If Studious Metsimus Had A 2014 Hall of Fame Vote...

On Wednesday, January 8, the National Baseball Hall of Fame will release the names of its newest inductees.  There are many worthy candidates to consider this year, including some whose careers may or may not have included a PED or two.

In addition to returnees like Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza, there are plenty of first-time nominees that should receive considerable consideration.  Those players include Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas and Mike Mussina.  Other first-timers on the ballot include former Mets Jeff Kent, Tom Glavine, Armando Benitez, Moises Alou, Paul Lo Duca, Hideo Nomo and Kenny Rogers.  And of course, making his 15th and final appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot is three-time World Series champion Jack Morris.

This is the fourth consecutive year that Studious Metsimus was not allowed to formally cast a vote for players we considered to be worthy of Hall of Fame enshrinement, but we're not bitter.  In fact, if it pleases the baseball writers who vote for the Hall of Fame, we'd like to send them a gift to let them know that there are no hard feelings because of our omission from their swanky club.  Please let us know when you receive the Jose Lima album we're sending you.  Unfortunately, it's on 8-track, but still, it's JOSE FRICKIN' LIMA!  Lima Time is hard to find!

Now, on to our votes!

Greg Maddux

As Mets fans, we know that Greg Maddux beat our team more than any other pitcher in history.  The Mad Dog finished his career with a 35-19 record against the boys in orange and blue.  But those 35 victories don't even represent 10% of his career win total.  Maddux won 355 games as a member of the Cubs, Braves, Dodgers and Padres.  That's the eighth-highest total in history and the most wins by any pitcher since Warren Spahn won 363 games in a career that ended nearly 50 years ago.

Maddux was also a superior defensive player.  His 18 Gold Glove awards are the most for a player at any position.  What else did Maddux do that very few others accomplished on the mound?

His 740 starts are the fourth-highest total in major league history.  In an era where relief specialists have put starting pitchers on the bench after six or seven innings, Maddux completed 109 of his starts.  Only three other pitchers whose careers started after 1980 (Fernando Valenzuela, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson) finished with 100 or more complete games.  Maddux is also one of four pitchers, along with Ferguson Jenkins, Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling, to strike out 3,000 batters while walking fewer than 1,000.  And Maddux's career total of 3,371 strikeouts are the most of any of those pitchers.

Finally, in an era where very few pitchers reach 200 innings in a season, Maddux pitched 194 innings or more in 21 consecutive seasons.  Maddux is one of only 13 pitchers to throw more than 5,000 innings.  The other twelve are already in the Hall of Fame.

We don't even need to mention his unprecedented streak of 17 consecutive seasons with 15 or more victories, his four Cy Young Awards or his eight All-Star Game appearances.  He's a Hall of Famer, period.  The only thing that needs to be seen is whether or not Maddux breaks Tom Seaver's record for highest percentage of the votes cast.

Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images

And that's it for the first-timers.  I don't think anyone else gets in of those players who are on the ballot for the first time.

Frank Thomas, though never accused of taking steroids, falls in the same category as Jeff Bagwell (and both were born on the same day).  Thomas' numbers are good enough for the Hall, but it will take him a year or two to get in, especially with a crowded ballot like there is this year.

Jeff Kent was the best power-hitting second baseman of all time.  That being said, he put up most of his numbers with alleged steroid user Barry Bonds* protecting him in the lineup.  He also never had a 200-hit season, only scored 100 or more runs three times and reached 100 RBI twice without Bonds'* protection.  He played 11 of his 17 seasons without Bonds* as his teammate.  In those 11 seasons, Kent averaged 28 doubles, 18 homers, 75 RBI and 68 runs scored, to go with a .284/.347/.476 slash line.  For the record, Will Clark's career slash line was .303/.384/.497 and Bernie Williams' line was .297/.381/.477.  Both players are already off the Hall of Fame ballot.  In addition, both Clark and Williams played Gold Glove-caliber defense.  Kent did not.  And Kent wasn't a big fan of the media - the same media members who cast votes for the Hall of Fame.  He's not getting in this year.

Tom Glavine will get in eventually.  Just not this year.  Yes, he won over 300 games in his career, which pretty much guarantees a plaque in Cooperstown.  But his other numbers were not nearly as impressive as the ones put up by Maddux, his long-time teammate in Atlanta.  Glavine's career ERA of 3.54 is higher than almost every other pitcher already in the Hall.  The only reason it's that low is because of an eight-year stretch from 1991 to 1998 in which he posted a 2.96 ERA.  In half of his other 14 seasons, his ERA was above 4.00, including five seasons where it was 4.45 or greater.  Glavine is also one of a dozen pitchers to walk 1,500 batters in his career.  But Glavine is the only one of the 12 to never have a 200-strikeout season or lead the league in strikeouts.  He got the wins, but not much else.

