands of position players have even taken the field. He also has 446 doubles, getting him close to the top 100 ever (104th right now).

Also, take note of the players who accumulated less WAR over their respective careers: Roberto Alomar, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Craig Biggio, Andre Dawson, Willie McCovey, Dave Winfield, Billy Williams, Richie Ashburn, Mark McGwire, Harmon Killebrew, Yogi Berra and, well, you get the idea.

The post Beltran Doesn’t Rule Out A Return To The Mets appeared first on Metsmerized.

Beltran has played for five teams. The Royals, the Astros, the Mets, the Giants, and he currently wears the uniform of the Cardinals. We can eliminate two of those right away. Beltran played in Houston for all of three months, so bye bye ‘Stros. Beltran was traded to the Giants at the deadline in 2011 for Zack Wheeler and ended up playing in San Francisco for 44 games so no love in the Bay Area when the Hall of Fame comes knocking.

That leaves us with Kansas City, New York, and St. Louis. Beltran played for the Royals and Mets for six and a half seasons each, and he’s currently in his second year with the Cardinals. So say Beltran plays his three more years with the Cardinals, and makes two more All Star teams. 10 selections sure isn’t bad. With that being said, the Cardinals do have to go, only because five years loses to six and a half in the end. Why do years matter? Well, look at history. Gary Carter went in to the Hall of Fame as an Expo because he played more years (12) than he did in New York (5) despite having some of his greatest seasons in the Big Apple.

So we’re down to two. The Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets. Let’s take a look at what Beltran did in a Royals uniform. Despite only receiving one All Star spot in his tenure, the 1999 American League Rookie of the Year hit .287 with 123 HR while he was there. He lost his starting center field job in 2000 to Johnny Damon but got his job, and his Rookie of the Year form, back in 2001 when he hit .306 and recorded 101 RBI. Beltran went on to hit over .300 once more in his time in Kansas City. All in all, a solid career in the state of Missouri.

And now for an analysis of his Mets career. In his six and a half years in New York, Beltran hit .280 with 559 RBI and 149 HR. Not to mention his two years with ten or more assists. He was named to the NL All Star squad six times and racked up three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers for his mantle. His time with the Mets was shortened by injury, hitting only 17 HR from 2009-2010, but despite this still managed to play at least 60 games in every year. Beltran recorded 100 stolen bases and managed to get caught only 16 times. He finished with an above average OPS at .869 and his SLG was an even .500. A brilliant career in New York that is unfortunately overshadowed by one pitch.

So now the decision. Beltran stole 164 bases and hit .287 with the Royals, but hit 149 HR and drove in 559 runs with the Mets. He can’t be in the Hall with two hats, so he must wear…that of the New York Mets.

The post Beltran’s Cooperstown Headgear appeared first on Metsmerized.

Jennie Finch Takes The Mound At Celebrity Softball Game

This past Sunday I had the privilege of attending All-Star Sunday at Citi Field.  Since tickets to the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby were through the roof,it was a fun and inexpensive way to get to Flushing to see Citi Field dressed to the nines for All-Star Week. Most that were there came for the Future’s Game, however by the end of the day, I found myself talking more about another event; the Celebrity Softball Game.

Once the Future’s Game ended, the crowd thinned out a bit, allowing for a closer view of the game. I was not concerned with the celebrities, only the Legends. That is with exception to Jenny Finch, she had my attention as well as several other fans, one of which called out for her hand in marriage.

Some of baseball’s finest living talent was on hand for a fun scrimmage. Kevin Millar and Chris Rose had sideline interviews with many of the different players while also providing commentary during at-bats. Everyone was in a good mood and was all-smiles; it was just a pure, fun event.

Being a younger fan, I never saw some of these guys play. Granted it is softball, Darryl Strawberry was in the batter’s box at Citi Field, I saw Ozzie Smith make three nice plays, I watched Andre Dawson touch ’em all, I witnessed Rollie Fingers‘ mustache with my own two eyes.

For one last time I got to see my favorite all-time Met Mike Piazza behind the plate in Flushing. Rickey was being Rickey, Bernie was being Bernie, and comedian Kevin James face planted into second base.

