Just give up HGM. It's like pissing into an ocean of piss.
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Defense is always overlooked in baseball, Ozzie Smith might not have been the greatest player on the field in his time with St. Louis, but he was the face of that franchise during his tenure.
I have no problem with him in the Hall, im sure his pitchers that played with him felt the same way.
At least no one said "Cal Ripken jr. is only in because of his streak". That, along with "Tommy John belongs in because of the surgery", are automatic ejections.
A smart manager can get a lot of use out of a guy who is good at one thing, but sub-par otherwise.
Smith wasn't outstanding defensively and sub-par offensively; rather he was outstanding defensively and average (or maybe a tiny bit above average) offensively. If he had been great defensively, but sub-par offensively, he would have been Rafeal Belliard.
Tommy John belongs in because of the surgery
lol
I'd like to see a defense of why that's a bad stance to take, though. The Hall Of Fame isn't just "These are the best players in the history of baseball", it's intended to be about the history of baseball itself. Tommy John, a notable pitcher of his time, undergoing a revolutionary surgical procedure and being able to return and continue his career is certainly historical. To deny that can only be described as narrow minded.
What does that have to do with him coming back and continuing to perform?
Regardless, he had the procedure. "Tommy John Surgery" is part of the lexicon of baseball now, so what sort of sense does it make to not put the namesake into the hall?