Last week Tony LaRussa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre were unanimously elected by the Veterans Committee as the latest members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. All three are deserving and it is fitting that all will be inducted during the same year. Although each played in the Major Leagues they are all going in as managers. Torre had a very fine playing career and many feel, including me, that he was Hall worthy as a player. LaRussa and Cox, not so much. While Torre hit .297 with 2342 hits, 252 HRs and 1185 RBIs in 18 seasons; LaRussa hit a cool .199 with 35 total hits, 0 HRs and 6 RBIs in 6 seasons. Cox was only slightly better than LaRussa; hitting .225 with 141 hits, 9 HRs and 58 RBIs in 2 seasons in the big leagues.
This January 8, 2014 the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) will vote on the Class of 2014. It would appear that Greg Maddox is a lock to earn entrance in his first year of eligibility. Also up this year, for the first time, is Maddox's old teammate Tom Glavine. What a day it would be for Braves fans to have Cox, Maddox and Glavine inducted on the same Sunday afternoon in July!
What a run of extended excellence! There is speculation that if John Smoltz had retired sooner, all three pitchers would have waltzed in together. These players, along with "future Hall of Famer", Chipper Jones were major reasons for the Braves dominance for over a decade. Now they are all retired and I hope Braves fans appreciate what they had during those years.
Growing up a Cardinals fan I recall thinking that it was hard for me to remember a time when St. Louis didn't have a Hall of Fame caliber player. Growing up in the 60's and 70's I was aware of the final few years of Stan Musial's career. Then came Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Orlando Cepeda and later Ozzie Smith.
I decided to do some research; not just for the Cardinals but for each Major League team. What teams have had the most sustained stretch of Hall of Fame players? The answer might surprise you!
TRIVIA QUESTION: Every one of the current 30 MLB franchises has had a Hall of Fame player suit up for them; except one. What team has never had a Hall of Fame player wear their uniform? (answer at the end of this blog).
Considering only the modern era, beginning in 1900, I searched the data banks of Baseball-Reference.com. For this assignment I only counted Hall of Fame members who were elected as players. For example, LaRussa, Cox and Torre don't count. Even though they all played in the Big Leagues they were not elected for there playing career.
The obvious place to begin looking for Hall of Fame players was the New York Yankees. After all, they are the team of Ruth, Gehrig and Mantle; and 26 World Championships! What I found was interesting. The Yankees were not even in the top four teams for continuous Hall of Famer seasons.
Number one is the New York/San Francisco Giants with 73 . The Giants had at least one Hall of Famer on there roster every season from 1900 to 1973! Next longest is the one that I found really surprising: the Chicago White Sox with 66...from 1904-1970. Third on the list is the Cardinals with 64 straight seasons with a Hall of Famer in uniform (1915-1979) Fourth is the Red Sox at 61 (1933-1994) and then the Yankees at 55 (1913-1968).
Granted the Hall of Fame didn't even exist until 1936 so fans didn't know they were watching "Hall of Famers" in he early 1900's but they knew they were watching special players. The same is true today. The Braves have not officially had a Hall of Fame player in uniform his 1988 when Bruce Sutter was at the tail end of his career. But Maddox and Glavine can change that. Call it redemptive history. We will retroactively write their names along side the other legends once they are elected.
We often hear current or recent players called "future" Hall of Famers. Guys like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire all appeared to be shoo-ins. But the steroid era has changed that. Still there are many players in uniform that would appear headed for Cooperstown when their careers are over. Discussing the chances of present day players is always one of my favorite hot stove activities and might be the topic of a future blog.
While the Giants have had the longest streak, the Pirates have had the longest drought between Hall of Famers in their uniform. The last Hall of Famer to wear a Pittsburgh uniform was Willie Stargell in 1982...31 seasons ago. (note that Bonds played for the Pirates from 1986 to 1992 but has yet to be voted in)
As noted earlier, only one team has never had a Hall of Famer put on it's uniform. The answer to the trivia question is: the Colorado Rockies. 1993 was the first year of existence for the franchise and no Hall of Fame player has so much as had a cup of coffee with the club. That could change in five years when Todd Helton becomes eligible.
Who playing today will reach back in time to rewrite their teams history? Mariano Rivera will have no problem achieving enshrinement. Albert Pujols, Miquel Cabrera, Clayton Kershaw are among many others on the road to the Hall. Many promising players have had their chances snuffed out by injury or failure to sustain the quality of play over the length of their careers. It is just another reason why baseball is the great game it is. It measures immediate success and rewards longevity.
Players come and players go. Some will burst onto the scene brightly and then fizzle out and will be just a footnote; but those that compete with sustained excellence live forever in the hearts and minds of true baseball fans!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
