Reggie blasts PED users, others, in new SI Article

From Phil Taylor:

It's when Jackson is plunging into touchy issues that some of the Reggie of old emerges; the only difference is that the star no longer has as big a stage. Over a plate of seafood at an oceanside restaurant in Monterey, he casually mentions that he plans to bring up the issue of undeserving members of the Hall of Fame at the next members-only dinner in Cooperstown. He believes that the Baseball Writers Association of America, whose members vote for the Hall, have adopted too low a standard. "I didn't see Kirby Puckett as a Hall of Famer," he says. "I didn't see Gary Carter as a Hall of Famer. I didn't see Don Sutton as a Hall of Famer. I didn't see Phil Niekro as a Hall of Famer. As much as I like Jim Rice, I'm not so sure he's a Hall of Famer." What about Bert Blyleven? "No. No, no, no, no," Jackson says. "Blyleven wasn't even the dominant pitcher of his era -- it was Jack Morris."
...

He isn't silent on the subject of steroids in baseball either. Jackson makes no secret of his displeasure that since his retirement in 1987, he has been passed on the home run list by seven players, five of whom, Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa, have been linked to performance-enhancing drugs. "I don't think the fans really count them, and I agree," he says. "I believe that Hank Aaron is the home run king, not Barry Bonds, as great a player as Bonds was." Jackson was a supporter of Bonds (who is a distant cousin) as recently as 2007, when he said, "They tried to get this guy more than anybody ... and they've got nothing on him." But he says now that the volume of evidence against Bonds is so great that he has changed his mind.

And A-Rod? "Al's a very good friend," Jackson says. "But I think there are real questions about his numbers. As much as I like him, what he admitted about his usage does cloud some of his records."

There is little need to ask whether Jackson thinks any of the PED-linked players should be inducted into the Hall. "If any of those guys get in, no Hall of Famer will attend," he says. There is only one player in that category for whom he might make an exception. "The question is going to be a guy like Andy Pettitte, who admitted that he got involved for a while, but who is so universally respected in the game. I think he'll get in, but there will be a lot of [members] who won't go." Would Reggie? Jackson takes a deep breath. "He's an awfully good friend," he says. "I've known Andy since he was 20. I'll leave it there."

I agree with everything he said except I don't think Andy Pettitte is any different than A-Rod or any other cheater. In my opinion if you did PED's you don't belong in the HOF. I'm not saying you can't root for these guys--I do--but when it comes to the HOF, that's where I would draw the line.

Hartnett: Mattingly & Hernandez Are Hall Of Famers

From Sean Hartnett:

The value of skillful fielding at first base has gone down in recent years as ‘The Juiced Era of Baseball’ (either the baseballs and/or the players themselves) has changed the perception of the position. The prototype for the modern first basemen is in the mold of a low average hitter who compensates for his poor glove with tremendous power and a high on-base percentage. A term was introduced to describe players of this ilk as they were deemed ‘jack and jog’ ballplayers.

Not only were Hernandez and Mattingly two of the more deft-fielding first basemen in recent memory but were also high average hitters with a good amount of pop. Power isn’t entirely defined by home runs and each of these men regularly hit over 35 doubles throughout their careers. Fences were moved back during 1980’s and cut short the power strokes of batters who played before the introduction of the juiced ball and clamoring for long balls after 1994 strike.

...

The Case For Mattingly

‘Donnie Baseball’ was also a prodigious fielder as he claimed 9 first base Gold Gloves which is only second in history to Hernandez himself. Mattingly was more of a hybrid player than Hernandez as he excelled at the plate and is considered one of the more dominant hitters of the 1980’s. In fact, he held the highest batting average (.323) and slugging percentage (.521) of all first basemen during the 80’s and the most RBIs in a single season (145) during the decade.

The fact that Mattingly was hampered by back injuries throughout the 1990’s only enhances his reputation. He won each of his 3 Silver Sluggers and was named to the AL All-Star team 6 times before the 90’s even began. Mattingly almost completed back-to-back MVP-winning seasons in 1985 and 1986. He took home the 1985 award but lost out to Roger Clemens in the latter year despite batting .352 and leading the AL in hits, doubles, total bases and slugging percentage.

