All-Time MLB Saves Leader Trevor Hoffman Retires

Hells Bells

Baseball’s all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman has thrown his final changeup, deciding at age 43 to retire and return to the San Diego Padres in a front office job. Hoffman recorded 601 saves in 18 seasons, 15 1/2 of them with the Padres. Hoffman, who was converted from shortstop to pitcher in the minor leagues and was acquired as a rookie from the Florida Marlins in 1993 during the Padres infamous “Fire Sale” that stripped away most of their high-paid veterans. He left San Diego as a free agent following the 2008 season after contract talks abruptly ended, and pitched with the Milwaukee for two seasons.

Padres co-owner Jeff Moorad said Hoffman will spend the next year familiarizing himself with several departments, including baseball operations, and then the two sides will determine what area is best for him.

He became the career saves leader when he notched No. 479 at home on Sept. 24, 2006, breaking the previous mark of 478 by Lee Smith. He had 552 saves with the Padres.

Jan 12, 2011 | MLB | Comments Off

Andre Dawson Elected To The Hall Of Fame

The Hawk

First let me say that I’ve seen some of the ballots and being a person that subscribes to the religion of baseball it makes me absolutely sick on how some of these writers who get admission into the Baseball Writers Association of America actually voted or in some chases choose not to file one single vote. Absolutely disgusting.

Back on November 29, I posted a detailed run down of who I thought deserved admission into the Baseball Hall of Fame as well as those I would not vote for, if I was lucky enough to have a vote, and today the results from the Baseball Writers Association of America told us the 2010 Baseball Hall of Fame class would only have the inclusion of outfielder Andre “The Hawk” Dawson.

Dawson a five tool player was a 8-time All-Star and 8-time Gold Glove outfielder, was also the 1977 NL Rookie of the Year and the 1987 NL MVP. In 21 season he finished with 2,774 hits and 438 home runs as well as 1,591 RBI’s among many more baseball accomplishment’s. Dawson played for the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins. The Hawk on his ninth try received 420 out of 539 votes for 77.9%, 2.9% more than the 75% needed to be inducted.

Dawson, whose fielding prowess earned him the nickname “The Hawk,” will be honored along with manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey, who were elected by the Veterans Committee, will be inducted into the Hall July 25 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York.

I hate to take away from Hall of Famer Andre Dawson moment but when you see that the BBWAA had 5 blank ballots, in what I am going to assume was pure laziness,just infuriates me considering guys like Bert Blyleven missed by 0.8% or that Roberto Alomar missed by 1.3%. While my blood is still boiling I would like to dot trademarks around the writers eyes that used their votes to tell me that Kevin Appier, Pat Hentgen, David Segui and Ellis Burk need to have a plaque of enshrinement next to Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Bob Gibson, Mickey Mantle, Ozzie Smith, Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays just to name a few.

Players may remain on the ballot for up to 15 years provided they receive five percent of the vote in any year. There were 11 candidates who failed to make the cut this year, all among the 15 players who were on the ballot for the first time. The first-year candidates who received sufficient support to remain other than Alomar were shortstop Barry Larkin with 278 (51.6%), designated hitter-third baseman Edgar Martinez with 195 (36.2%) and first baseman Fred McGriff with 116 (21.5%). Other holdovers who will remain on the ballot are pitchers Jack Morris and Lee Smith, first basemen Don Mattingly and Mark McGwire, shortstop Alan Trammell, outfielder-DH Harold Baines and outfielders Tim Raines, Dave Parker and Dale Murphy.

Once again congratulations to you Hall of Famer Andre “The Hawk” Dawson.

Jan 06, 2010 | MLB | Comments Off

Who’s A 2010 Baseball Hall Of Famer?

All Alone

The 2010 ballot of potential Baseball Hall of Famers was released and it’s when O.G. baseball fans, like myself, sit around and provide our vote on who should be let into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. A candidate must receive 75 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers Association of America members to gain election.

This years ballot includes 15 new entrants, Roberto Alomar and Barry Larkin being the biggest names, alongside 11 holdovers. If any player fails to receive 5 percent of the vote their are forever removed from future Hall of Fame ballots.

Voting for the 2010 first timers are as follows:

• Roberto Alomar – NO, a 12-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove second baseman, had a .300 batting average, 210 homers and 474 steals in 17 major league seasons. The pitting in the face of constant moving around in his career and spitting in the face of an umpire John Hirschbeck sure will cost him votes however I felt he was never a dominating second baseman.

• Barry Larkin – YES, a 12-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove shortstop in 19 seasons, all with Cincinnati. He had a .295 career average with 198 homers and won the 1995 NL MVP award. If it wasn’t for him playing in the same time as Ozzie Smith and Cal Ripken he might have been mentioned as one of the best shortstops of all time.

• Edgar Martinez – NO, won two AL batting titles and finishing with a .312 average and 309 homers. A seven-time All-Star, he was a designated hitter in 1,412 of 2,055 career regular-season games and spent all 18 seasons with Seattle. I admit that Martinez was a wonderful hitter but since he is the first to be nominated solely for playing the DH spot I find it will be hard for him to achieve the 75%.

• Fred McGriff – NO, tied with Lou Gehrig for 26th on the career home run with 493 and had a .284 average in 19 seasons. He was a 5-time All-Star and led the AL in homers for Toronto in 1989 and the NL for San Diego in 1992. I was a huge “Crime Dog” fan but fan favorite doesn’t mean a spot in the Hall.