I found myself cheering and getting into the event just as much as I have with any regular Mets game. When James caught that hot-shot from Craig Carton, the whole crowd was on their feet. When Piazza ripped a home run, everyone went crazy. As funny as it sounds, it was electric while also having a relaxed, Sunday afternoon-vibe to it.

The greatest storyline to come out of the event was Marine Corps Veteran Josh Wege, who lost the lower portion of both of his legs in an explosion in Afghanistan. Wege made a great diving attempt on a fly ball in the first, had a single and drilled a key two-run homer to earn MVP honors and a post-game interview with ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian. After the game was over, hundreds of people swarmed behind the home dugout, tossing baseballs, hats, programs and gloves to Wege to sign. It was incredible to see a true American hero be honored in such a way.

All-in-all it was fun-filled eight hours of baseball on Sunday, and in the end was probably more fun than I would have had scrambling for a view on the Shea Bridge with a Standing Room Only ticket to the All-Star Game, and a fraction of the cost.

The post Celebrity Softball Game: The Underrated Gem Of The All-Star Festivities appeared first on Metsmerized.

We compare Wright against Sandberg, Dawson, and Jones to determine whether David Wright is on track for the Hall of Fame.

A few days ago, the guys on MLB Now were talking about David Wright‘s chances at the Hall of Fame. He had just recorded his 1,500 hit of his career, and those sorts of milestones tend to bring up this kind of debate.

So is David Wright a future Hall of Famer? Obviously we don’t have the answer to that question yet, but we can certainly use Wright’s career numbers up to this point to see if he is at least on track to Cooperstown.

To do this, I will use three players whose numbers are very similar to Wright’s. The first two are Ryne Sandberg and Andre Dawson, who each got in with just over 75% of the vote. The third is a certain future Hall of Famer: Chipper Jones. Let’s see how they compare.

Offensive Production

Offense has definitely been David Wright’s bread and butter. A consistent .300/.390/.500 hitter, Wright has been one of the top offensive players in the game, and one of best (and at times, the best) third baseman in baseball.

He stacks up very well with Sandberg, Dawson, and Jones through age 30:

Dawson: 1313 G, .279/.324/.476, 205 HR, 760 RBI, 235 SB

Sandberg: 1389 G, .287/.342/.452, 179 HR, 649 RBI, 275 SB

Jones: 1252 G, .309/.404/.544, 253 HR, 837 RBI, 114 SB

Wright: 1334 G, .301/.382/.507, 216 HR, 859 RBI, 178 SB

As you can see, Wright stacks up just as well with Dawson, Sandberg, and Jones in a few catagories, and has significantly better slash lines than Dawson and Sandberg. Jones is considered a much better player than Wright, but Wright’s numbers still stack up well against him.

Clutchness

One can’t evaluate offensive performance without evaluating how a player performs in the high leverage situations. The issue here is the fact that Wright, Sandberg, and Dawson each have very little postseason experience, while Jones has almost 100 games in October under his belt. Here is how they compare on this front:

Dawson: 15 G, .186/.238/.237, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 2 SB

Sandberg: 10 G, .385/.457/.641, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 3 SB

Jones: 93 G, .287/.409/.456, 13 HR, 47 RBI, 8 SB

Wright: 10 G, .216/.310/.378, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB

With only these small sample sizes, you can’t really judge (with the exception of Jones), how “clutch” a player is. Dawson, Sandberg, and Wright frankly haven’t been on good enough teams to even be put in those high leverage postseason situations, while Jones has the luxury of making the playoffs on 12 different occasions. Now we have to dig into regular season stats to find an answer. To do this, I look at batting lines in “high leverage” situations, moments in the game that have a big influence on the outcome of the game.

Dawson: 2428 PA, .278/.331/.456

Sandberg: 1792 PA, .290/.352/.462

Jones: 2085 PA, .304/.406/.513

Wright: 1227 PA, .316/.389/.518

Now looking at batting lines in clutch situations is great, but it’s also important to put them in context with a player’s normal production. For that, you look at tOPS+, which is OPS+ specifically for that player’s production. So instead of 100 being league average, it’s a player’s normal production, with each digit higher or lower representing one percent better or worse than normal. Out of the four players we’re looking at, Sandberg and Wright are tied for the highest tOPS+ with 104, meaning they are four percent better than usual in high leverage situations. Dawson has a 97 tOPS+ and Jones has a tOPS+ of 98 in those situations. It’s safe to say Wright comes up big in tense situations pretty often, or at least more often than some of his comparables.