He stands as a .307 lifetime hitter even while dealing with the said back issues and had an unbelievable hitter’s eye. Mattingly finished with 588 walks and only struck out 444 times in 7,721 plate appearances during his career. He may have never won that elusive World Series ring but anyone who saw ‘Donnie Baseball’ play understood that he was as vital to the New York Yankees as Derek Jeter was during the championship years following Mattingly’s retirement in 1995.

He also stated his case for Hernandez, which you can read here.

I'm extremely bias here. Donnie was and still is my favorite player of all time, and to me he is a Hall of Famer. But the reason I'm posting this is because I want to know what you guys think. Vote in the polls below...

Gary Sheffield Officially Retires, Talks Cooperstown

As per George A. King III:

A phone call from Gary Sheffield to the Players Association yesterday officially ushered him into retirement.

Now, the argument whether the feared slugger deserves to be a Hall of Famer can begin.

Sheffield, whose last season was 2009 with the Mets, will be on the ballot following the 2014 season.

As usual, Sheffield has a strong opinion on him entering Cooperstown.

"I am sure it will be mentioned and debated but from my standpoint I know who is in the Hall of Fame," Sheffield told The Post. "A lot of them don't belong in the Hall of Fame. If someone wants to debate me, check the stats."

Sheffield completed a 22-year career with a .292 average, 509 homers (24th all-time) and 1,676 RBIs (25th all-time).

Of the 25 men with 500 or more homers, 15 are in the Hall of Fame, four are active, four not yet eligible (including Sheffield) and two are on the ballot but haven't been elected.

Based on the way being linked to steroid use has hurt Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro with voters recently, Sheffield's inclusion in the Mitchell Report will come into play.

"The thing about the Mitchell Report is that I cringe about it because the guy who wrote the report didn't talk to me," Sheffield said. "If he talked to me I would respect that no matter what. But I cringe on that because he didn't."

Sheffield, whose company Sheffield Management, has entered player representation, took the advice of his family and waited a full year before officially retiring.

"I wanted to retire after I played for the Mets," Sheffield said of the 2009 season. "My family said wait one year, that there was no need to rush it. I gave it a year and now it's time to say goodbye."

Sheffield played for the Brewers, Padres, Marlins, Dodgers, Braves, Yankees, Tigers and Mets.

While Sheffield is far removed from the pinstripes, I couldn't help but be intrigued for two reason - I had forgotten how well he played with the Yankees, and I believe that he has an incredibly compelling case for the Hall of Fame.

In his two full seasons with the Yankees, Sheffield batted .290/.386/.523 with a 139 wRC+, averaging 28 2B, 35 HR, and 122 RBI. He also performed well in the postseason, hitting .290/.380/.435 in 16 games. His tenure with the Yankees tends to be looked upon negatively, though, and I believe that stems from his injury-riddled final season - and, perhaps, the fact that the Yankees signed him over Vladimir Guerrero. Even so, his final line with the team was .291/.383/.515 with a well-above average 135 wRC+ and 76 HR in slightly more than two full seasons.

As for the Hall of Fame, Sheffield's argument has two fair caveats - he's been linked to PEDs with some fairly compelling evidence, and he's been widely criticized for a poor clubhouse demeanor. Looking strictly at the numbers, he does look like a fine candidate for Cooperstown. His 162-game average over the course of twenty-five hundred plus games is .292/.393/.514 with 103 runs, 29 2B, 32 HR, 105 RBI, 16 SB, and a 141 wRC+. He ranks 24th all-time in home runs, 19th in walks, 25th in RBI, and 37th in runs score. Sheffield also placed in the top-ten in offensive WAR seven times, and ranks 29th all-time - given the inaccuracies of defensive metrics, I feel that that is more meaningful than his actual WAR (though he still ranks 89th all-time, which is quite good).

