Just who on the Boston Red Sox roster has a chance at Hall of Fame induction? Here are a few possibilities.
The HOF is watered down more than the whiskey at a sailor’s bar in Panama or Manilla. The names associated with many of the plaques simply are head scratching moments as one ponders what the voters – especially the Veteran’s Committee – had as justification? Is it being the recipient of having a cute little ditty such as “Tinkers to Evers to Chance?” Maybe just being a “good guy” versus a “bad guy,” but this is baseball and not the WWE.
The politics certainly have an influence if you wish to believe Curt Schilling, who claims his politics is a deterrent to his garnering more votes. And, naturally, is the influence of suspected PED use. The PED specter may have initially impacted both Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell. Personality can be present with some voters. Dick Allen is a borderline HOF player who allegedly had the deposition of a viper – maybe worse. How much that plays one will never know unless some real voter mind reading takes place.
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After the 2003 season if you told me there was no way Nomar Garciaparra would be in the HOF I would certainly check the balance on my equity loan to make a wager. Nomar is now HOF history or what could have been is now long gone. Ah – the unpleasant impact of injuries. So the idea of longevity comes into play. Would Carl Yastrzemski have been in the HOF if his career had ended in 1976 or 1977? Would Jim Rice have been a first ballot if his eyes allowed five more seasons?
The numbers game was once important and still is. The HOF was a guarantee if 500 home runs, 300 wins, and 3,000 hits were attached to your statistical chart. That seems to be diminishing a bit with a new look thanks to metrics and a younger voting bloc. Are 250 wins or even 200 wins the new 300?
Do not dismiss the importance of performing for a team constantly in the playoff spotlight or among the franchises that get a bundle of attention. Might be a few Yankees (or Dodgers) that have a plaque thanks to that set of circumstance.
Next: Young Player's With A shot
So just who on the current Red Sox roster has a chance at the HOF? There are a few that one could say are trending in the right direction, maybe one that needs to get out of a rut and then comes projecting some young talent that has hardly scratched the statistical surface.