The NEWS HOF Gauge recognizes two small groups of pitchers as having HOF numbers even though they did not reach the NEWS criterion of 235 for a starting pitcher.

1. The 180/2400 Standard - Starters and starter/reliever

There are only five pitchers in the 20^th century who have attained a NEWS score of 180 while pitching in fewer than 2400 innings. Three of these pitchers were starters and the other two are better known for their relief efforts. According to the NEWS Gauge, all five have HOF numbers. Here they are:

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He is probably the only player other than Gehrig who can reasonably be considered the greatest first baseman ever in terms of peak value. The reason I say that is that the other top contenders, most notably (Jimmie) Foxx and (Willie) McCovey, were the same type of players that Gehrig was, and thus they can be directly compared to him, a comparison that they clearly lose. But the man I’m referring to was a different type of player, he didn’t have the home run pop, but he hit for a higher average, was faster and a better defensive player than Gehrig, and the comparison between the two is not easy.-Bill James, The Historical Baseball Abstract.

Who, you ask, was this great first baseman?

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According to the NEWS HOF Gauge, only eighty-four (84) position players in the 20^th century have attained HOF numbers with a NEWS score of 280. That is a very select club. But there were nine other position players who also achieved HOF numbers even though they had relatively short careers.

There have only been eleven position players during the 20^th century who have attained a NEWS score of at least 255 despite having played fewer than 1800 games. And all eleven of these players have been elected to the Hall. Here they are. (The first number is games played while the second is the NEWS score.)

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I never like to assume, so once again a quick clarification from the previous segment:

In Step #4, Leagues Park Difference, the 13% Park Difference will expand or contract depending on the SPECIFIC parks a player is coming from and going to. For example, if a Japanese player is moving from pitcher-friendly Koshien Kyujo in NPB to hitter-friendly Coors Field in MLB, that 13% difference would be much smaller – perhaps 6% instead of 13%.

Secondly the statistics that follow are Major League Equivalents and not actual NPB statistics. For the NPB stats check this site.

Now, finally, on to the MLEs, and first up is……….(DRUM ROLL PLEASE)…………

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Larry Macdonald, a good friend of mine for the last 10 years or so, and an original member of the Seamheads.com Diamond Kings Baseball League, made a sacrifice for another friend that makes me proud to know him. Macdonald donated a kidney to Jim Rosenbeck, a friend he’d met while playing in the same fantasy baseball league, and quite possibly saved Jim’s life. Their story aired on ESPN on Thanksgiving Day and if you missed it you can see the interview at YouTube.com. 

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Marvin Miller was not elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans’ Committee on Dec. 3, 2007 and he was upset. This is some of what he said (as reported by the Associated Press).

“I think it was rigged, but not to keep me out. It was rigged to bring some of these (people) in. It’s not a pretty picture. … It’s demeaning to the Hall and demeaning to the people in it.”

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The NEWS HOF Gauge (based on Win Shares) has set performance standards for players and pitchers in order to determine whether they have the numbers to be considered serious candidates for the Hall of Fame. These are tough standards as is evidenced by the fact that only 93 position players and 49 pitchers (who played during the 20^th century) have HOF numbers according to the NEWS Gauge.

Five of these 142 players are on the 2008 BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot. Three are pitchers and two are position players. Here are the five players.

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In 1922 a 31-year-old seemingly washed up fireballer hit the major league scene with ten years of minor league experience under his belt and an 0-4 record and 4.09 ERA from three failed trials with major league clubs. By the end of the season he would be Brooklyn’s second best pitcher behind Dutch Ruether and would embark on a 14-year odyssey that would see him become the National League’s strikeout king for the next seven consecutive seasons, as well as its MVP in 1924. This after recovering from an inflamed elbow diagnosed in 1916 that took exactly five years to heal, just as his doctor had predicted. Who, you ask, is this unlikely hero?

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