Mike Mussina - unlike Glavine - was an excellent control pitcher, walking only 785 batters in 536 starts.  He also struck out 2,813 batters in 18 seasons, including four seasons of 200 or more strikeouts.  Mussina won 11 or more games in each of his last 17 seasons in the majors and lost more than 11 games only once.  So why isn't he getting into the Hall of Fame on his first attempt?  Well, his 3.68 ERA is even higher than Glavine, he only won 20 games once, and he was just so-so in the postseason (7-8, 3.42 ERA).  Like all the other first-timers mentioned above, Mussina will get in, but he'll have to wait a few years.

There are some returnees on the ballot as well.  The ones I would vote into the Hall are Mike Piazza, Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell and Larry Walker.  (You can read my takes on them by clicking here.)  But there is one other returnee who I didn't vote for last year, but would vote for this year, and it's not Jack Morris.  It's Curt Schilling.

Photo by Jay Drowns/Getty Images

One of the reasons I said Greg Maddux would make the Hall of Fame was because he was one of four players with 3,000 or more strikeouts and fewer than 1,000 walks.  But Curt Schilling's 4.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio is the greatest of all-time (since 1900).  That means no strikeout pitcher in the history of the game had better control than Schilling.  Schilling also led his league multiple times in various categories.  He led the league in wins twice, starts three times, innings pitched twice, strikeouts twice, WHIP twice, and K/BB ratio five times.  Schilling never won a Cy Young Award (neither did Hall of Famers Nolan Ryan or Bert Blyleven), but was the runner-up for the prize three times and finished fourth in another season.  He was also a six-time All-Star, representing three different teams in the Midsummer Classic.

As good as Schilling was in the regular season (216 wins, 3.42 ERA), he was even better in the postseason.  In 19 postseason starts, Schilling went 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, striking out 120 batters while walking only 25.  He also shared the World Series MVP Award with Randy Johnson after leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to the crown in 2001.  Like Jack Morris, Schilling helped three teams reach the World Series.  Schilling's teams in Philadelphia, Arizona and Boston won three times in four World Series appearances.

Morris was also known as a top postseason pitcher, but his October numbers (7-4, 3.80 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 64 strikeouts, 32 walks) weren't even close to the numbers puts up by Schilling.  In the regular season, Morris also had a higher ERA (3.90 to Schilling's 3.46) and lower winning percentage (.577 to Schilling's .597), while having 25% fewer strikeouts and almost twice as many walks as Schilling.  It's true that Morris' 162 wins in the 1980s were more than any pitcher in baseball, but he also had the third-most losses in that time period.  Meanwhile, in Schilling's best ten-year stretch (1997-2006), he won 155 games, a number that was only surpassed by Randy Johnson (176), Greg Maddux (168), Pedro Martinez (158).  But 18 pitchers had more losses in those ten years than Schilling did.  Plus, the only pitchers with more strikeouts than Schilling in that ten-year period were Johnson and Martinez, and only Martinez posted a lower OBP against him than Schilling.

It all boils down to this.  Schilling was far more dominant than Morris ever was, and he was superior to Morris (and just about everyone else) when it came to postseason pitching.  Schilling should get in before Morris.  Case closed.

And that also closes this year's Studious Metsimus Hall of Fame vote.  To recap, my vote would include Greg Maddux, Curt Schilling, Mike Piazza, Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell and Larry Walker.  It's quite possible most of those players won't get in this year.  It's also possible some might never get in.  But this is just my opinion.  If you don't like it, I'm sure I can find another 8-track featuring the late Jose Lima for you.  That way, we all win!

If Studious Metsimus Had A 2013 Hall of Fame Vote...

On Wednesday, the National Baseball Hall of Fame will release the names of its newest inductees.  It will most certainly be the most scrutinized class of all time, considering all the new nominees that have been linked to steroids.  Players like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa have all had their names liked with performance-enhancing drugs.  Although their numbers scream out for inclusion in Cooperstown, how they achieved those numbers is up for discussion.

In addition to Bonds, Clemens and Sosa, other first-time nominees include former Mets Mike Piazza, Julio Franco and Shawn Green.  Also nominated for the first time are Curt Schilling, Kenny Lofton, Craig Biggio, David Wells, Steve Finley, Reggie Sanders, Jeff Cirillo, Woody Williams, Rondell White and Ryan Klesko.

