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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: 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: diplomatic_immunity

Sutter in his prime made good hitters miss worse than I’d ever seen. His splitter did things baseball hadn’t seen before. Eventually others were able to replicate it and have success and over time hitters learned to hit it. But when new Sutter was as dominating as Manny Rivera. Manny’s pitch never was well replicated and he kept it going for a longer career. Sutter had arm injuries before his stardom and thus a shortened career. IIRC the injuries lead Bruce and his guru, who’s name escapes me, to develop the splitter. Closers were just becoming a ‘position’ in his era and many were lamenting there only being one reliever in the Hall, Hoyt Wilhelm, a knuckleballer who pitched forever. Sutter was the obvious add from what then was a small pool of candidates.


67 posted on 01/08/2017 6:29:01 PM PST by JohnBovenmyer ( Obama been Liberal. Hope Changed)
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