Manny Ramirez has now joined those other superstars who have been tainted by the “steroids scandal.” And the obvious question in some peoples’ minds is what effect will this have on his chances for induction into the Hall of Fame.

More…

In creating the CAWS Career Gauge, I have defined a player’s Core Value (CV) to be the sum of a player’s win shares for his ten best seasons. This concept is at the heart of the Gauge. But why is a player’s CV important in determining whether he has HOF numbers?

More…

It is common knowledge that the Hall of Fame requires ten years of service at the major league level to be considered for induction. But I have always felt that the 10-year requirement was meant to imply more than that.

More…

I have put together a document entitled A HALL OF FAME HANDBOOK: Who Belongs and Who Does Not. This is a 100-page MS WORD monograph which contains an explanation of the CAWS Career Gauge (Career Assessment/Win Shares) as well as a number of articles that have appeared on this site.

More…

In a post to SABR-L, Bill Gilbert wrote that in 2013 the following players will appear on the BBWAA ballot for the first time: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, Sammy Sosa and Curt Schilling. The implication is, of course, that this is a very strong group – and indeed it is.

More…

The Psychology of Voting

In the previous two articles, I have stated that given the evidence supplied by Mark McGwire’s first three years of eligibility for the Hall of Fame, I do not believe that the BBWAA writers will ever elect him to the Hall.

More…

Bonds, Clemens and ARod will Never be Elected to the Hall of Fame

In the case of Mark McGwire, the writers who determine who is elected to the Hall of Fame have so far sent a very clear message - If we think you did steroids, you will not get into the Hall of Fame. But will this message apply to other players? I believe it will.

More…

Mark McGwire – First Batter Up

In 1998, Mark McGwire was the toast of baseball – perhaps the most popular baseball player since 1970. His pursuit of the season home-run crown and his battle with Sammy Sosa for the same was the feel-good story of the year. Together, they were credited with helping baseball recover from the black eye it had received as a result of the players’ strike of 1994. When he finished the season with a record 70 home runs, Big Mac was almost a national hero.

More…

Recently on SABR-L there was a discussion regarding Jim Bunning’s credentials for the Hall of Fame. It seems that at least one SABR member felt that if Bunning had not been elected to Congress, then he would not have been elected to the Hall. There followed a number of notes from different members saying why they thought Bunning should or should not be a Hall of Famer. Of course, I felt compelled to give an opinion so I pointed out the following.

More…

Mike Mussina retired recently after his first 20-win season in 2008 and a number of pundits began to ask the question: Does he belong in the Hall of Fame?

More…

In the 2008 BBWAA balloting for the Hall of Fame, Jim Rice received 72.2% of the vote. It seems that he may be poised to be elected this year – in his 15th year on the ballot. 2008 was Tim Raines first year on the ballot and he received 24.3% of the vote.

More…

Here is an interesting question. According to the CAWS Career Gauge, how many of the top 25 players at each position in the 20th century were still playing in the 21st century (2001 or later)? Let’s take a look.

More…

Here is an interesting question. According to the CAWS Career Gauge, how many of the top 25 players at each position in the 20th century were still playing in the 21st century (2001 or later)? Let’s take a look.

More…

There has been a “rule of thumb” in baseball for quite some time that any player who accumulates 3000 hits in his career will be elected to the Hall of Fame. Likewise, it has been said that any player who hits 500 home runs is virtually guaranteed induction into the Hall as well. But is it true that players who reach one of these milestones always have Hall of Fame numbers according to the CAWS Career Gauge? The answer to the question is: almost always. There is only one player who is an exception to the rule.

More…

Does Pedro Martinez have Hall of Fame numbers? Many fans would argue this question in different ways. That is, they would use different numbers and different metrics to make their case, either pro or con.

More…

Here are the 25 catchers who had the best careers during the 20th century (as measured by the NEWS HOF Gauge).