In short, it would be difficult to argue against Sheffield's on-the-field resume - but the exigent nature of PEDs may be enough to bar him from a strong showing on the ballot. What do you think about Sheffield's case for Cooperstown?

Alomar and Blyleven Headed to Cooperstown

BBWAA.com has the info.

Alomar batted .300 with a .371 on-base average and a .443 slugging percentage over a 17-season career with the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks. The switch hitter totaled 2,724 hits, 1,508 runs, 504 doubles, 80 triples, 210 home runs, 1,134 runs batted in and 474 stolen bases. Alomar, whose father and brother, both named Sandy, played in the majors, was on Toronto’s World Series champions of 1992 and ’93, was the Most Valuable Player of the 1992 American League Championship Series and MVP of the 1998 All-Star Game at Coors Field in Denver.

Blyleven pitched in 22 seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians and California Angels and compiled a 287-250 record with a 3.31 ERA, 242 complete games, 60 shutouts and 3,701 strikeouts in 4,969 1/3 innings. The righthander pitched a no-hitter on Sept. 22, 1977 for the Rangers against the Angels and shares the AL single-game record for the longest one-hit complete game of 10 innings June 21, 1976. He, too, was a key part of two World Series champions, the 1979 Pirates and the 1987 Twins.

The only other players to gain more than 50 percent of the vote were shortstop Barry Larkin with 361 votes (62.1%) and pitcher Jack Morris with 311 (53.5%).

Here is how all the voted broke down:

2011 Hall of Fame voting
Name	Votes	Pct.
Roberto Alomar	523	90.0%
Bert Blyleven	463	79.7%
Barry Larkin	361	62.1%
Jack Morris	311	53.5%
Lee Smith	263	45.3%
Jeff Bagwell	242	41.7%
Tim Raines	218	37.5%
Edgar Martinez	191	32.9%
Alan Trammell	141	24.3%
Larry Walker	118	20.3%
Mark McGwire	115	19.8%
Fred McGriff	104	17.9%
Dave Parker	89	15.3%
Don Mattingly	79	13.6%
Dale Murphy	73	12.6%
Rafael Palmeiro	64	11.0%
Juan Gonzalez	30	5.2%
Harold Baines	28	4.8%
John Franco	27	4.6%
Kevin Brown	12	2.1%
Tino Martinez	6	1.0%
Marquis Grissom	4	0.7%
Al Leiter	4	0.7%
John Olerud	4	0.7%
B.J. Surhoff	2	0.3%
Bret Boone	1	0.2%
Benito Santiago	1	0.2%
Carlos Baerga	0	0.0%
Lenny Harris	0	0.0%
Bobby Higginson	0	0.0%
Charles Johnson	0	0.0%
Raul Mondesi	0	0.0%
Kirk Rueter	0	0.0%
Note: 436 votes (75%) required for enshrinement. Induction July 24, 2011 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

My Hall of Fame Ballot

With much of the recent baseball talk revolving around the Hall of Fame balloting (the results of which will be announced on Wednesday), I felt it would be appropriate to spark a bit more discussion on the subject. What better way to do that then to allow our faithful readers to tear my figurative ballot to shreds?

Roberto Alomar
12 All-Star Games, 10 Gold Gloves, 4 Silver Sluggers
162-Game Average: .300/.371/.443, 14 HR, 32 SB, 4.3 WAR

Alomar ranks tenth among second basemen in WAR. The top-six are in the Hall of Fame (Joe Morgan, Rogers Hornsby, Eddie Collins, Frankie Frisch, Nap Lajoie, Charlie Gehringer), the next two should likely be there (Lou Whitaker and Bobby Grich), and the next will likely be inducted in a couple of years (Craig Biggio). His defense may have been a bit overrated, but he was certainly a solid defender with a well-above average bat for the position.

