Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and More: The Cooperstown Debate

With the way the Baseball Hall of Fame vote went yesterday, it is obvious that the this is a very exclusive club. 

Just ask Jim Rice, who dominated the American League during his career. 

When you watch today's major leaguers, it is natural to look at one of your favorite superstars and say that he will one day join the greats in Cooperstown. 

My advice to you is that you may want to curb your enthusiasim. 

Here's a look at which of today's legends will be enshrined forever, and which will join the likes of Jack Morris and Andre Dawson on the outside looking in.

 
NO DOUBT HALL OF FAMERS

Greg Maddux

The Mad Dog is arguably the greatest pitcher of this generation.  Without the 100 MPH heater he was still able to win 347 games.  With a lot still left in the tank, he could be at 400 when all is said and done.

Tom Glavine

Like his teammate Maddux, Glavine got it done with guile and the ability to avoid injury.  He finally got win number 300 last year and will most likely retire after a one year stint with Atlanta in 2008.

John Smoltz

The third and final Brave starter who will make it also has three seasons as a dominant closer to go along with his 200 wins as a starter.  With his 3.11 ERA last year, Smoltz appears to have the most left out of the three.

Pedro Martinez

The three time Cy Young winner was the nastiest pitcher in baseball during the late 90's.  He will not finish anywhere close to 300 wins due to injuries but is third all time in win percentage.

Randy Johnson

One of the tallest players in baseball will leave some even bigger numbers behind him.  Johnson once won four straight Cy Young awards and could be the last pitcher to win 300 games.

Mariano Rivera

The Yankee legend is arguably the greatest closer of all-time and is one of the main reasons the Yankees were able to win so many titles.  In an era in which the closer was so important, Rivera was the best.

Trevor Hoffman

The greatest closer in NL history has been the face of the Padres franchise for over a decade.  Although he has struggled in big spots, his career record for saves are enough to get him in.

Chipper Jones

This may spark some debate, but Chipper is a Hall of Famer.  He was the Braves best hitter when they dominated the National League in the 1990's.  Jones should finish with close to 500 HR and a .300 AVG but should be in Cooperstown regardless.

Derek Jeter

A lot of people have argued that Jeter is just the product of a good team, but that's a terrible argument.  The heart and soul of the Yankee dynasty will reach 3,000 hits and currently has a .317 career AVG.

Ken Griffey Jr.

Many felt that Griffey would be the man to break Aaron's record when he tore apart the AL as a member of the Mariners.  He never reached those expectations due to injury riddled years with the Reds, but still has put together a Hall of Fame career.

Mike Piazza

Everyone knows that Mike Piazza is the greatest hitting catcher of all-time, but with his numbers he would go in at any position.  Piazza also helped rejuvenate a Mets franchise that was an embarassment during the 90's.

Craig Biggio

The latest member of the 3,000 hit club just wrapped up his final season in the majors.  He was one of the most consistent hitters of recent memory and was able to master several positions for the Astros.

Ivan Rodriguez

Many regard Pudge as one of the greatest defensive catchers ever, but his strong offensive numbers are what clinches his place in Cooperstown.  Rodriguez is also credited as one of the main reasons the Marlins won the 2003 World Series.

Jeff Kent

This is one guy who is lucky that he played second base.  If he plays any other position, Kent is not a Hall of Famer, but apparently just because he put up good numbers at second base he gets in.  It may not be fair, but it's true.

Alex Rodriguez

The only question here is will A-Rod hold the career HR record when he goes into Cooperstown.  With all the flack he catches from the media, it may be easy to forget just how amazing his numbers are.

Frank Thomas

The Big Hurt picked up his 500th HR last season which will make him a lock for the Hall of Fame.  Thomas was one of the AL's best hitters during the 90's.

Jim Thome

Like Thomas, Thome now has his 500th HR and will one day be in Cooperstown.  Thome was a key part of the Cleveland Indians in a time in which they put up some of the most impressive offensive numbers of his recent memory.

