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5 Baseball Players That Weren’t Deserving of the MLB Hall of Fame
The Cheat Sheet ^ | January 8, 2017 | Ryan Davis

Posted on 01/08/2017 1:40:03 PM PST by EveningStar

The Major League Baseball Hall of Fame was created all the way back in 1936 and has 312 members that have been enshrined over the years. The process, which involves sports writers and even former players voting and requires a player to receive 75% to be inducted, is far from perfect. Sure, you have plenty of players that are deserving that make it into the Hall of Fame without problem. But sometimes, deserving players are left out for long periods—such as third baseman Ron Santo, who finally was selected following his death in 2011—and other times undeserving players are chosen.

Here are five players that were selected but simply don’t belong in the Hall of Fame.

5. Ozzie Smith ...

4. Phil Rizzuto ...

3. Jim Rice ...

2. Bill Mazeroski ...

1. Bruce Sutter ...

(Excerpt) Read more at cheatsheet.com ...


TOPICS: History; Society; Sports
KEYWORDS: baseball; baseballhalloffame; billmazeroski; brucesutter; jimrice; mazeroski; mlb; ozziesmith; philrizzuto; rizzuto
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To: Palio di Siena
I almost wrote that too.

By the way,

Jack Dempsey was a centerfielder

Bronco Nagurski was second baseman

and Joe DiMaggio was a halfback.

41 posted on 01/08/2017 3:10:39 PM PST by MarvinStinson
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To: Trump20162020
Very good point. There's a guy who surely belongs on a list of players who don't belong in the Hall of Fame.

He was an impressive athlete and probably had all the tools to be one of the greatest outfielders of all time, but he simply wasn't durable enough to put up the kind of numbers you'd expect from a Hall of Famer. He played 21 years, but only managed to play in 150 or more games something like six times.

Dawson himself once suggested that he would have been better off if he played on grass over his entire career instead of playing in Montreal. It's probably know coincidence that he had the best year of his career in 1987, his MVP season that was his first year playing in Chicago.

42 posted on 01/08/2017 3:13:44 PM PST by Alberta's Child ("Yo, bartender -- Jobu needs a refill!")
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To: Stosh

I think Rizzuto is best known for being on Meatloaf’s Paradise by the Dashboard Light. (I knew him for be a Yankee announcer.)


43 posted on 01/08/2017 3:21:53 PM PST by ebshumidors
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To: ebshumidors

We knew him in Florida for his “The Money Store” commercials.


44 posted on 01/08/2017 3:24:07 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: MarvinStinson
And 7'-7" Manute Bol was a jockey.

Oh, wait a minute ... He actually did that once. LMAO.


45 posted on 01/08/2017 3:30:42 PM PST by Alberta's Child ("Yo, bartender -- Jobu needs a refill!")
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To: stylin19a
Thanks. I agree that longevity should not be a HOF criteria, but it's hard for someone to hang around long enough to get 3,000 hits and NOT be a really good ballplayer.

Cal Ripken is probably one of the toughest ballplayers to assess in these discussions. He switched from shortstop to third base later in his career, but he probably would have been a better third baseman all along. He was very much an unconventional shortstop for his time -- tall, limited range, good power numbers at the plate, etc.

46 posted on 01/08/2017 3:33:40 PM PST by Alberta's Child ("Yo, bartender -- Jobu needs a refill!")
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To: EveningStar

Ozzie Smith could cover two acres in his early to mid 80s prime. Sure, he had zero power but he could get on base and move the runner to second as one of the best bunters of his era. I don’t question his presence at all.

Jim Rice had a great year in 1978 and hit a lot of long home runs over the Green Monster. His defense was average at best and he struck out way too much, as sluggers tend to do. He does not belong in Cooperstown in my opinion.

Ditto Bruce Sutter, some good years and a couple of near-great years coming out of the bullpen but his control got away from him and he hung around too long playing mediocre ball for mediocre teams. It’s a toss up here.