Jeff Bagwell
4 All-Star Games, 1 Gold Glove, 3 Silver Sluggers, 1 MVP, Rookie of the Year
162-Game Average: .297/.408/.540, 34 HR, 15 SB, 6.0 WAR

Bagwell was one of the best players of the 1990s, although it seems as if he has slipped from our collective memory. He spent the better part of his career on middling teams in a pitcher's park, which likely plays some part, and his arthritic shoulder cost him a shot at some sexy round numbers (such as "500" and ".300"). That being said, he has the most WAR of any first baseman between Jimmie Foxx and Albert Pujols (by a fair margin), and his glove and base-running ability separate him from contemporaries like Mark McGwire and Frank Thomas.

Bert Blyleven
2 All-Star Games, 3 Top-5 Cy Young Finishes
162-Game Average: 245 IP, 183 K, 1.20 WHIP, 118 ERA+, 4.4 WAR

Seriously - how has this taken so long? 13th all-time in pitching WAR, including nine top-five finishes. 14th in innings pitched. 5th in strikeouts. 9th in shutouts.

Barry Larkin
12 All-Star Games, 3 Gold Gloves, 9 Silver Sluggers, 1 MVP
162-Game Average: .295/.371/.444, 15 HR, 28 SB, 5.1 WAR

While Larkin did miss quite a few games over the years, it's difficult to overlook the fact that only six twentieth-century shortstops accumulated more WAR than the Reds stalwart. Honus Wagner, Cal Ripken, Arky Vaughan, and Luke Appling are all Hall of Famers, and I doubt that anyone questions their merits. Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter are likely to sail right in as well, with good reason. Larkin may not have reached the heights of Wagner and Rodriguez, but I feel that he fits comfortably with the other four.

Edgar Martinez
7 All-Star Games, 5 Silver Sluggers
162-Game Average: .312/.418/.515, 24 HR, 4 SB, 5.3 WAR

Edgar Martinez is one of the finest hitters to ever play the game. Few, if any, would dispute that his bat compares favorably to all but the Ruth's, Cobb's, and Williams' of the game - and therein lies the problem. Many would argue that Martinez's role as a designated hitter all but negates his candidacy - all he had to do was hit and sit, rarely donning a glove over the last ten years of his career. While that may be true, I cannot overlook Martinez's prowess with the bat, nor will I concede that someone like Harmon Killebrew was greater due to their ability to stand around in the field. Prior to the advent of the DH, a player's bat would carry his glove at first base or in left field, and I suspect that Martinez's bat would have done so, as well. If kept out, Martinez would certainly be the greatest hitter on the outside looking in.

Tim Raines
7 All-Star Games, 1 Silver Slugger
162-Game Average: .294/.385/.425, 11 HR, 52 SB, 4.2 WAR

Forget the comparisons to Rickey Henderson - were the standard for the Hall of Fame that high, its membership would be slashed in half. Raines was one of the best players of the mid-1980s and one of the very best base-stealers of all-time (84.7% success rate in 954 attempts). He racked up 30.7 WAR between 1983 and 1987, stealing seventy-one bases per year with a 142 OPS+, giving him a fantastic peak that many seem to overlook.

Larry Walker
5 All-Star Games, 7 Gold Gloves, 3 Silver Sluggers, 1 MVP
162-Game Average: .313/.400/.565, 31 HR, 19 SB, 5.5 WAR

Yes, Walker benefited a great deal from pre-humidor Coors Field. He also batted .282/.361/.489 in his non-Rockies days - a period of time that includes his breaking into the league at 22 and retiring at 38. In his last season in Montreal at age 27, Walker hit .322/.394/.587 with 44 2B, 19 HR, and 15 SB - it isn't unreasonable to expect that his numbers would have been stellar in any ballpark at that juncture. In addition to his bat, Walker was also a fine base-runner and tremendous right fielder, according to both his reputation and his defensive metrics - he was far from a one-dimensional player. While I hate to make comparisons to lower-tier Hall of Famers, that does give Walker a huge leg-up on players like Chuck Klein and Jim Rice - corner outfielders bolstered immensely by the home park, while providing little value elsewhere.

Rule Change May Help The Boss Get In HOF Next Year

From the AP (hat-tip to WasWatching):

The baseball Hall of Fame has changed the way that managers, umpires, executives and long-retired players will be considered for election. The rule change means former Yankees principal owner George Steinbrenner, who died July 13, could be elected to the Hall of Fame as early as this December.