Run Environment

Just as with clutchness, you need to consider run environment when evaluating a player’s production to really put it into context. For this, the easiest metric to use is park factors. Wrigley Field, the home of Sandberg his entire career, has historically been one of the easiest park’s to hit and score in. With its smaller dimensions, it’s one of the best parks for home run hitters. Dawson played the first half in a very neutral stadium in Montreal. Turner Field, where Chipper Jones played his home games, slightly favors hitters as well. Meanwhile, Shea Stadium has historically been a very pitcher-friendly ballpark, with park factors for home runs and hits in the bottom third of the league most years. Citi Field has been even friendlier to pitchers.

Simply using OPS+ takes the park factors out, meaning the advantages and disadvantages of certain ballparks are removed. Here are their OPS+ marks through age 30:

Dawson: 122 OPS+

Sandberg: 115 OPS+

Jones: 143 OPS+

Wright: 136 OPS+

Defense

Defense is always the toughest aspect to evaluate. The stats aren’t as advanced as they are for hitting and pitching, and judging defense with the naked eye often produces shaky results. Nonetheless, it’s clear that this is David Wright’s weakest point. He has had a very up-and-down career at third, and both the stats and the eye can tell you that. Jones is very similar to Wright on defense, and is wildly inconsistent. Dawson and Sandberg have the edge here, as they were both dazzling defenders with fantastic range. Here is how they stack up in both the traditional metrics (fielding percentage) and modern metrics (Range Factor/9 innings):

Fielding Percentage:

Dawson (OF): .983

Sandberg (2B): .989

Jones (3B): .954

Wright (3B): .954

Range Factor per 9 innings

Dawson: 2.39

Sandberg: 5.31

Jones: 2.42

Wright: 2.65

 Positional/Era Comparison

Every era is different, and every position is different as well. At the corner infield and outfield positions, there tend to be more productive offensive players. During different time periods, the league may be low on power-hitting third baseman, for example, so putting a player’s production in context with their era and their position in that era is important. For this, we’ll have to go through each player one-by-one.

Andre Dawson

Ryne Sandberg

Chipper Jones

David Wright

While Dawson and Sandberg were among the best at their position, both Wright and Jones were among the best in all of baseball.

Verdict

It is hard for people to compare players like Wright to Hall of Famers because their careers aren’t over yet. At first glance, you may think that Wright is nowhere near any of these players, and you’d be right. That’s completely unfair to Wright, however, because he is only 30 years old. We have the luxury of being ably to look back at the second half of Dawson’s, Sandberg’s, and Jones’s careers and see all the great things they did past 30, while we can’t see that with Wright. When you get past that, however, you begin to see that Wright is unquestionably on the path to Cooperstown.

The post David Wright And The Hall Of Fame appeared first on Metsmerized.

Updated 12:15 PM

David Wright on Wednesday joined New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Mets favorites in kicking off this year’s All-Star Game festivities at City Hall, with less than three months to go before the Midsummer Classic at Citi Field.

Wright was named Major League Baseball’s official spokesman for the T-Mobile All-Star FanFest, to be held at the Jacob K. Javits Center from July 12-16, while former Mets Edgardo Alfonzo, John Franco and Mookie Wilson were anointed All-Star ambassadors.

“All-Star FanFest is the world’s largest baseball fan event and is a great experience for the whole family,” Wright said in a statement. “Just like New York City, FanFest has something for everyone, and I am proud to be a part of the home team as we host this exciting event.”

As FanFest’s official spokesperson, Wright will help to generate public awareness for the event and make appearances in support of it. Alfonzo, Franco and Wilson, meanwhile, will take part in an array of All-Star events leading up to and throughout MLB All-Star Week.