47 posted on 01/08/2017 3:41:16 PM PST by diplomatic_immunity
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To: ifinnegan

No joke! Not all hall of famers have to hit .300 lifetime, great fielders get there too, just like pitchers!


48 posted on 01/08/2017 3:42:48 PM PST by nobamanomore
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To: diplomatic_immunity

Retracting my Sutter comments. Actually his shoulder got away from him and he languished with the awful Atlanta Braves towards the end of the decade.


49 posted on 01/08/2017 3:46:42 PM PST by diplomatic_immunity
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To: EveningStar; All
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Bonds Rookie#2 photo BondsRookie2.jpg


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50 posted on 01/08/2017 3:47:52 PM PST by musicman (Until I see the REAL Long Form Vault BC, he's just "PRES__ENT" Obama = Without "ID")
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To: EveningStar

Hard to take seriously a baseball pundit who doesn’t know that Phil Rizzutto was a shortstop.

I agree with him on 3 of the 5, but I think the case can be made fairly strongly for Jim Rice based upon his prime seasons.


51 posted on 01/08/2017 3:48:13 PM PST by Enchante (Hoping the Clintonistas are gone from our public life forever!!)
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To: Churchillspirit

I played college ball, and played shortstop, second and third off and on, not at Ozzie’s level, however!

Cardinals fan still, and he was an inspiration. He also was criticized for having some errors, but most were balls nobody else would have touched a glove on.


52 posted on 01/08/2017 3:48:17 PM PST by nobamanomore
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To: Enchante

Also, Ozzie Smith was so extraordinary on defense that a solid case can be made. Defense should not just be an asterisk, although it is harder to compare players. But Ozzie Smith deserves the term “great”....


53 posted on 01/08/2017 3:54:37 PM PST by Enchante (Hoping the Clintonistas are gone from our public life forever!!)
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To: nobamanomore

Angels fan here but I can appreciate a good player no matter which team he plays for.


54 posted on 01/08/2017 4:23:32 PM PST by Churchillspirit (9/11/2001 and 9/11/2012: NEVER FORGET.)
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To: Hostage

“Luis Aparicio ... now there was a Shortstop!”

Dave Concepcion from Cincy was a great shortstop.


55 posted on 01/08/2017 4:28:03 PM PST by EQAndyBuzz (Too. Much. Winning.)
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To: EveningStar

We would go to the Feller museum when he was alive and he would tell my now 20 year old son stories about having a steak dinner with Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth.

He also told us that there were a lot of players who didn’t belong but he refused to name names. One I’v heard mentioned is Hal Newhouser. At least with baseball, it has the appearance of rarity compared with football.


56 posted on 01/08/2017 4:42:02 PM PST by Mean Daddy (Every time Hillary lies, a demon gets its wings. - Windflier)
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To: EveningStar

The metrics for pitchers eligibility are changing. Three hundred wins was the magic number for automatic induction, just as 3000 hits is the magic number for hitters. However, there isn’t a single pitcher in the majors right now who will get 300 wins, and there won’t be very many from now on. The closer has become just as important, and based on that, I have no problem with Bruce Sutter’s induction.


57 posted on 01/08/2017 4:58:50 PM PST by henkster
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To: EveningStar

I have always felt that it is better for the HOF to leave out a qualified player than to admit someone who doesn’t belong. I also don’t like the base-lining that many do for the HOF. Voting someone in because he has similar statistics to someone who is already in has the possibility of compounding an earlier error. The HOF is for great players, not the really good ones. Some really good players should be kept out in order to keep the standards high.


58 posted on 01/08/2017 5:02:38 PM PST by CommerceComet (Hillary: A unique blend of incompetence and corruption.)
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To: Alberta's Child

I say Sutter belongs because he changed the game. He introduced, or at least was the first master. of the split fingered fastball. His first few years he was unhittable.


59 posted on 01/08/2017 5:10:34 PM PST by sharkhawk (GO CUBS GO)
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To: Hostage

One of my favorites when I was a kid.


60 posted on 01/08/2017 5:13:37 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (As long as tyranny exists, the Constitution and Bill of Right will never be "outdated" or "obsolete")
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