Andre Dawson - lone HoF inductee

[HoustonGM]

I think Rice and Dawson are bad picks. I think if you are going to put those two in then, how come Albert Belle got like only 5 votes and quickly fell off the ballot years ago. Despite his short career I think Belle was still better than both Rice and Dawson. I understand the part of him being a d-bag, but still. Alomar, Larkin, Raines, Blyleven & Trammel should all be in. Another player who fell off the ballot too fast was Lou Whitaker. I'm not sure if he's HOF worthy. But he deserved a longer look than what he got.

I'd rank Dawson ahead of Belle because of defense and baserunning, but Belle is clearly and obviously better than Jim Rice.

And Lou Whitaker is a deserving HoFer imo. It's a shame that Jack Morris is getting the most support of the players of the great 1980's Tiger teams when Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker were a fantastic DP combination for over a decade and both are deserving HoFers....and Jack Morris surely owes a portion of his success to their solid defensive presence.

[Jeffy25]

I think Rice and Dawson are bad picks. I think if you are going to put those two in then, how come Albert Belle got like only 5 votes and quickly fell off the ballot years ago. Despite his short career I think Belle was still better than both Rice and Dawson. I understand the part of him being a d-bag, but still. Alomar, Larkin, Raines, Blyleven & Trammel should all be in. Another player who fell off the ballot too fast was Lou Whitaker. I'm not sure if he's HOF worthy. But he deserved a longer look than what he got.

Belle didn't exactly have friends in the media...and his career was shortened due to injury.

but when you look at career numbers, you are exactly right.

[gosensgo101]

Has Corky Simpson's choices been posted online yet?

[BenFink]

Where is the crime dog

[Jeffy25]

Where is the crime dog

I greatly Challenge the Crime Dog's worthiness for hall votes.

[metsguy234]

1) Although more deserving players missed it, I can't get mad that a pretty deserving guy made it in. This isn't a Jim Rice pick, or a Freddie Lindstrom pick, or a Tony Perez pick.

2) Franco is eligible next year, correct?

3) Who was the 1 person that voted for Kevin Appier?

[SirKodiak]

My votes:
Andre Dawson 420 77.9%
Bert Blyleven 400 74.2%
Roberto Alomar 397 73.7%
Jack Morris 282 52.3%
Barry Larkin 278 51.6%
Lee Smith 255 47.3%
Edgar Martinez 195 36.2%
Tim Raines 164 30.4%
Mark McGwire 128 23.7%
Alan Trammell 121 22.4%
Fred McGriff 116 21.5%
Don Mattingly 87 16.1%
Dave Parker 82 15.2% Not based on any rationale besides emotion.
Dale Murphy 63 11.7%
Harold Baines 33 6.1%

[haveacigar]

I'm trying to explain to my brother and my dad why Jack Morris is not a hall of famer. I guess a 105 ERA+ is legit HOF numbers, in which case we'll have to add about a hundred other pitchers like Jamie Moyer, Kenny Rogers, Frank Tanana, etc.

[metsguy234]

Jack Morris gets on my list of "maybes". Quite the bulldog, I wouldn't disapprove if jhe made the Hall though

[BINGLEBOP]

It's so disappointing that Bert Blyleven wasn't selected this year - so damn close. I really hope next year is his year.

[cfeedback]

Oh man...I have so much to say about Dawson that I can't even begin. I've said it enough times in so many other places.

Suffice it to say that he's clearly a Hall of Famer. Look, you'll find no bigger fan of sabermetrics than me, but sometimes we take it too far. OBP is not the end all of great stats, and RBIs are not completely worthless. Power hitters in the 80s were paid to drive in runs--and given the choice between taking a walk or hitting a sac fly to drive in that runner from 3rd, Dawson would swing at a ball and get the runner home (he's 10th all time on the sac fly list). Irregardless of whether that's the proper strategy that was what was dictated at the time.

I think this article sums it up the best for me: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hof10/...tim&id=4776214

To fully appreciate Andre Dawson, you had to see him play in his prime, before the horrible artificial turf in Montreal ravaged his knees. You had to see him streak across the outfield on his way to a great catch, make throws that had to be seen to be believed, tear holes in the sky with line drives to all fields, steal bases in crucial situations and slide so violently into a base to break up a double play. You had to see him at work before and after games in the clubhouse, silently leading, quietly teaching that winning is all that matters in baseball.

[Jeffy25]

It's so disappointing that Bert Blyleven wasn't selected this year - so damn close. I really hope next year is his year.

how many years does he have left of eligibility?

[BINGLEBOP]

how many years does he have left of eligibility?

I think two more chances? Somebody can verify or correct that. So hopefully he'll make it just in time, although it would have been great to be inducted while his mother was still living.

[metsguy234]

how many years does he have left of eligibility?

Two

[Jeffy25]

Oh man...I have so much to say about Dawson that I can't even begin. I've said it enough times in so many other places.

Suffice it to say that he's clearly a Hall of Famer. Look, you'll find no bigger fan of sabermetrics than me, but sometimes we take it too far. OBP is not the end all of great stats, and RBIs are not completely worthless. Power hitters in the 80s were paid to drive in runs--and given the choice between taking a walk or hitting a sac fly to drive in that runner from 3rd, Dawson would swing at a ball and get the runner home (he's 10th all time on the sac fly list). Irregardless of whether that's the proper strategy that was what was dictated at the time.

I think this article sums it up the best for me: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hof10/...tim&id=4776214

That can be said about a lot of very talented players that missed out on great careers because of injuries. I would vote that Dawson barely misses it based on his numbers. I don't think it's a travesty that he made it, but I feel that Bly, Larkin, Alomar are all equally, if not more deserving than Dawson. That is my only argument here really. I think Dawson was a great player, happy to see another cubbie reach the hall (something for cub fans to be happy about I guess).

I would take Dawson over Rice, and I think almost everyone outside of Boston would agree.