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The High Court |
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Deep Thinkers Only... |
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Closing Arguments |
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Who Will Hear the Hall’s Call?
The members of the High Court have studied the evidence and are ready to tell you which of these 13 relief pitchers will someday hear the Hall of Fame calling.
The Voting Ground Rules
1) Vote for as many as you consider Hall-worthy 2) Only current pitchers were considered 3) The nominees must have at least 10 years of ML experience 4) Tell us who will get there – not just your opinion on a player. 5) Majority will rule (2/3 vote gets a player in)
The Nominees
Armando Benitez, BAL-NYM-FLA-SF John Franco, CIN-NYM-HOU Eddie Guardado, MIN-SEA Roberto Hernandez, CHW-SF-TB-KC-ATL-PHI-NYM Trevor Hoffman, FLA-SD Jason Isringhausen, NYM-OAK-STL Todd Jones, HOU-DET-MIN-COL-BOS-CIN-PHI-FLA Jose Mesa, BAL-CLE-SF-SEA-PHI-PIT Troy Percival, LAA-DET Mariano Rivera, NYY Ugueth Urbina, MTL-BOS-TEX-FLA-DET-PHI Billy Wagner, HOU-PHI Bob Wickman, NYY-MIL-CLE
Career Statistics (courtesy www.baseball-reference.com)
Who’s In?/Who’s Out? Votes in parenthesis Note: Players were ranked in order of most deserving. The rankings were then assigned a point value 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.
Get The Plaque Ready Mariano Rivera (30) – The Sandman has been lights out since his days as a superb set-up man for John Wetteland. His postseason resume alone would get him enshrined.
Trevor Hoffman (26) – Toiling in relative obscurity with the Padres, Hoffman has the respect of the High Court. Imagine how many more saves he would have if the Friars had consistently been a contender.
John Franco (16) – The diminutive lefty sneaks in on our list by ranking 2nd on the all-time saves list. While he may never have been considered a dominant closer at any point, he got the job done for many years and that is worthy of recognition.
Give ‘Em A Tour
Billy Wagner (8) – If Wags decides to pitch another 5-6 years, he will have the numbers necessary for strong consideration. He claims to be about finished, and as it is he will be remembered as a closer with dominating stuff, but his overall accomplishments will be lacking.
Troy Percival (6) – Percy has over 300 saves, but that alone won’t be enough as it looks like 400 will be the benchmark in years to come. And since it looks like his arm may be shot, his numbers won’t be good enough.
Don’t Wait By The Phone
Armando Benitez (0) – Great stuff, but has always been hampered by control issues in key spots. Nice numbers overall, but doesn’t feel like a Hall of Famer by any means.
Eddie Guardado (0) – “Everyday Eddie” will only get to the Hall if they open a wing for useful lefties who really weren’t all that good.
Roberto Hernandez (0) – Good enough to close effectively for well over a decade, but was stuck with bad teams. Which makes us think the better teams didn’t see a need for him – at least not as a closer.
Jason Isringhausen (0) – Got a late start as a closer due to injuries as a starter, but he actually has an outside shot to get here someday. IF he can reach about 350 saves AND if he racks up outstanding postseason numbers. That is too much of a stretch to vote for him now.
Todd Jones (0) – Tough guy willing to pitch 70-80 times a year. Has alternated between closer and set-up man while changing addresses often. Nice career considering his talent level, but not a Hall of Famer.
Jose Mesa (0) – Mesa looked like he would be a shoo-in based on his early days as a closer in Cleveland. Something happened on the way to Cooperstown. A 4.26 ERA shows he was no where near dominant over the majority of his career, though.
Ugueth Urbina (0) – Another journeyman with great stuff, but never consistent enough to stick with a team and join the elite status.
Bob Wickman (0) – Hard not to root for him, and he has carved out a very solid career. But the Hall doesn’t have room for feel-good stories. Sorry, Bob.
Voting Results
For more on the career numbers of the closers on the High Court Hall Ballot, click here.
Let The Powdered Wig know what you think about closers and the Hall of Fame at powderedwig@thehighcourtofsports.com. |
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They have called him “The Hammer of God” in New York. As impressive as he has been in the regular season, it was Rivera’s excellence in helping the Yankees to four World Series titles that put him in position to be a lock for Cooperstown. (mlb.com) |