The 2010 HOF Ballot – How Many REAL Hall of Famers?

The BBWAA 2010 Hall of Fame Ballot contains the names of twenty-six players that the baseball writers may vote for if they feel they belong in the Hall of Fame. Of the twenty-six players, nineteen are position players and seven are pitchers.

John Smoltz and the Hall of Fame

As John Smoltz nears the end of his career, a number of people are raising the question as to whether he has the credentials for election to the Hall of Fame.

Manny and the Hall of Fame

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.

Dick Allen and Fred McGriff and Core Value

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?

Core Value and the Hall of Fame

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.

HALL OF FAME HANDBOOK available for FREE

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.

2013 Hall of Fame Ballot

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.

Steroids and the Hall of Fame – Part 3

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.

Steroids and the Hall of Fame – Part 2

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. [...]

Steroids and the Hall of Fame – Part 1

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 [...]

Jim Bunning and the Hall of Fame

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 [...]

Mike Mussina in the Hall of Fame?

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?

Hall of Fame Credentials: Jim Rice and Tim Raines

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.

Recent Players among the Top 25 – Infielders and Catchers

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.

Recent Players Among the Top 25 – the Outfielders

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.

Sammy Sosa – Odd Man Out

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 [...]

Pedro Martinez – Hall of Fame Numbers?

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.

The 25 Catchers With the Best Careers

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

The 25 Shortstops With the Best Careers

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

The 25 Third Basemen With the Best Careers

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

The Veterans Committee Nominees: “After-1942 Election”

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

The 25 Second Basemen With the Best Careers

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

The 25 First Basemen With the Best Careers

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

The Veterans Committee Nominees

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

Jackie Robinson’s Hall of Fame Credentials

The 25 Center Fielders With the Best Careers

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

The 25 Left Fielders With the Best Careers

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

The 25 Right Fielders With the Best Careers

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

The Best 25 Careers at Each Position

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.

Revamped Veterans Committee

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 [...]

More Strange HOF Voting

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%. [...]

Strange HOF Voting

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 [...]

2008 BBWAA Results – Some Thoughts

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 [...]

Nolan Ryan

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 [...]

A Short Career – The Pitchers

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 20th century who have attained a NEWS score of 180 while [...]

« Previous Page — Next Page »