2024 Hall of Fame Inductions

[Deepster]

1) Absolutely love and honor Adrian Beltre here. Well deserved for great years (top 10 in MVP voting 6 times) and career numbers (including 5 gold gloves on top of the offense).

2) Todd Helton and Joe Mauer? I can't get behind either of them. So watered down and just above average over long, uninspiring careers. Joe Mauer never had 100 RBI in a season! He had 1 season with 96 and no others above 85! The last 10 years of Helton's career was horribly average at best.

The case for Helton and Mauer now make Mattingly's case look better (and I don't think he deserves it, TBH). But if they're in, he should be. It also has me now starting to wonder if the HOF is worthless that they honor a guy like Todd Helton but anyone in the steroid era is blackballed. I mean, Barry Bonds played 22 years. If you erased the last 11 and only included his first 11 with Pitt, SF and no steroid allegations.....he's better than Helton or Mauer.

 

[Scoe]

The voters need to get past the steroid era. Just put Clemens, Bonds, and Arod in and get it over with.

 

[sun]

2) Todd Helton and Joe Mauer? I can't get behind either of them. So watered down and just above average over long, uninspiring careers. Joe Mauer never had 100 RBI in a season! He had 1 season with 96 and no others above 85! The last 10 years of Helton's career was horribly average at best.

The case for Helton and Mauer now make Mattingly's case look better (and I don't think he deserves it, TBH). But if they're in, he should be. It also has me now starting to wonder if the HOF is worthless that they honor a guy like Todd Helton but anyone in the steroid era is blackballed. I mean, Barry Bonds played 22 years. If you erased the last 11 and only included his first 11 with Pitt, SF and no steroid allegations.....he's better than Helton or Mauer.

You've got to be kidding about Joe Mauer.
He's the only catcher in the American League to ever win a batting title, and he won it 3 times.

He was also the 2009 MVP, won 3 Gold Gloves & was a 6 time All-Star.
During his entire high school baseball career, he only struck out once.
Even in MLB, he had nearly as many walks (939) as strike outs (1034).

Mauer just the 3rd catcher to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer

MINNEAPOLIS -- Johnny Bench, Iván Rodríguez -- and now, Joe Mauer. Among the precious few catchers who have been skilled enough at their craft to even make it to the Major Leagues, there’s a very select echelon of Hall of Famers. And among those scant few who represent the elite

www.mlb.com

 

[husky8273]

You've got to be kidding about Joe Mauer.
He's the only catcher in the American League to ever win a batting title, and he won it 3 times.

He was also the 2009 MVP, won 3 Gold Gloves & was a 6 time All-Star.
During his entire high school baseball career, he only struck out once.
Even in MLB, he had nearly as many walks (939) as strike outs (1034).

Mauer just the 3rd catcher to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer

MINNEAPOLIS -- Johnny Bench, Iván Rodríguez -- and now, Joe Mauer. Among the precious few catchers who have been skilled enough at their craft to even make it to the Major Leagues, there’s a very select echelon of Hall of Famers. And among those scant few who represent the elite

www.mlb.com

Yogi Berra wasn't a first ballot?

 

[sun]

Yogi Berra wasn't a first ballot?

No, Yogi didn't get in until his 2nd year in 1972.
In his 1st year of eligiblity in 1971, no players were inducted into the HOF.

Wait, what? 10 Hall of Famers not in on 1st ballot

Derek Jeter stormed into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Why wouldn't he? The Yankees' Captain is one of the most iconic players in recent baseball history. But not every MLB icon can lay claim to the title of first-ballot Hall of Famer. Since the advent

www.mlb.com

 

[mauconnfan]

The voters need to get past the steroid era. Just put Clemens, Bonds, and Arod in and get it over with.

They are over the steroid era aren’t they? I mean Bagwell and Papi are in right?

As far as Mauer really nice player, good hitter for sure. But he had nearly as many walks as RBI. 143 HRs in a band box of a field also not very good, but that’s fine I guess I like good hitters. I mean much like Scott Rolem, the Hall of Very Good comes to mind.

 

[sun]

As far as Mauer really nice player, good hitter for sure. But he had nearly as many walks as RBI. 143 HRs in a band box of a field also not very good, but that’s fine I guess I like good hitters. I mean much like Scott Rolem, the Hall of Very Good comes to mind.

Joe Mauer ranks 7th in JAWS among 17 catchers in the HOF.
That indicates that he was a better than average HOF catcher.
It's no wonder that he got in on the 1st ballot.