Manny Ramirez

He's so out there Manny himself probably doesn't even realize it, but he is arguably the greatest run producer of this or any other era.  Ramirez is 600 RBI shy of the all-time record and at 35, he has an outside chance of breaking the mark.

Vladimir Guerrero

Vlad has been an offensive machine since the day he came up with the Expos.  Guerrero has never hit under .300 and not even injuries have been able to stop him from putting up monster numbers.

Curt Schilling

The most debatable of all the selections on this list is Schilling.  Looking just at his regular season numbers, Schilling is a borderline Hall of Famer, but when you take into account his 10-2 record and 2.23 ERA in the postseason, Schilling should one day get the nod.

 
ON THE VERGE OF THE 10 YEARS OF SERVICE NEEDED

Ichiro Suzuki and Albert Pujols

Both players are off to truly amazing starts to their career and just need to play three more years to reach the minimum time needed.  This more applies to Ichiro because he is significantly older than Pujols.

 
STEROID ISSUES

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Gary Sheffield, and Miguel Tejada

If all of these guys never used performance enhancing drugs, they would be in the first section, but we've realized that once you are associated with cheating you struggle to get in (i.e. Mark McGwire).  Tejada may raise a few eyebrows to be included here, but when you take into account he plays SS, he would have had a good case without the steroid connection.

 
BORDERLINE

Andruw Jones

No one is arguing his defensive ability, but Jones right now does not have the offensive numbers to make it to Cooperstown.  With 368 HR at age 30, Jones will most likely wind up around 500, but if he does not improve his .263 career AVG, he may still struggle to get in.

David Ortiz

Big Papi has obviously been one of the most feared hitters in baseball since moving to Boston, but his lack of production in Minnesota may inevitably hurt his chances at Cooperstown.  He has only 266 HR and a .289 AVG and will therefore need 3-5 strong years to become Hall of Fame worthy.

Alfonso Soriano

This is one of those cases where everyone would agree that Soriano is one of the best hitters in baseball but when you look at his stats you wonder why.  Yes, Soriano went 40/40 once and fell one HR shy another time, but he has only topped 100 RBI twice and has a very poor OBP of .327.  He has a very similar case to Dawson's.

Todd Helton

The greatest Rockie of all-time put up some amazing numbers at Coors Field, but then again, so did Vinny Castilla and Dante Bichette.  Helton's .332 career AVG is definitely Hall of Fame worthy, but it appears he'll get a hard time from some voters because he played in Coors.

Carlos Delgado

One of the players helped out by the steroid era is Delgado, who is presumably clean and only 69 homers shy of 500.  If he reaches that number he should get in because he was one of the few clean power hitters of the era.  His case is very similar to Fred McGriff's.

Billy Wagner

Throughout his career Wagner has always been a notch below Hoffman and Rivera as a closer.  However, Wagner has still put up some amazing stats with 358 saves and a 2.40 ERA.  It's hard to picture Wagner as a Hall of Famer, but if he continues to put up numbers like he has, he could get there in a weak class like Goose Gossage.

Mike Mussina

The Moose has 250 career wins, but rarely has resembled a Hall of Fame caliber pitcher with the Yankees.  If he is able to re-invent himself like Tom Glavine and grab 300 wins he'll get there, but he's definitely not in right now.

Omar Vizquel

The defensive whiz has been able to play at an elite level in the field during his career but has not had enough good offensive seasons to get in.  Many people say he would have gotten in if he played 30 years ago, but he doesn't.  He plays now, so it may not work out for him.

Kenny Lofton

Once a member of those great offensive teams in Cleveland, Lofton has bounced around the league recently.  His career average is just a tad under .300 and has been member of numerous playoff teams.  However, it will most likely take the 572 hits he needs for 3,000 to get him in.

 
PITCHERS ON THE RIGHT PATH

Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Johan Santana, and Tim Hudson

All four of these guys are around 30 years old and have made very impressive starts to their career thus far.  It's basically a matter of staying healthy when it comes to their chances of becoming a member of the Hall of Fame.