{"id":14961,"date":"2011-07-04T13:16:20","date_gmt":"2011-07-04T20:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seamheads.com\/?p=14961"},"modified":"2011-07-06T18:37:41","modified_gmt":"2011-07-07T01:37:41","slug":"the-bbwaa-report-card-for-the-21st-century-%e2%80%93-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/2011\/07\/04\/the-bbwaa-report-card-for-the-21st-century-%e2%80%93-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The BBWAA Report Card for the 21st Century \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Part 1 of this series, I indicated that the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) has been quite successful since 2001 in their selection of major league players for induction into the Hall of Fame.\u00c2\u00a0 Of the eighteen inductees from 2001 through 2011, sixteen do indeed have Hall of Fame numbers according to the strict benchmarks of the CAWS Career Gauge.<\/p>\n

So, the writers have earned a \u00c2\u00a0B+\u00c2\u00a0 for their 89% success rate from 2001 to 2011.<\/p>\n

In Part 2 and 3, we will take a look at each of these eighteen players and see how each is viewed by the CAWS Gauge.<\/p>\n

2001 to 2006 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Ten Players Inducted \u00e2\u20ac\u201c 100% Have HOF Numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n

2001<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2001, the BBWAA elected Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett to the Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

Here are the numbers for these players.\u00c2\u00a0 The first number is career win shares, the second is core value (the sum of the win shares in the ten best seasons) and the third is the CAWS career score.\u00c2\u00a0 [CAWS = CV + .25(CWS \u00e2\u20ac\u201c CV)]<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Player<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCWS<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCV<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCAWS<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dave Winfield<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n415<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n259<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n298<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kirby Puckett
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n		281<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n247<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n256<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Dave Winfield<\/strong> was an easy choice for the voters.\u00c2\u00a0 He had the #59 best career numbers among position players in the century and is the #9 best right fielder \u00e2\u20ac\u201c just ahead of Roberto Clemente and Tony Gwynn.\u00c2\u00a0 His numbers were so impressive that he was elected on his first time on the ballot.<\/p>\n

Kirby Puckett<\/strong> was not such an obvious choice because he had a relatively brief career \u00e2\u20ac\u201c cut short by an eye problem.\u00c2\u00a0 But the CAWS Gauge suggests that he does indeed have HOF numbers.\u00c2\u00a0 He is one of only eleven position players during the century to have a short<\/strong> but great career<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c defined to be a CAWS score of 255 or better in fewer than 1800 games played.\u00c2\u00a0 I should add that all eleven of the players who achieved this distinction are in the Hall of Fame: Joe DiMaggio, Elmer Flick, Earl Averill, Hank Greenberg, Lou Boudreau, Bill Terry, Larry Doby, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Cochrane, Kirby Puckett and Bill Dickey.\u00c2\u00a0 Kirby was also a first ballot inductee into the Hall even though his overall numbers were nowhere near as impressive as Winfield\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s.<\/p>\n

2002<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2002, the BBWAA elected only one player to the Hall of Fame and that was Ozzie Smith.\u00c2\u00a0 Here is his CAWS line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Player<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCWS<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCV<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCAWS<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ozzie Smith
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n		325<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n226<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n251<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Ozzie Smith<\/strong> is considered by many observers to be the greatest defensive shortstop in baseball history and there is much evidence to support that claim \u00e2\u20ac\u201c such as his thirteen Gold Gloves at short.\u00c2\u00a0 The CAWS Gauge has a benchmark of CAWS = 250 for a shortstop to have HOF numbers and as you can see, Ozzie has just exceeded that mark.\u00c2\u00a0 For the writers, Ozzie was evidently a no-brainer since he was elected on the first ballot with 92% of the vote.<\/p>\n

2003<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2003, the BBWAA elected two players to the Hall, Eddie Murray and Gary Carter.\u00c2\u00a0 Both of these were good choices.\u00c2\u00a0 Here are their lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Player<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCWS<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCV<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCAWS<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eddie Murray
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n		437<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n273<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n314<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gary Carter
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n		337<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n263<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n282<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Eddie Murray <\/strong>was an easy choice for the Hall of Fame since he was a true superstar with over 3000 hits and 500 home runs.\u00c2\u00a0 At the time of his election, the only two other players to have accomplished that feat were Willie Mays and Hank Aaron.\u00c2\u00a0 Murray had the #39 best career numbers among position players in the century.\u00c2\u00a0 In addition, he is the #6 best first baseman during the same time period.\u00c2\u00a0 Clearly, the writers had no problem here since Eddie was elected on his first time on the ballot.<\/p>\n

Gary Carter <\/strong>was inducted by the writers on his sixth year on the ballot.\u00c2\u00a0 He played for nineteen seasons (19) and he had the #4 best career numbers among catchers since 1901. \u00c2\u00a0The only catchers ranked ahead of him by the CAWS Gauge are Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza.\u00c2\u00a0 He certainly had HOF numbers and deserves his place in Cooperstown.<\/p>\n

2004<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2004, two deserving players were elected to the Hall by the writers: Paul Molitor and Dennis Eckersley.\u00c2\u00a0 Both players were elected on their first time on the ballot.<\/p>\n