Some attractions include:

• The Diamond – Located at the center of T-Mobile All-Star FanFest, this attraction features daily clinics and appearances by MLB players, managers and other experts. Past appearances have included George Brett, Tony Gwynn, Torii Hunter, Derek Jeter, Cal Ripken, Jr. and many other MLB greats
• Legends Autograph Program – Free autographs from Hall of Famers and MLB legends. Players such as Andre Dawson, Rollie Fingers, Ferguson Jenkins and Juan Marichal have previously signed for fans at T-Mobile All-Star FanFest
• National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum – Take a stroll through Baseball’s glorious past and experience the history of the national pastime with one of the largest collections of artifacts on loan from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown
• The Negro Leagues – A compelling visual journey back in time, the Negro Leagues attraction brings to life the heroic history of some of the game’s proudest and most talented players
• Hometown Heroes – Hometown Heroes showcases the New York Mets history, roots in the community and promise for the future
• World’s Largest Baseball – What better way to welcome families to the largest baseball fan event in the world than with the World’s Largest Baseball? The signature white leather, red-laced ball measures 12 feet in diameter and features the signatures of baseball greats such as Hank Aaron, Rod Carew, Derek Jeter, Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith and Ted Williams

The All-Star Game will return to Queens this summer for the first time since 1964, when the Mets hosted it during Shea Stadium’s inaugural season. New York City has played host to the Midsummer Classic eight times, most recently at the old Yankee Stadium in 2008.

Citi Field opened in 2009 after more than a decade of planning and construction; its completion coincided with the demolition of Shea Stadium, which the Mets called home for 45 seasons. Owner Fred Wilpon recently called the All-Star Game a chance to “show off the ballpark,” which was constructed to resemble old Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

New York City has hosted the All-Star Game nine times, but this year’s game will be the first in Queens since 1964. New York last hosted the Midsummer Classic in 2008 at old Yankee Stadium.

Including the space in 54 luxury boxes, six clubs and restaurants, Citi Field can hold up to 41,922 fans at maximum capacity. Opened in 2009, the ballpark is within steps of the Citi Field-Willets Point stop on the New York City subway’s elevated No. 7 line.

The post Wright Named Official Spokesman For 2013 All Star FanFest appeared first on Metsmerized.

In one of the closest votes in Hall of Fame history, Dawson was named on 77.9% of the 539 ballots cast by the members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.  His 420 votes were fifteen more than the 405 needed to gain election into the Hall.  Dawson was the only player voted in by the BBWAA, as Bert Blyleven and former Met Roberto Alomar fell just short of baseball immortality.

Blyleven’s name was on 74.2% of the ballots (400 votes; five short of election) and Alomar was named on 73.7% of the ballots (397 votes; eight short of election).  No player receiving at least 70% of the vote has ever failed to eventually be elected into the Hall of Fame.

Dawson played 17 of his 21 seasons in the major leagues for the Montreal Expos and the Chicago Cubs, winning the 1977 NL Rookie of The Year Award for the Expos and the 1987 NL MVP Award for the Cubs.  He was a five-tool player who combined power, speed and a cannon for an arm.  Opposing pitchers feared him as did opposing baserunners, at least those who were smart enough not to try to take an extra base on him.  For his defensive excellence, Dawson earned eight Gold Glove Awards.  Offensively, very few hitters could compare to Dawson’s power-speed combination.  Only three players in baseball history have hit 400 HR while racking up 300 SB.  Those players are Barry Bonds (762 HR, 514 SB), Willie Mays (660 HR, 338 SB) and Andre Dawson (438 HR, 314 SB).

Perhaps the most well-known story about the Hawk, as Dawson was called, was how he gave Cubs GM (and former Mets manager) Dallas Green a blank contract so that he could play for the Cubs on natural grass after the artificial turf in Montreal had played havoc with his knees.  In 1987, while playing for only $500,000, Dawson had the best season of his career, leading the league with 49 HR and 137 RBI for the Cubs.  He won the MVP Award despite the fact that the Cubs finished in last place.

Numerous former Mets were also on the Hall of Fame ballot, led by the near-miss of Roberto Alomar.  Robbie was quite possibly the best second baseman of his generation.  He won ten Gold Gloves for his defensive excellence and was a 12-time All-Star.  Alomar retired at the relatively young age of 36, preventing him from reaching the coveted 3,000 hit plateau.  (He finished with 2,724.)  Other offensive highlights include a career .300 batting average, 1,508 runs scored, 210 HR and 474 SB.  He also helped his teams make the postseason seven times, winning two World Series rings with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993.

