Post by rog on Mar 3, 2019 12:49:58 GMT -5
I usually think about baseball when I go to sleep at night, and recently I've been thinking about the players now playing the game who have played long enough and well enough that I would consider them likely Hall of Famers. Here is my list, some of which we'll agree with, and some of which we won't. There are likely others you'd like to add to the list that I've either forgotten or evaluated differently. I'm speaking, by the way, of players I think will be voted in by the writers, not be added by the Veterans' Committee. I don't consider a lot of the players they add to be "real" Hall of Famers, although clearly they have been chosen and are true HOFers.
Pitchers:
Clayton Kershaw
Max Scherzer
Justin Verlander
Zack Greinke
Chris Sale
Catchers:
Buster Posey
Yadier Molina
First basemen:
Albert Pujols
Miguel Cabrera
Joey Votto
Paul Goldschmidt
Second basemen:
Robinson Cano
Jose Altuve
Shortstops:
Francisco Lindor
Third basemen:
Nolan Arenado
Manny Machado
Outfielders:
Mike Trout
Mookie Betts
Giancarlo Stanton
Bryce Harper
I might mention that until he went to the Phillies, I probably wouldn't have had Harper on my list. But he's young, and he seems to be in a great place to succeed.
I think there are quite a few other players who will make the Hall, including some who will play in the majors this season for their first time. But the above are guys who have enough track record to have reduced the risk at least a little. Things can change in a hurry too. After 2011 I would definitely have had Tim Lincecum on the list, and just two years ago I would probably have included Madison Bumgarner, who remains a possibility but no longer a probability IMO.
Speaking of Madison, he's a very rich man's Kirk Rueter when it comes to pitching and a rather poor man's Rueter when it comes to run support (4.38 per nine innings). Even though Kirk's 4.27 ERA is nearly a run and a quarter higher than Madison's, his .586 career winning percentage is 16 points higher than Madison's .570. Lincecum, by the way, may have ended his career with a 3.74 ERA and a .553 winning percentage.
A pitcher I considered putting on the likely Hall of Fame list but didn't is Vallejo's CC Sabathia. I don't consider him to have had quite a HOF career, but he's won 246 games with a 3.70 ERA. Not many pitchers have won 100 more games than they've lost, but CC is close with 93 more wins (246-153). CC's .617 winning percentage is really good. On 24 Hall of Fame pitchers have a higher winning percentage.
Pitchers:
Clayton Kershaw
Max Scherzer
Justin Verlander
Zack Greinke
Chris Sale
Catchers:
Buster Posey
Yadier Molina
First basemen:
Albert Pujols
Miguel Cabrera
Joey Votto
Paul Goldschmidt
Second basemen:
Robinson Cano
Jose Altuve
Shortstops:
Francisco Lindor
Third basemen:
Nolan Arenado
Manny Machado
Outfielders:
Mike Trout
Mookie Betts
Giancarlo Stanton
Bryce Harper
I might mention that until he went to the Phillies, I probably wouldn't have had Harper on my list. But he's young, and he seems to be in a great place to succeed.
I think there are quite a few other players who will make the Hall, including some who will play in the majors this season for their first time. But the above are guys who have enough track record to have reduced the risk at least a little. Things can change in a hurry too. After 2011 I would definitely have had Tim Lincecum on the list, and just two years ago I would probably have included Madison Bumgarner, who remains a possibility but no longer a probability IMO.
Speaking of Madison, he's a very rich man's Kirk Rueter when it comes to pitching and a rather poor man's Rueter when it comes to run support (4.38 per nine innings). Even though Kirk's 4.27 ERA is nearly a run and a quarter higher than Madison's, his .586 career winning percentage is 16 points higher than Madison's .570. Lincecum, by the way, may have ended his career with a 3.74 ERA and a .553 winning percentage.
A pitcher I considered putting on the likely Hall of Fame list but didn't is Vallejo's CC Sabathia. I don't consider him to have had quite a HOF career, but he's won 246 games with a 3.70 ERA. Not many pitchers have won 100 more games than they've lost, but CC is close with 93 more wins (246-153). CC's .617 winning percentage is really good. On 24 Hall of Fame pitchers have a higher winning percentage.