Players who received at least five percent of the vote in previous years are allowed to reappear on this year's ballot.  Those players include Jack Morris, Jeff Bagwell, Lee Smith, Tim Raines, Alan Trammell, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff, Larry Walker, Mark McGwire, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Rafael Palmeiro and Bernie Williams.  For Dale Murphy, it will be his 15th and final time on the ballot.  Should he not be elected to the Hall of Fame, he would be removed from next year's ballot.

This is the third consecutive year that Studious Metsimus was not allowed to formally cast a vote for players we deemed worthy of Hall of Fame enshrinement, but we ain't mad at'cha.  In fact, if it pleases the BBWAA, we'd like to send them a gift to let them know that there are no hard feelings because of our omission from their swanky club.  Please let us know when you receive the 1979 Mets highlight video (on Beta, of course), which is autographed by the one and only Richie Hebner.

Now, on to our votes!


Mike Piazza

Well, duh.  Who didn't see this pick coming?  There's no doubt Piazza belongs in the Hall of Fame as the best hitting catcher of all time.  But those who have a predisposed aversion to back acne would beg to differ.

Piazza spent the majority of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets.  He also had a one-week tour of duty with the Florida Marlins and rode off into the sunset after one-year stints with the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics.  In 16 seasons in the major leagues, Piazza was a 12-time All-Star and 10-time recipient of the Silver Slugger Award.  Since the inception of the award in 1980, no other catcher has won it more than seven times and only Barry Bonds won more (12) at any position.  In addition, no catcher hit more home runs than Piazza (396 HR as a catcher, 427 HR overall) and no backstop has a higher career slugging percentage than Piazza (.545).

But power wasn't all Piazza was known for at the plate.  He was also an outstanding contact hitter.  In an era where striking out 150 times in a season is commonplace, Piazza never struck out more than 100 times in a season.  In fact, Piazza had almost twice as many hits (2,127) as strikeouts (1,113) in almost 7,000 career at-bats.

Piazza led his teams to the postseason five times.  He reached the playoffs as a Dodger in 1995 and 1996, as a Met in 1999 and 2000, and as a Padre in 2006.  In 2000, when Piazza reached his only World Series, he had an outstanding post-season, hitting .302 with six doubles, four homers and eight RBI in 14 games for the Mets.  Piazza also walked nine times in the 14 games to register a .403 on-base percentage.  His ten extra-base hits gave him a spectacular .642 slugging percentage.

Mike Piazza will reach the Hall of Fame.  His numbers say he should be a first ballot Hall of Famer.  The writers might say otherwise.


Craig Biggio

In the past, 3,000 hits was a surefire way to make it to the Hall of Fame.  Of course, in this questionable era of inflated offensive statistics, that may no longer be the case.  But Craig Biggio should not be bunched in with the Bondses and Palmeiros of this era.  Biggio belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Craig Biggio scored 1,844 runs in his 20-year career.  That's good for 12th in MLB history.  He reached the 100-run plateau eight times in his career and led the league twice.  He also collected 668 doubles, a number surpassed by only four players (Tris Speaker, Pete Rose, Stan Musial, Ty Cobb).  Of the top 13 players on the all-time doubles chart, 11 are already in the Hall of Fame.  The other two are Pete Rose (who is not eligible for enshrinement) and Craig Biggio.  Biggio led the NL in doubles three times and had seven 40-double seasons.

Biggio began his career as a catcher before moving to second base and center field.  He won five Silver Slugger Awards, earning his first as a catcher in 1989.  His other four came as a second baseman for the Astros in 1990s.  Second base was also where Biggio won all four of his Gold Glove Awards.

Biggio was also an outstanding base stealer, swiping 414 bags over his career, including a league-leading 39 steals in the strike-shortened 1994 season.  In 1998, at the age of 33, Biggio stole a career-high 50 bases, just one year after stealing 47.

Finally, Biggio finished his career with 1,014 extra-base hits, hitting 291 homers and 55 triples in addition to his 668 doubles.  He is one of only 34 players to reach 1,000 extra-base hits.  Of those 34 players, 21 are in the Hall of Fame.  12 of the other 13 are either still active, not yet eligible or wagging their fingers at Congress (even Redd Foxx thinks Rafael Palmeiro was a big dummy).  The other is Craig Biggio.

One more thing.  He also had 3,060 hits.  He's good enough for me.  He should be good enough for the Hall of Fame voters.  And if anyone thinks he used PEDs to help his power rise from a single-digit home run hitter in four of his first five seasons to a player who hit 20+ HR in eight of last 15 seasons, just look at Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski's home run numbers, especially what he did during the seventh to tenth seasons of his career.  Those same people probably wouldn't have voted him in either.


