[quote]Originally posted by TrueCardinalFan:
<strong>
Anyway should Harold Baines make it?
0.291 AVG
384 HR
1622 RBI
2855 Hits
487 Doubles
49 Triples
1296 Runs
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I love HOF questions, so I'll throw my two cents.
Real life: Harold was a DH for 2/3 of his career--at best an average hitter against left-handed pitching (when he faced them), zero speed for his entire career and only a fair batting eye. It would be tough to argue that he was one of the 10 best left-handed hitters of his era after becoming a DH, and likely for no more than 1 or 2 years before becoming a DH. In other words, no American League, no stats, and even with the American League, how can a guy who wasn't among the premiere players in the game for the last 15 years of his career go into the Hall? As a "professional hitter" who never scored more than 89 runs in a season, drove in 100 runs only once in his last 16 seasons and 90 runs only 4 times, and even as a DH, never appeared in as many as 150 games (140 only three times) during the last 13 years, with nothing to offer in the way of comparative superiority to other players of his era (in hitting, defense or speed), even he would weaken what has become a Hall of Good Players. Without the knee problems, Harold coulda been a contenda, but, as they say, tough.
Fictional: As for whether your league should induct him, well, I guess that's up to you...