Candidates will be reviewed in three eras: Pre-Integration (1871-1946), Golden (1947-1972) and Expansion (starting in 1973).

One composite ballot will be considered in each era. The Expansion Era ballot will include 12 candidates, while the Golden and Pre-Integration era ballots each will have 10.

The first election in the Expansion category will be held in December during the winter meetings in Orlando, Fla. The Golden election will take place in 2011 and the Pre-Integration vote will be held in 2012.

Good job Hall of Fame, you'll only be a year late.

I'm happy about the rule change, but why this man, and others, aren't be rushed to the Hall before they're too old or not with us anymore is beyond me.

How many HOFers on this great team?

With Jorge’s 1000th RBI last night and A-Rod’s upcoming 600 HR it got me thinking:
How many future HOFers are on this 2010 version of the greatest team on earth? Can it set a record? (The record for HOFers on a team in a single season is 9 plus a HOF manager held by the 1928 & 1931-33 Yanks. The 1930 version had the 9 but not the manager:

1928 -- Combs, Coveleski, Bill Dickey, Durocher, Gehrig, Hoyt, Lazzeri, Pennock, Ruth, manager Huggins.

1930 -- Combs, Dickey, Gehrig, Gomez, Hoyt, Lazzeri, Pennock, Ruffing, Ruth.

1931-33 -- Combs, Dickey, Gehrig, Gomez, Lazzeri, Pennock, Ruffing, Ruth, Sewell, manager McCarthy.

As an aside, I learned that the Yanks actually do not have the most total HOFers, actually we’re 3d behind the Giants and Cardinals.

Anyway, setting steroids issues aside I concluded the following:

• First Ballot (in order of likely voter percentage): Rivera, Jeter, A-Rod
• Probable: Pettitte, Posada, Sabathia
• Working On It: Tex, Cano
• Major Longshots But Possible: Hughes, Joba, Girardi

If all make it, that’s 10 plus the manager – the talent is there, it will be fun seeing it play out. Your thoughts?

Mattingly To Take Another Crack At Hall

Hall of fame deserving or not, Yankees legend Don Mattingly will be on the Hall of Fame ballot once again since becoming eligible for Cooperstown in 2000.

The 6-time all-star and the 9-time gold glover was the face of the Yankees from 1982-1995, as he played his entire career with the Bronx Bombers. From 1984-1989, he was arguably the best player in baseball, as during that six-year run beginning in 1984, Mattingly averaged 26 home runs, 114 RBIs and a .327 average, representing the Yankees on the AL All-Star team in each of those seasons. And if only those 6 years were looked at, he would be a no-doubt first ballot HOF’er. But injuries plagued him for the rest of his career, and that drastically hurt his chances for the Hall.

“I don’t think I’m a Hall of Famer,” Mattingly told Newsday two years ago. “I don’t think I have the numbers. Part of it is longevity, and I wasn’t able to do that and do the things that I did early in my career.”

The saddest part of Don Mattingly’s career is that he just happened to play in the 17-year period in which the Yankees stunk and didn’t win one World Series. He finally got to the playoffs in 1995 when the Yanks won the Wild Card, but they got eliminated in the first-round by the Mariners. And then, to make it even more sad, Don retired right after that season, and that next year, as you know, the Yankees began their late 90’s dynasty, winning 3 World Series championships in 1996, 1998, and 1999, plus another one to kick off the 21st century in 2000.

Mattingly’s number 23 was retired by the Yanks in 1997, and he will always have a place in Yankee fans’ hearts. But a place in the Hall of Fame? That’s still to be determined.

Here's the full 2010 Ballot list, or at least the big names:

Roberto Alomar

Harold Baines

Bert Blyleven

Andre Dawson

Andres Galarraga

Barry Larkin

Edgar Martinez

*Don Mattingly

Fred McGriff

Mark McGwire

Jack Morris

Dale Murphy

Dave Parker

*Tim Raines

*Lee Smith

Alan Trammell

*Former Yankees