Holdovers Jeff Bagwell and Larry Walker

I could go on and on about why I feel they should be getting themselves plane tickets for Cooperstown in late July, but I'll just direct you to what I wrote about them last year when I felt they had a strong case for candidacy.

Jeff Bagwell, despite many people's beliefs concerning his connection to PEDs, received a nearly 15% increase in votes from his first time on the ballot in 2011 (41.7%) to his 2012 level (56.0%).  Meanwhile, Larry Walker had a more modest increase from his first time (20.3% in 2011) to his second (22.9% in 2012) and will probably use up much of the 15-year eligibility period if he is ever to make it to Cooperstown.  Bagwell will make it to the Hall someday, if not this year.  Walker might need to sway the voters with some of his patented Canadian charm, a big ol' helping of poutine and his slogan "at least I'm not Jason Bay, eh?"

This is how a Hall of Famer should always hit.

Just like every other year, several players will fall short of enshrinement.  Jack Morris, who was on two-thirds of the voter's ballots last year, might fall short again this year.  However, because the writers will intentionally leave off those players who are allegedly linked to steroids, Morris might get an extra vote or twelve.

The same thing applies to Lee Smith, Tim Raines, Edgar Martinez and Alan Trammell.  All four were among the greatest players at their positions in the era in which they played.  But none of the four are all-time greats in my opinion (except maybe Martinez, although he might always be overlooked because he was primarily a designated hitter).

In Trammell's case, his longevity contributed to his overall offensive numbers.  Yes, he was a six-time All-Star who won four Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers, but it took him until his 20th season to record his 1,000th RBI and he never quite made it to 200 HR, finishing with 185.  In two decades, Trammell only reached 70 RBI in a season three times.  Meanwhile, his double play partner in Detroit, Lou Whitaker, had six 70-RBI campaigns in 19 seasons, was a five-time All-Star, won three Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers.  It should also be noted that Whitaker was off the Hall of Fame ballot after his first year of eligibility, receiving only 2.9% of the vote.

The players listed above might make it someday, if not this year, as might most of the players suspected of using PEDs.  But I think only Mike Piazza and Craig Biggio will be elected this year, with Jeff Bagwell and Larry Walker deserving spots but perhaps having to wait longer.  Jack Morris was an all-time '80s great and terrific post-season pitcher, but might be shut out until his 15th and final year on the ballot in 2014.

Regardless of who gets in, it will be an historic Hall of Fame class, to say the least.

If Studious Metsimus Had A 2012 Hall of Fame Vote...

On Monday, the National Baseball Hall of Fame will announce their 2012 inductees.  First-time candidates include former Met Jeromy Burnitz, Vinny Castilla, one-time Met nemesis Brian Jordan (okay, many-time Met nemesis), Javy Lopez, Bill Mueller, Terry Mulholland, Phil Nevin, Brad Radke, Tim Salmon, Ruben Sierra, Bernie Williams, Tony Womack and Eric Young.

Holdovers from previous years include Jeff Bagwell, Juan Gonzalez, Barry Larkin, Edgar Martinez, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Mark McGwire, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Rafael Palmeiro, Tim Raines, Lee Smith, Alan Trammell and Larry Walker.

For the second straight year, Studious Metsimus was not allowed to cast an official Hall of Fame vote.  (Note to self:  Hire Bobby Bonilla to show the Bronx to the BBWAA if they don't accept our votes next year.)  However, if we did have a say in who should be checking priceline.com for the best rates on airfare and hotels in Cooperstown, these are the players who would make the cut.


Barry Larkin

Had Ozzie Smith not been a contemporary of Barry Larkin over the early part of Larkin's career, we wouldn't be having this discussion right now.  Larkin would have been inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2010.  But because Larkin's defensive wizardry was never validated with numerous Gold Gloves due to Smith's presence in St. Louis, he didn't receive the necessary 75% of the vote during his first two years of eligibility.  (Larkin's three Gold Glove Awards were earned after Smith had played 16 seasons and earned 13 Gold Gloves.)  Larkin received 51.6% of the votes in 2010 and jumped to 62.1% last year.  That bodes well for the former Reds' shortstop in 2012.

