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The High Court |
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Deep Thinkers Only... |
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Infield of Dreams |
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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 12 infielders 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 players were considered 3) The nominees must have at least 1,000 games 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
Craig Biggio (2b), HOU Bret Boone (2b), SEA-CIN-ATL-SD-MIN Vinny Castilla (3b), ATL-COL-TB-HOU-WAS Ray Durham (2b), CHW-OAK-SF Nomar Garciaparra (ss), BOS-CHC Derek Jeter (ss), NYY Chipper Jones (3b), ATL Jeff Kent (2b), TOR-NYM-CLE-SF-HOU-LA Edgar Renteria (ss), FLA-STL-BOS Alex Rodriguez (ss-3b), SEA-TEX-NYY Scott Rolen (3b), PHI-STL Omar Vizquel (ss), SEA-CLE-SF
Career Statistical Comparisons (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 Alex Rodriguez (30) – Love him or hate him, you can’t ignore him. A-Rod is just 30 years old, yet his numbers would get him into the Hall already. A first-ballot lock that just might get to 800 HR and 2000 RBI along with 3000 hits, and 2000 runs. Start working on the acceptance speech, Alex.
Derek Jeter (25) – Some have tabbed him as “the face of the game”, but it is more accurate to say he is simply a winner. Is able to do all the things his team needs in order to win, even if his defense is spotty at times. Very good offensive numbers for a shortstop, and the postseason stats are off the charts.
Craig Biggio (23) – Consummate professional who has changed positions throughout his career, but achieved Hall of Fame status mainly as a 2B. One of the best leadoff hitters in the 90’s, he combined adequate power and speed with a toughness not seen by many other players. Closing in on 3000 hits, but his numbers are strong enough even if he falls short.
Chipper Jones (22) – Will likely finish his career on the short list of greatest switch-hitters with Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray. That alone puts him in the Hall discussion. Add to it that he mostly played the physically demanding 3B and his role on the perennial division winner in Atlanta and Chipper becomes an easy selection.
Scott Rolen (14) – In spite of his tendency to be injured, Rolen gets the call from our panel. His defense and offensive run production should rival the best 3B of all time if he can come up with 5 more productive seasons. His grit and hard-nosed style lead us to believe that he will.
Jeff Kent (9) – As a person, Kent is wildly unpopular among the justices on the High Court of Sports. That said, his run production at 2B cannot be overlooked and forces us to include him. To his credit in an era of HR inflation, he has driven in runs in bunches with moderate homer numbers – and that is pretty impressive.
Give ‘Em A Tour
Nomar Garciaparra (5) – A .320 career average doesn’t mean as much as it used to evidently. Nomar can’t crack our Hall lineup despite some very good career stats. The justices are apparently afraid he has seen his best days and that his final career numbers won’t measure up when matched against his modern-day brethren.
Omar Vizquel (4) – Quietly, Omar has carved out an Ozzie Smith-like career, yet he will probably suffer at the hands of A-Rod, Jeter, et al. when it comes to Cooperstown balloting.
Don’t Wait By The Phone
Bret Boone (0) – Nice power numbers, very good glove. Career was marked by ups and downs, and in the end he just simply wasn’t good enough long enough to be a contender for the Hall.
Vinny Castilla (0) - His career stats were enhanced mightily by his years in Coors Field. That will be held against him, along with his lack of hardware, personal and team-wise.
Ray Durham (0) – Probably has accumulated better stats than most would think. They are good, but not nearly what we are looking for in a HOFer.
Edgar Renteria (0) – If he were more consistent on a daily basis, he might be in the Jeter, Nomar, Miguel Tejada pantheon of best all-around modern shortstops. But he tends to drift away for long stretches, and seems older than his listed age.
Voting Results
Contact The Wig at powderedwig@thehighcourtofsports.com. |
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He may always be viewed as the epitome of the overpaid athlete, but Rodriguez comes as close to earning his money as anyone could. The man shows up for work every day, and to consider that he might hit 800 homers, drive in 2000 runs and compile 3000-plus hits is staggering. (mlb.com)
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As pure baseball as the pine tar plastered to his batting helmet, Craig Biggio is everything right about the game. The Astro star is probably the finest all-around NL second baseman of his era, and we hope he has the opportunity to get 3000 hits in the only uniform he has ever known. (mlb.com) |
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From the High Court Hall of Fame…
Outfield of Dreams, Part 1...Will Barry Bonds be a lock in High Court voting? Join The Powdered Wig as he takes you through the first half of The High Court’s outfield balloting.
Infield of Dreams...Join The Powdered Wig as he explores which stars of the infield (at 2B, SS, and 3B) can expect a plaque in Cooperstown.
First-Sack Sluggers...Bagwell? Palmeiro? Giambi? Join The Powdered Wig to see which veteran first basemen get a ticket to the Hall of Fame.
The Lion King...The Chief Justice presents the Hall of Fame case of Ted Simmons, one of the best hitting catchers in the history of the game.
Squatters Rights...The Powdered Wig examines the careers of catchers and designated hitters with a chance at Cooperstown. Find out who The High Court voted in. |