Thursday, March 23, 2017

Which Teams Have Been Shortchanged by the Baseball Hall of Fame?

The death of Dallas Green, without his having been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, makes me wonder: Which teams have been properly honored with Hall of Fame elections, which ones have been shortchanged, and which ones have been overcredited?

So I made this formula:

* Add 5 points for every member of the Hall who died before being elected, unless they were elected prior to 1953, when the Veterans Committee format began, a mere 14 years after the Hall's establishment. Clearly, there were a lot of pre-1939 players who were already dead but deserving.
* Add 3 points for every figure who is eligible for the Hall, and should be in (my judgement), but isn't.
* Add an additional 2 points if that figure has died.
* Subtract 3 points for every member who is in, but probably shouldn't be (again, my judgement).

Counting only current teams, and not their versions from before moves, here's how I rank them:

1. Chicago Cubs, 40: The most-shortchanged team:

Elected After Death: Frank Selee, Kiki Cuyler, Hack Wilson, Ron Santo, Leo Durocher.
Eligible and Alive, But Not In: None. I'm declaring Sammy Sosa ineligible.
Eligible and Dead, But Not In: Phillip K. Wrigley, Stan Hack, Dallas Green.
In, But Shouldn't Be: None.

2. New York Yankees, 34: Hard to believe, but the Yankees have been a bit shortchanged:

Elected After Death: Herb Pennock, Tony Lazzeri, Joe Gordon, Larry MacPhail. Jacob Ruppert and Miller Huggins would count in "Eligible and Dead" if they weren't in (and Ruppert wasn't for a long time), but since both died "in office," they were never eligible while alive.

Eligible and Alive, But Not In: Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens (remember, he beat the rap), Mike Mussina.

Eligible and Dead, But Not In: George Steinbrenner. If he is elected, then he goes into the same category as Ruppert and Huggins, and his "points" are taken off.

In, But Shouldn't Be: None. Yes, Phil Rizzuto belongs, you huckleberry.

3. Pittsburgh Pirates, 32:

Elected After Death: Pud Galvin, Vic Willis, Jake Beckley, Kiki Cuyler, Arky Vaughan, Branch Rickey, Bob Prince. Barney Dreyfuss doesn't count, because he died in office. Roberto Clemente doesn't count, since they didn't have the chance to vote him in at the proper time.

Eligible and Alive, But Not In: None. I'm declaring Barry Bonds ineligible.

Eligible and Dead, But Not In: None.

In, But Shouldn't Be: Lloyd Waner. Very good player, but is mainly in because of his better brother. Dom DiMaggio, Joe's younger brother, was on the same level as Lloyd, but isn't in.

4. Philadelphia Phillies, 31:

Elected After Death: Billy Hamilton, Sam Thompson, Chuck Klein.

Eligible and Alive, But Not In: Dick Allen, Ruly Carpenter. Curt Schilling, even though he's an ass, should be in, unless it can be proved he used PEDs. Pete Rose, of course, is ineligible.

Eligible and Dead, But Not In: Paul Owens, Dallas Green.

In, But Shouldn't Be: Dave Bancroft.

5. Detroit Tigers, 21: Jack Morris, Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker are eligible and alive, but not in. John Fetzer is eligible and dead, but not in. John Fetzer. Frank Navin and Walter Briggs died in office, so they aren't counted in this category. Ivan Rodriguez is in, but he used steroids, so he should be out.

6. St. Louis Cardinals, 19: Jim Bottomley and Billy Southworth were elected after they did. Jim Edmonds is eligible and alive, but not in. I'm declaring Mark McGwire ineligible. Marty Marion, Gussie Busch and Curt Flood are eligible and dead, but not in. In, but shouldn't be: Jesse Haines, Burleigh Grimes and Whitey Herzog (not that good a manager, and if the Brewers had won Game 7 in 1982, he wouldn't even have been considered).

7. Cincinnati Reds, 17: Elected After Death: Bid McPhee, Jake Beckley, Joe Kelley and Ernie Lombardi were elected after they died. John Franco is eligible and alive, but not in. Dave Concepcion should not be in, I don't care what Big Red Machine fans say. Pete Rose, of course, is ineligible. Powel Crosley and Bob Howsam are eligible and dead, but not in.

8. Chicago White Sox, 15: Elected After Death: George Davis, Bill Veeck, Nellie Fox were elected after they died. Harold Baines is eligible and alive, but not in. Shoeless Joe Jackson, of course, is ineligible. And Ray Schalk is in, but shouldn't be: He wasn't that great a defensive catcher.

9. Cleveland Indians, 10: Bill Veeck was elected after he died. Addie Joss died well before the 1953 threshold, but wasn't elected until well after it. I'm declaring Manny Ramirez ineligible.

10. Atlanta Braves, 9: Bill Bartholomay, Ted Turner and Fred McGriff (all alive) should be in.

11. Boston Red Sox, 8: Roger Clemens, even though he's an ass, should be in, because no one has yet proven he used PEDs -- the only player, thus far, to beat the rap. Curt Schilling, even though he's an ass, should be in, unless it can be proved he used PEDs. Because he did, I'm declaring Manny Ramirez ineligible. Jean Yawkey is eligible and dead. Tom Yawkey doesn't count because, dying in office, he wasn't yet eligible. Rick Ferrell is in, but shouldn't be.

12. Minnesota Twins, 6: Tony Oliva and Tom Kelly (both alive) should be in. So should Jack Morris, but he wasn't with them long enough to qualify.

13. Oakland Athletics, 5: Charlie Finley (dead) should be in. I'm declaring Mark McGwire ineligible.

14. New York Mets, 5: Frank Cashen (dead) and John Franco (alive) should be in. Mike Piazza is in, but he used steroids, so he shouldn't be.

15. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 8: Gene Autry (dead) and Jim Edmonds (alive) should be in.

16. Baltimore Orioles, 5: Frank Cashen (dead) should be in. Rafael Palmeiro is ineligible.

17. Tampa Bay Rays, 3: Fred McGriff should be in.

18. Arizona Diamondbacks, 3: Curt Schilling, even though he's an ass, should be in, unless it can be proved he used PEDs.

19. Washington Nationals, 0: Nobody who should be in is out, and nobody who should be out is in.

20. Colorado Rockies, 0: Maybe Larry Walker should be in.

21. Toronto Blue Jays, 0: Nobody who should be in is out, and nobody who should be out is in.

22. Seattle Mariners, 0: Nobody who should be in is out (Edgar Martinez doesn't have the stats), and nobody who should be out is in.

23. Kansas City Royals, 0: Nobody who should be in is out, and nobody who should be out is in.

24. San Diego Padres, 0: Ray Kroc should be in, but died in office, so he doesn't fit the category. Steve Garvey (alive) should stay out.

25. Houston Astros, 0: With the election of Jeff Bagwell, nobody who should be in is out, and nobody who should be out is in. Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte don't qualify with the Astros.

26. San Francisco Giants, 0: The only question mark is Barry Bonds, but I'm declaring him ineligible.

27. Miami Marlins, -3: Ivan Rodriguez is in, but he used steroids, so he should be out.

28. Milwaukee Brewers, -3: Bud Selig should not be in.

29. Texas Rangers, -3: Ivan Rodriguez is in, but he used steroids, so he should be out. For the same reason, I am declaring Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez ineligible.

30. Los Angeles Dodgers, -3: Having recently read a book about the 1960s Dodgers, I have finally been convinced that Maury Willis (alive) should be in. But Walter O'Malley shouldn't be. Mike Piazza is in, but he used steroids, so he shouldn't be. Steve Garvey isn't good enough.

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