Paul Molitor<\/strong> was an easy choice for the writers.\u00c2\u00a0 He played for twenty-one (21) seasons and had more than 3000 hits (3319 to be exact).\u00c2\u00a0 He is one of only two designated hitters to have Hall of Fame numbers according to the CAWS Career Gauge (Frank Thomas is the other).\u00c2\u00a0 He had the #47 best career numbers among position players in the century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Player<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCWS<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCV<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCAWS<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Paul Molitor
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n		414<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n270<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n306<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Only forty-one position players in the 20th<\/sup> century have earned 400 win shares in their careers and Paul Molitor is one of them.<\/p>\n

Dennis Eckersley <\/strong>was another easy choice for the writers.\u00c2\u00a0 He is one of only twenty-seven (27) pitchers since 1901 to accumulate 300 win shares during his career.\u00c2\u00a0 And, of course, that accomplishment alone signifies HOF numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Player<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCWS<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCV<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCAWS<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dennis Eckersley
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n		301<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n183<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n213<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The fact that Eckersley was a first-ballot inductee into Cooperstown reflects how well the writers thought of him.<\/p>\n

2005\u00c2\u00a0 -\u00c2\u00a0 Wade Boggs and Ryne Sandberg<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2005, the BBWAA elected Wade Boggs and Ryne Sandberg to the Hall of Fame.\u00c2\u00a0 Both players have obvious HOF numbers according to the CAWS Gauge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Player<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCWS<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCV<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCAWS<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wade Boggs
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n		394<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n291<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n317<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ryne Sandberg
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n		346<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n278<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n295<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Wade Boggs<\/strong> was a first-ballot inductee as he should have been.\u00c2\u00a0 Boggs had 3010 hits in his eighteen-year career and a career batting average of .328.\u00c2\u00a0 He is the #4 best third baseman to ever play the game \u00e2\u20ac\u201c behind only Mike Schmidt, Eddie Mathews and George Brett.\u00c2\u00a0 And he ranks as the #35 best position player of the century.<\/p>\n

Ryne Sandberg<\/strong> was elected to the Hall on his third try.\u00c2\u00a0 He had the #8 best career among second basemen in the 20th<\/sup> century \u00e2\u20ac\u201c just ahead of Rod Carew and Frankie Frisch.\u00c2\u00a0 His career ranks as the #63 best among all position players \u00e2\u20ac\u201c just behind Roberto Clemente and just ahead of Tony Gwynn.<\/p>\n

2006\u00c2\u00a0 -\u00c2\u00a0 Bruce Sutter<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bruce Sutter<\/strong> was elected to the Hall in 2006 on his 13th<\/sup> try.\u00c2\u00a0 Clearly, this was not an easy choice for the writers.\u00c2\u00a0 Sutter was a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pure reliever\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201c having pitched only 1042 innings during his career.\u00c2\u00a0 And, like designated hitters, relievers are always going to be a tough call for the Hall of Fame.\u00c2\u00a0 But the CAWS Gauge suggests that Sutter definitely has HOF numbers.<\/p>\n

Consider the following statement.\u00c2\u00a0 There have only been five pitchers in the 20th<\/sup> century who have achieved a CAWS score of 150 while pitching fewer than 1500 innings.\u00c2\u00a0 Here are those pitchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Player<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nIP<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCWS<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCV<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCAWS<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mariano Rivera
\n<\/span><\/td>\n		1150<\/span><\/td>\n241<\/span><\/td>\n175<\/span><\/td>\n192<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lee Smith<\/span><\/td>\n1289<\/span><\/td>\n198<\/span><\/td>\n152<\/span><\/td>\n164<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bruce Sutter<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/span><\/td>\n		1042<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n168<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n163<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n164<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Billy Wagner<\/span><\/td>\n903<\/span><\/td>\n182<\/span><\/td>\n151<\/span><\/td>\n159<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dan Quisenberry<\/span><\/td>\n1043<\/span><\/td>\n157<\/span><\/td>\n155<\/span><\/td>\n156<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The CAWS Career Gauge suggests that all five of these relievers have the numbers to justify induction into the Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

So, all ten of the BBWAA inductees from 2001 to 2006 had the numbers to warrant election to the Hall according to the CAWS Gauge.\u00c2\u00a0 Unfortunately, this was not true for those players elected from 2007 to 2011.\u00c2\u00a0 Only six of these eight players had the numbers.<\/p>\n

In Part 3 of this series, we will look at these eight players.<\/p>\n

Thanks for your time.<\/p>\n

Mike Hoban
\nProfessor Emeritus \u00e2\u20ac\u201c City U of NY
\nAuthor of A GOOD CAWS: A Hall of Fame Handbook<\/strong> (2011)
\nhttp:\/\/booklocker.com\/books\/2968.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Part 1 of this series, I indicated that the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) has been quite successful since 2001 in their selection of major league players for induction into the Hall of Fame.\u00c2\u00a0 Of the eighteen inductees from 2001 through 2011, sixteen do indeed have Hall of Fame numbers according to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,77,19,4235],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","category-hall-of-fame","category-prof-hobans-hall-of-fame-blog","category-top-stories"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14961\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}