Future HOFer's; Hall No!
Just say the word Cooperstown and you immediately think of the Baseball Hall Of Fame.
Last year this sleepy, little town in Upstate New York hosted over 350,000 visitors a year, including over 20,000 just for Induction Weekend Ceremonies in mid-Summer.
Its something that every baseball fan should see at least once in their lifetime. I'm already excited to someday bring my son there, and he's only two!
Although anyone can buy a ticket to see all the exhibits and get in, not every player who thinks they deserve enshrinement gets in.
To avoid major controversy, I've avoided possible steroid guys such as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmiero and Mark McGwire. And Pete Rose, well he's in a league of his own.
Here is a short list of some players that have some nice stats, had a great career or lasted quite a bit, but they'll never be called, Hall of Famers!
Mike Mussina
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Mike Mussina had the fortune of playing of some excellent teams. Sure, he was part of Joe Torre's perennial Yankee Powerhouses but he actually never won a World Series as he didn't join New York until the 2001 campaign.
What many forget is that Mussina also toiled in Baltimore for some excellent Oriole teams that made the playoffs in 1996 and 1997 under Davey Johnson.
Mussina strikes me as a guy that is right on the cusp of Cooperstown but someone that is inevitably going to fall short.
His 270 wins are impressive, tying him with Burleigh Grimes for 32nd all time. Even the lifetime ERA of 3.68 is not too shabby considering he pitched in the Steroid Era. He won 20 games only once, his final season, in 2008 at age 39. The six gold gloves awards are also part of a nice resume, too.
Yes, he also recorded a .638 winning percentage, but again, that was certainly helped by playing on some excellent teams, and excellent hitting teams as well. Thus, you can credit him with never having a losing season in the big leagues.
But was there ever a time where you might have said Mussina was one of the best in the game? No. Was there ever a time where he was one of the most dominating or feared pitchers in the game? No. Was he even the best pitcher on his team during most of his years? Probably not.
In addition, if you throw out the 20 win season of 2008, his numbers the previous four seasons are quite ordinary. Winning 51 games over this period, his ERA was as high as 5.15 in 2007, to the point that the Yankees passed him over in the playoffs against Cleveland.
Future Hall of Famer? I'll pass.
Curt Schilling
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I know I'm going to get grief over this one. Especially from Red Sox Nation.
Yes, the guy was a huge part of ending The Curse and the Bloody Sock will forever be a part of Red Sox history.
Yes, his 11-2 postseason record is impressive. The 2.23 ERA is even more special. Trust me, if I wanted a win in a big game, this is definitely the guy I'd want taking the ball for my team.
Unfortunately for Curt, the Hall of Fame is not just about his 19 postseason starts. He finished with 216 career wins. The same number as knuckleballer Charlie Hough. Even ageless Jamie Moyer has 42 more wins!
The six-time All Star never won a Cy Young Award either, finishing 2nd on three different occasions.
Future Hall of Famer? Perhaps down the road, but definitely not for the first few years.
Jorge Posada
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Jorge Posada is another guy that has had the fortune of playing on some spectacular teams.
Part of the Big Three Core of Yankee veterans: Posada, Jeter and Rivera.
I give him extra points for being a catcher and obviously playing the most physically demanding position on the field. Now at age 39, the Yankees have made him their fulltime DH going into the upcoming season as his catching days are behind him.
This five time All Star has never finished higher than 3rd in MVP voting and that was for a wonderful season in 2003. He's only had more than 100 RBI's once. He's never been a great defensive catcher. He has less than 1600 career hits going into the current season. Compare him to say, Carlton Fisk, who had a lower lifetime batting average, but Fisk had over 2300 career hits. In the more recent era, Gary Carter retired with more RBI's and over 2000 hits.
An all-time Yankee? Yes. Future Hall of Famer? Sorry.
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Fred McGriff
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Fred McGriff is a guy that kind of falls under the radar but a case can be made either way for Cooperstown enshrinement.
Falling just short of the magical 500 HR mark by just seven, McGriff had a great career on some excellent teams. Finishing with 493 homers puts him at 26th alltime, tied with Lou Gehrig.
McGriff was a 5-time All Star who never finished higher than 4th in MVP balloting. He had some excellent years with Toronto, Atlanta and San Diego and even drove in 103 for the Cubs in 2002 as a 38 year old.
Eligible for the Hall since 2010, he garnered 22% of the vote last year and only 18% this year.
Another player with an excellent career, but NOT a Hall of Famer.
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