Unfortunately for the Mets and their fans, Alomar’s last good season was as a member of the Cleveland Indians in 2001, the year BEFORE he became a Met.  In his 1½ seasons in New York, Robbie only hit .265 with 13 HR and 22 SB, far below the offensive output expected of him.  His Gold Glove streak also ended once he came to the Mets, as did his streak of appearing in a dozen consecutive All-Star Games.

Four other former Mets were on the ballot, including Robin Ventura and Todd Zeile.  The others were the mostly-forgotten Kevin Appier and David Segui.  None of the four players received the minimum 5% of the votes required to remain on the Hall of Fame ballot for future consideration.  Ventura and Zeile, both members of the 2000 National League Champion Mets received seven votes and no votes, respectively.  Appier and Segui somehow each managed to get one voter to feel sorry for them.

Next year, two former Mets will make their first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot, as John Franco and John Olerud will be eligible for enshrinement.  Other first-timers with the best chances for election include Jeff Bagwell, Rafael Palmeiro, Larry Walker and Juan Gonzalez.  It will be interesting to see how Palmeiro does with the voters, considering that he tested positive after adamantly saying before Congress that he had never taken steroids…period.  However, he is one of the few players in baseball history with 3,000 hits and 500 HR.

So how do the readers feel about this year’s Hall of Fame vote?  Were you surprised that Alomar didn’t get elected on his first try?  Did you think Edgar Martinez (.312 career average, two batting titles, over 500 doubles, over 300 HR) was slighted because he was primarily used as a DH?  What about Barry Larkin?  Should he have gotten more attention from the voters?  Would you like to give the writer who voted for David Segui a drug test?  Who do you think will be elected in 2011?  The floor is all yours.  Talk amongst yourselves!

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2B Roberto Alomar – An all-around threat in a 17-season career that included World Series championship years with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 and ’93. Alomar won 10 Gold Glove Awards for fielding and was a career .300 hitter with 2,724 hits, combining power (210 home runs) and speed (474 stolen bases). Alomar, part of a major-league family (father Sandy and brother Sandy Jr.), was the MVP of the American League Championship Series in 1992 and the All-Star Game in 1998.

SS Barry Larkin – The National League MVP in 1995, spent his 19-season career with the Cincinnati Reds and won a World Series ring in 1990. A .295 hitter with 2,340 hits, including 198 home runs, Larkin won three Gold Gloves and was named to 12 All-Star teams.

1B Fred McGriff – Led the AL in home runs in 1989 for Toronto and the NL in 1992 for San Diego and finished with a career total of 493, tied with Lou Gehrig for 26th place all-time. McGriff, a .284 career hitter with 2,490 hits and 1,550 RBI, was the All-Star Game MVP in 1994 and batted .303 with 37 RBI in 50 post-season games winning a ring with the Atlanta Braves in 1995.

DH Edgar Martinez – For whom the AL Designated Hitter Award is now named, won batting titles in 1992 and 1995 with the Seattle Mariners, his only club over 18 seasons. Martinez compiled a career .312 average with 2,247 hits, 309 home runs among them. He drove in 1,261 runs and scored 1,219.

Other freshmen include pitchers Pat Hentgen, Kevin Appier, Mike Jackson and Shane Reynolds, and hitters Andres Galarraga, Todd Zeile, David Segui, Robin Ventura, Ellis Burks and Ray Lankford.

Players who carried over from last year’s ballot include pitchers Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris and Lee Smith, plus hitters Andre Dawson, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Tim Raines, Don Mattingly, Mark McGwire, Alan Trammell and Harold Baines.

Candidates may remain under consideration for up to 15 years provided they are named on at least five percent of the ballots cast.

According to the rules, those eligible to cast a ballot can vote for as many as ten players on one ballot. A player who who receives a vote on 75% of all ballots cast gains election to Cooperstown.

I read an interesting column by Newsday’s Ken Davidoff, who has decided to soften his stance and vote for Mark McGwire. I always felt that eventually McGwire would get in anyway, and I wonder if it could happen in 2010?

If I were one of those lucky enough to vote, my ballot would look like this.

1. Andre Dawson
2. Roberto Alomar
3. Barry Larkin
4. Edgar Martinez
5. Tim Raines

Just Missed – Bert Blyleven, Mark McGwire, Alan Trammell and Fred McGriff

Your thoughts?

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