Jim Rice: Hall of Fame Case

This week, the Hall of Fame released its ballot for the 2009 induction. Many names are on the last. One is a shoe-in (Rickey Henderson), several have been there forever (Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris), and some have no shot (Dan Plesac, Ron Gant, and Mo Vaughn). You can argue some that should get votes (Tim Raines, Lee Smith, and Andre Dawson).

Yet one name seems to draw the most heated debate, Jim Rice.

I'll admit, part of my case for him is sentimental. In 1987, I attended my first Red Sox game (at least that I can recall). The Sox weren't playing well, and my grandfather and I were able to move right behind the dugout as the game moved into the late innings.

With the Red Sox trailing, Rice stepped to the plate. Not only did he hit a home run to beat the Twins 7-6, he came out for a curtain call directly in front of me. I couldn't have been more excited.

He enters the 2009 ballot in his final year of voter eligibility before he has to wait for the Veteran's Committee to take up his case. Rice has come close on more than one occasion, but has not been able to get into Cooperstown without buying a ticket.

I've spent time arguing both for and against his inclusion. Recently, I sat down with several of the 'Table's members and we got into a heated debate. In the end, we thought his inclusion was necessary. 

Players described Rice as the most feared hitter in baseball during his run in the '70s and '80s. They talked about how he dominated the game for virtually a ten-year stretch of time.

The problem, however, is that it is hard to measure dominance and fear. Statistics are our best tool to help tell the story.

Rice matches up more than most people think when compared to other Hall of Fame-caliber players.

Let's go through the case.

Dick Bresciani is basically the Red Sox de-facto historian. He put a piece on MLB.com that referred to some of the major contributions Rice made to the game with his bat. His points, and others, are worth noting.

During his 16-year career, Jim Rice hit 382 home runs and drove in 1,451 runs. That's the best of any player that played in the American League over that stretch of time. He topped 20 home runs 11 times, had 100 RBI eight times, and was an eight-time All-Star. He finished in the top-five of MVP voting six times.

He was a 40-home run hitter before it was cool, and before the era of steroids.

Rice the only American League player to finish in the top-five in MVP voting at least six times between 1963 and 2005. Of the 16 players that have done this in MLB history, 12 are HOF-eligible. Eleven are enshrined, with Rice being the exception.

From 1975-1986, Jim Rice's totals led the league in 12 offensive categories. He is in the top-five in two others. He hit over 350 home runs in that period, and did it with a .304 batting average. Rice is one of 14 players to have more than 200 hits and 100 RBI in four or more seasons.

Of those players, only he and Steve Garvey aren't in the Hall of Fame.

According to baseball-reference.com, Jim Rice and his numbers are better in fewer games than Orlando Cepeda and Duke Snider, both Hall of Famers.

So why isn't he in? His career totals fall just short in key categories. He is just shy of 400 home runs, and his career average took a tumble during his final seasons as he went down to .298. He also finished with under 2,500 hits for his career.

And, by all accounts, he was not nice to the media. Rice spoke out when it wasn't the proper thing for any athlete to do. During spring training one season, he spoke out against the still segregated facilities in Florida. At the time that just wasn't thought of.

Rice rarely spoke to the press, and didn't enjoy it when he had to. Many say he was hard to deal with.

The Baseball Hall of Fame isn't perfect. I've made arguments against several that have already been inducted based on their skills. The Hall has players that have been worse to the media, and players that have been viewed as less than perfect based on their societal views (Ty Cobb).

There is precedent for electing members that produced incredible numbers in a short period of time. Sandy Koufax dominated for a finite period of time, not for a long stretch. You can argue some day we will do the same for Pedro Martinez. So have many others that have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The Hall needs to reward dominance in the same way they do longevity.

Jim Rice is on his last legs. Let's hope the writers use this ballot to put a check mark by his name and put him in his rightful place.

Note: Some material from MLB.com is referenced in this piece. Stats can be found on baseball-reference.com for comparisons.