More…

Here are the 25 shortstops who had the best careers during the 20th century (as measured by the NEWS HOF Gauge).

More…

Here are the 25 third basemen who had the best careers during the 20th century (as measured by the NEWS HOF Gauge).

More…

The Hall of Fame has announced the candidates for the Veterans Committee’s “After-1942 election.”   Here is part of the press release.

More…

Here are the 25 second basemen who had the best careers during the 20th century (as measured by the NEWS HOF Gauge).

More…

Here are the 25 first basemen who had the best careers during the 20th century (as measured by the NEWS HOF Gauge).

More…

The Hall of Fame has announced the candidates for the Veterans Committee’s “Pre-1943 election.” Here is part of the press release.

More…

More…

Here are the 25 center fielders who had the best careers during the 20^th century (as measured by the NEWS HOF Gauge).

More…

Here are the 25 left fielders who had the best careers during the 20^th century (as measured by the NEWS HOF Gauge).

More…

Here are the 25 right fielders who had the best careers during the 20^th century (as measured by the NEWS HOF Gauge).

More…

This is the first installment of a new series on this blog regarding which major league players had the best careers at each position as determined by the NEWS HOF Gauge.

More…

There is now a special segment of the Veterans Committee that will examine the most deserving of those players who played prior to 1943 but are not in the Hall of Fame. A good question is – how many such players have HOF numbers and have been ignored in the past?

According to the NEWS HOF Gauge (based on win shares), there are ONLY THREE position players from this period who have a NEWS score of 280 or greater (obvious HOF numbers) and are not in the Hall of Fame. Here are the three players and their NEWS score.

More…

Maury Wills came onto the BBWAA ballot in 1978. In that first year, he got 115 votes (30%). Luis Aparicio, another shortstop, joined him on the ballot in 1979. Wills got 38% of the vote in 1979 compared to 28% for Aparicio. In 1980, Wills got more votes than Aparicio again – 38% to 32%. In 1981, Wills bested Aparicio again – 41% to 12%

So, for the first three years that Luis was on the ballot, Maury did better than he did. Note that Aparicio fell from 32% in 1980 to only 12% in 1981. That would seem to imply that he was losing support and was in a downward spiral. Or so it would seem to the average fan looking on. But the weird voting patterns of the writers was about to kick in again. In 1982, Aparicio suddenly jumped to 42% (from 12%). What happened? Had he suddenly become a better shortstop? I hardly think so.

More…

At times, the manner in which some writers who are members of the BBWAA vote in the Hall of Fame elections seemingly defies rational explanation. Writers receive a ballot containing a list of candidates for the Hall. They are asked to vote for ten players at most. I would assume that if someone is voting for the first time, he (or she) would ask himself: Who do I think is deserving of induction?

It seems to me that a voter could decide that there are not ten players on the ballot deserving of the Hall and, therefore, choose to vote for only a few who he considers worthy. This is perfectly understandable. But my assumption would be that a serious voter will only vote for those players who he feels really deserve to be in the Hall. And if one of his choices does not make it on this ballot, he will continue to vote for that deserving player in future ballots.

More…

Congratulations to Goose Gossage on his election to the Hall of Fame. He got 86% of the vote and was the only candidate elected. As we have said here before, Gossage has HOF numbers and should have been elected long ago.

Three other players scored better than 60% of the vote and will probably be elected some day. They are Jim Rice, Andre Dawson and Bert Blyleven.

More…

Nolan Ryan is a Hall of Fame pitcher – there is no question about that. But exactly how good was he and how does he compare to the other HOF pitchers?

People are usually surprised when I explain that Nolan Ryan’s career more closely resembles that of Don Sutton than those of truly outstanding pitchers like Tom Seaver or Bob Gibson. Because of his no-hitters and the career strikeout record, fans are surprised to hear that Ryan is in the Hall more for his longevity than for his dominance.

More…

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:

More…

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.)

More…

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.”

More…