• Andres Galarraga – NO, a 5-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove first baseman. He was the 2000 MLB Comeback Player of the Year after returning from cancer treatment. He finished with 399 home runs in 19 seasons and 2,333 hits. The “Big Cat” provided power for the teams he played with but nothing dominating.

• Ellis Burks - NO, a 2-time All Star and a one-time Gold Glove outfielder. He finished with 352 home runs in 18 seasons. Will not receive the 5% of votes to keep him on future ballots.

• Eric Karros – NO, the 1992 NL Rookie of the Year. Will not receive the 5% of votes to keep him on future ballots.

• Ray Lankford – NO, a one-time All-Star who played in the NFL and MLB at the same time. Will not receive the 5% of votes to keep him on future ballots.

• David Segui – NO, played 15 seasons, probably known more for admitted to steroid use. Will not receive the 5% of votes to keep him on future ballots.

• Robin Ventura – NO, a 2-time All-Star and six-time Gold Glove third-baseman. He finished with a .267 batting average and 294 home runs. His baseball infamy came at the hands on Nolan Ryan as well as hitting a “Grand Slam Single” in 2000 NLCS. Probably will receive the 5% of votes to keep him on future ballots.

• Todd Zeile - NO, is also one of 41 players ever to hit a home run in his final at-bat. Will not receive the 5% of votes to keep him on future ballots.

• Kevin Appier – NO, a one-time All-Star. He finished with a win loss record of 169-137 and 1,994 strikeouts in 16 seasons. Hopefully will not receive the 5% of votes to keep him on future ballots.

• Pat Hentgen – NO, a 3-time All-Star and 1996 AL Cy Young Award winner going 20-10. He finished with a win loss record of 131-112 and 1,290 strikeouts. Had one of the best curve balls in the game for a stretch but not Hall worthy.

• Mike Jackson – NO, in 17 seasons finished with 142 saves while winning 62 and losing 67. A setup guy out of the bullpen for much of his career. Will not receive the 5% of votes to keep him on future ballots.

• Shane Reynolds – NO, in 13 seasons finished with a win loss record of 114-96 and 1,403 strikeouts. Will not receive the 5% of votes to keep him on future ballots.

Voting for the 2010 holdovers are as follows:

• Harold Baines – NO, a 6-time All-Star in 22 seasons. A clutch hitter who had 2,866 hits and 384 home runs. An All-Star for sure but not a Hall of Famer.

• Andre Dawson – YES, an 8-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove outfielder. He was the 1977 NL Rookie of the Year and the 1987 NL MVP. In 21 season he finished with 2,774 hits and 438 home runs as well as 1,591 RBI’s. The “Hawk” deserves Jim Rice’s spot and doesn’t need to the Boston media to do his begging like Rice did.

• Don Mattingly – NO, a 6-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove first-baseman. Was the 1985 AL MVP. A great player but quite never provided the power in the batters box. If he had half the power of Mark McGwire he would for sure be a Hall of Famer.

• Mark McGwire – NO, a 12-time All-Star and one-time Gold Glove first-baseman. Was the 1987 AL Rookie of the Year and holds 2 MLB Records 49 home runs in his rookie season and 10.61 at bats per home run ratio. A great player but quite never provided anything but power. If he had half the baseball skill as Don Mattingly he would for sure be a Hall of Famer in my world. I do not figure steroids into any of the equation since it was not against the rules of baseball until 2005.

• Dale Murphy – NO, a 7-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove outfielder. Was a back to back NL MVP in 1982 and 1983. Finished with 2,111 hits and 398 home runs and 1,266 RBI’s. The “Murph” was not a stat guy but a baseball guy. His contributions are surely appreciated within the game but not a spot shouldn’t be held in the Hall for him.

• Dave Parker – NO, a 7-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove outfielder. Was 1978 NL MVP. The “Cobra” had a lethal right field arm, however his career suffered from injuries and cocaine use that caused him from being one of the games best ever.

• Tim Raines – NO, a 7-time All-Star and stole 808 bases in 23 seasons. The “Rock” was an All-Star for sure but not a Hall of Famer.

• Alan Trammell – NO, a 6-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove shortstop. Was the 1983 MLB Comeback Player of the Year and 1984 World Series MVP. An excellent defensive shortstop but played in an era when he was the fourth or fifth best.

• Bert Blyleven – NO, a 2-time All-Star and 1989 MLB Comeback Player of the Year. Pitched no-hitter on September 22, 1977.He finished with a win loss record of 287-250 and 3,701 strikeouts as well as a 3.31 ERA. Never won 20 games, no Cy Young Award and stands at 287 wins after 22 season. “Bert” was an All-Star for sure but not a Hall of Famer.

• Jack Morris – YES, 5-time All-Star and a four-time World Series champions. Was the 1991 World Series MVP. He finished with a win loss record of 254-186 and 2,478 strikeouts as well as a 3.90 ERA. Morris was a winner and a pitcher I would want to give the ball to in a seventh game.

• Lee Smith – NO, 7-time All-Star and a three time Relif Pitcher of the Year, twice in the NL and once in the AL. He finished with 478 saves and won 71 games and lost 92 with 1,251 strikeouts. I was a huge Smith fan and it even hurts me to say no but fan favorite doesn’t mean a spot in the Hall. A strong case can be made though for the third all time leader in saves.

Reporters who have been in the Baseball Writers Association of America for 10 consecutive years are eligible to vote, and results will be announced January 6. Inductions are scheduled for July 25 at Cooperstown.

Nov 29, 2009 | MLB | 1 Comment »