The following are my views on this season’s nominees. I’ve put them in 5 categories: No Doubt, Good Chance, Borderline, Short Career, and No Chance. The thing I noticed most is how hard it is to narrow down your last couple of votes. There are many deserving candidates, and it’s very hard to differentiate between them.
No Doubt
Al Ontiveros – 598 HR and a .965 OPS from a SS. Add 5 Silver Sluggers and 6 All Stars, and despite inflated stats in San Juan he should be a lock.
Dennys Yamakazi – The numbers might not be staggering, with 190-133 W-L and a 3.89 ERA, but this was the best pitcher not named Tracy in the early years of the league. 3 CYA and 6 All Stars tell part of the story. Being 5th all-time in IP and 2nd in K’s, and putting up those numbers in the AL tell more.
Henry Menechino – Others might find his career too short, but 500 HR and a 1.054 OPS are enough for me, even from a 1B. Not to mention his back-to-back 80 HR campaigns. Don’t forget he’s an MVP with 2 Gold Gloves as well.
Good chance
Harry Pascual – 4 All Stars, 4 Silver Sluggers and a .939 OPS from a 2B. Despite only 10 full seasons, it’s hard to say he doesn’t belong.
Julio Johnson – 2-time MVP and 6 All Stars, plus a .941 OPS, while playing 2B and LF. Also only 10 seasons, not quite as defensively valuable as Pascual, but 2 MVPs speak loudly.
Mikey Tatum – Lfer who went to 9 All Star games, won 4 Silver Sluggers and 4 Gold Gloves. With 300 HR, almost 600 SB, nearly a .900 OPS and 1500 R, he’s easy to vote for.
Trenidad Prieto – 500 HR, 1700 RBI and 1500 R. A .957 career OPS. HOF numbers for sure. Only 4 All Stars and 1 Silver Slugger though, and at 1B in this league you have to MASH. He’d be a sure thing if he played another position, as it is… he’s not a bad choice.
Alexander Henry – 500 HR, 1500 RBI, .971 career OPS. 4 All Star games and an MVP. Another 1B with HOF numbers, but how many can you take. Tough choices here.
Desi Rodriguez – Gold Glove winning SS who went to 7 All Star games and hit over 500 HR. Sounds like a HOF lock! His .850 OPS hurts him, as does Ontiveros’ candidacy.
Nerio Miller – 9 All Stars, 6 Firemen and a CYA. 2.93 career ERA and 487 Sv. The fact that he pitched less than 1000 IP keep him out of the sure thing category for me. That, and I don’t think a reliever should be the first pitcher in the HOF.
Ron Quantrill – I still haven’t figured out how to rate pitcher’s careers. 176 W and a 3.87 ERA aren’t mind blowing, but there are so few pitchers with those numbers that I think it’s much harder than it seems. 6 All Stars and over 2800 IP.
Diego Ozuna – 196 W and a 3.98 ERA. Over 2500 IP and 9 All Star games. Would have won a CYA if not for Brett Tracy.
Borderline
Ringo Weston – Played CF, SS and 3B, got over 2300 H and 1300 R, with an OPS of .845. Excellent all-around player, maybe not quite HOF quality.
Anthony Gipson – This excellent 3B went to 6 All Star games, won a Gold Glove and 4 Silver Sluggers. His 399 HR and .899 OPS ironically echo his HOF status: Not Quite.
Mel Barfield – This 2B went to 7 All Star games, won a Gold Glove and 4 Silver Sluggers. Sound familiar? Hard to complain about 300 HR, 500 SB and an .885 OPS, but he just doesn’t feel like a HOFer to me.
Clyde Unroe – 500 HR and 1500 RBI for someone who played 2B/LF is always good. Only 2 All Star games and an .895 OPS make me think twice.
Julio Iglesias – Played 3B and SS, went to 6 All Star games and won 3 SS and a GG. 300 HR and almost 300 SB, with a .903 OPS. I think he’s just below the HOF.
Ralph Stanley – Caught a lot, but DH’d more. 420 HR and an .895 OPS might have been enough as a full-time C, but not quite as a DH.
Tyler Henderson – With 444 Saves and a 3.47 ERA, 6 All Stars and 2 Firemen, he’s a poor man’s Nerio Miller. Not quite enough.
Matthew Torres – Made 4 All-Star games and 1 Fireman, pitched a lot for a reliever, racking up over 1600 IP, 108 W, and 208 saves. His 3.72 ERA keeps him out of the elite reliever discussion.
Short Career
Ryan Parrish – RFer Parrish was a masher, compiling a .991 OPS with over 300 HR, but with only 8 full seasons it’s probably not quite enough for the HOF.
Dustin Scott – Also a RFer, put together a .940 OPS and 250 HR. His 8 seasons were not quite enough.
Walter Webb – Had some massive seasons early as a C, but was too old. Finished as a DH with fewer than 300 HR.
No Shot
Marvin Bryant – This 2B/SS was a nice player, but an .851 OPS with no speed will not get you a HOF spot.
George Brow – He played a nice CF and came to play every day, and contributed with a .293 AVG. Not a real HOF candidate though.
Henry Sullivan – Awards don’t tell the whole story, but the fact that in 8 seasons this 3B didn’t win any probably tells enough.
Peter Mitchell – Did some catching, but mostly a DH. Put up a huge .423 OBP, but the rest of the numbers are not enough for a pure hitter to make it.
Alex Guerrero – Played a ton of positions, and had good longevity. His 411 HR and .882 OPS aren’t enough.
Shawn Morton – HOF voters have to remember how hard it is to pitch in this league. A 3.78 career ERA is very good. I just don’t think his 108 W and 1800 IP are enough.
John Kennedy – Won a CYA and has a 3.87 ERA. Again, I think 109 W and 1500 IP don’t cut it.
Giomar Roque, Esteban Tejera, Tony Hodges – Do not belong on this list.
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