JAWS Catcher (7th):
55.2 career WAR | 39.0 7yr-peak WAR | 47.1 JAWS | 4.8 WAR/162
Average HOF C (out of 17):
53.7 career WAR | 34.9 7yr-peak WAR | 44.3 JAWS | 4.6 WAR/162

Joe Mauer Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Joe Mauer. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com

www.baseball-reference.com

 

[Scoe]

They are over the steroid era aren’t they? I mean Bagwell and Papi are in right?

As far as Mauer really nice player, good hitter for sure. But he had nearly as many walks as RBI. 143 HRs in a band box of a field also not very good, but that’s fine I guess I like good hitters. I mean much like Scott Rolem, the Hall of Very Good comes to mind.

The fact Bagwell and Papi are in just further states my case. Papi failed a PED test btw funny how that got covered up in the Mitchell report. Bagwell and Papi not being polarizing figures helped their cause a bit.

 

[mauconnfan]

Joe Mauer ranks 7th in JAWS among 17 catchers in the HOF.
That indicates that he was a better than average HOF catcher.
It's no wonder that he got in on the 1st ballot.

JAWS Catcher (7th):
55.2 career WAR | 39.0 7yr-peak WAR | 47.1 JAWS | 4.8 WAR/162
Average HOF C (out of 17):
53.7 career WAR | 34.9 7yr-peak WAR | 44.3 JAWS | 4.6 WAR/162

Joe Mauer Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Joe Mauer. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com

www.baseball-reference.com

Don’t care about WAR I saw him play. He’s a really good player, solid catcher and solid hitter. Love him on my team. At no time was he ever as good as Don Mattingly and he’s not getting in with better stats, more impact offensively.

Really Good HOF! Scott Rolen year later.

 

[Deepster]

Don’t care about WAR I saw him play. He’s a really good player, solid catcher and solid hitter. Love him on my team. At no time was he ever as good as Don Mattingly and he’s not getting in with better stats, more impact offensively.

Really Good HOF! Scott Rolen year later.

Exactly. If we’re going with this math nonsense, what is the WAR/JAWS for Bonds and McGwire. LT is in the NFL HOF and he was on crack every game.

 

[lavuuk153]

A few general thoughts.

1. Bonds and Clemens should be in the HoF (Arod too).
2. Schilling would be in the HoF if he wasn't such an balloon knot
3. I generally prefer more players in the HoF, but for guys like Helton I'm okay if they don't make it.
4. Rolen is another one that I think deserves to be in, but can see why others don't. He got a lot of value from his defense which is harder to gauge when you don't watch someone all the time.
5. Mauer absolutely deserves to be in. If we want to use old school stats against him, I counter with him winning an MVP, winning 3 batting titles, and finishing with an average over .300. He also won 3 gold gloves and 5 silver sluggers. How many catchers in the history of baseball can match that?
6. I take Mauer every time over Mattingly. That isn't a dig at Mattingly, but they finished with very very similar slash lines ((306 average, 388 obp, 439 slugging for a .827 ops for Mauer compared to 307/358/471 - 830 for Mattingly) and catchers are much harder to find than 1B.

 

[Deepster]

A few general thoughts.

1. Bonds and Clemens should be in the HoF (Arod too).
2. Schilling would be in the HoF if he wasn't such an balloon knot
3. I generally prefer more players in the HoF, but for guys like Helton I'm okay if they don't make it.
4. Rolen is another one that I think deserves to be in, but can see why others don't. He got a lot of value from his defense which is harder to gauge when you don't watch someone all the time.
5. Mauer absolutely deserves to be in. If we want to use old school stats against him, I counter with him winning an MVP, winning 3 batting titles, and finishing with an average over .300. He also won 3 gold gloves and 5 silver sluggers. How many catchers in the history of baseball can match that?
6. I take Mauer every time over Mattingly. That isn't a dig at Mattingly, but they finished with very very similar slash lines ((306 average, 388 obp, 439 slugging for a .827 ops for Mauer compared to 307/358/471 - 830 for Mattingly) and catchers are much harder to find than 1B.

So interesting anecdote. I saw Mattingly speak and someone said “you should be in the hall of fame!”

He thanked them and then went into a very detailed answer as to why he did NOT think he was a hall of famer. It was one of the most honest, self aware answers I’ve ever seen a sports figure give.