Over his 19-year career, all with Cincinnati, Larkin hit .295 with 2,340 hits, 441 doubles, 198 HR, 379 SB and 1,329 runs scored.  Larkin hit .300 or better nine times, won nine Silver Slugger Awards and was a 12-time All-Star.  He also won the Gold Glove Award three times (1994-1996), was the National League MVP in 1995 and became the first shortstop to record a 30-30 season when he collected 33 HR and 36 SB in 1996.  Furthermore, Larkin was an outstanding post-season hitter, batting .338 with five doubles, two triples and eight stolen bases in 17 career post-season games, which included a 1990 World Series championship.

If Ozzie Smith made the Hall of Fame primarily because of his defense, then Barry Larkin should make it as well.  Not only was he a standout player on the field, but at the plate, there was no comparison between Larkin and Smith.  After two strikes in 2010 and 2011, Larkin will not strike out in his third attempt at making the Hall of Fame.  He's as good as in.


Jeff Bagwell

How did Bagwell only garner 41.7% of the votes last year?  He was one of the most feared hitters in the National League during his 15-year career, all with the Houston Astros.

Bagwell averaged over 100 runs scored and 100 RBIs per season over his entire career, crossing the plate 1,517 times and driving in 1,529 runs in his decade and a half of service.  Every player in the 1,500/1,500 club who is eligible for the Hall of Fame and hasn't been suspended for steroids (I'm wagging my finger at you, Rafael Palmeiro) has been enshrined in Cooperstown.  Bagwell should be the next on this list.

The Astros' first baseman had an amazing career in the majors.  During his best six-year stretch (1996-2001), Bagwell hit .301, had a .429 on-base percentage and slugged .583, giving him an eye-popping 1.022 OPS.  He tallied 236 doubles, 236 home runs and stole 121 bases.  Bagwell also scored 765 runs and drove in 754 more during those six campaigns.

For his career, Bagwell hit .297, had an on-base percentage of .408 and finished with a .540 slugging percentage.  He lashed 2,314 hits, including 488 doubles and 449 HR.  He was also an intelligent baserunner, stealing 202 bases.  Bagwell scored 100 or more runs in a season nine times, drove in 100 or more runs eight times (and narrowly missed twice, picking up 96 RBI in 1992 and 98 RBI in 2002) and registered triple-digit walks on seven occasions.

Bagwell also won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1991 and the National League MVP Award in 1994, a year in which he hit .368, led the league in runs scored, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage, OPS and won both the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Awards?  Furthermore, Bagwell led the Astros to six postseason appearances in nine years from 1997-2005.  Prior to Bagwell's arrival in Houston, the Astros had only made the playoffs three times in three decades of existence.  'Nuff said!


Larry Walker

It's always tough to consider a man who played the majority of his career at Coors Field.  After all, Andres Galarraga was a .267 career hitter who had never hit 30 HR or driven in 100 runs in a season in his first eight years in the majors.  Then he goes to Colorado, wins a batting title in his first season there (hitting a whopping .370) and averages .316, 34 HR and 116 RBI in his five seasons in Denver.  The same thing happened to other mediocre players who flourished during their years as a Rockie, like Dante Bichette, Ellis Burks and Vinny Castilla.  So how did Galarraga do in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility (2010)?  He received only 4.1% of the votes and was taken off subsequent ballots.  That being said, Larry Walker should still be a Hall of Famer.

Prior to becoming a Colorado Rockie, Larry Walker was already a good hitter and complete player.  In his final three years in Montreal, Walker had a .294 batting average, .371 on-base percentage and .516 slugging percentage, averaging 33 doubles, 21 HR, 88 RBI and 21 SB.  He also was an All-Star, won a Silver Slugger Award and two Gold Gloves while in Montreal.  Although those numbers are not quite Hall of Fame-worthy, they were still very good.  Then he signed with Colorado and became one of the best players in the major leagues.

In his first season as a Rockie (1995), Walker hit .306 with 36 HR and 101 RBI.  His .607 slugging percentage was second in the league and he helped lead the third-year Rockies to their first-ever playoff appearance.  Year two in Colorado was fraught with injuries, as Walker only played in 83 games but still managed 18 HR, 58 RBI and 18 SB in half a season's worth of games.  Fully healthy in 1997, Walker's career took off into the stratosphere.  Walker's 1997 numbers (.366 batting average, 46 doubles, 49 HR, 130 RBI, 143 runs scored, 33 SB, .452 OBP, .720 SLG, 1.172 OPS) almost looked like they came straight from a video game.  But Walker wasn't done after his phenomenal '97 campaign.  Over the next five seasons, Walker won three batting titles (1998, 1999, 2001), finished second another year (2002) and had a combined .350 batting average over those five seasons.  Basically, he was Tony Gwynn with power and Gwynn was a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

In ten years as a Rockie, Walker posted a .334 batting average, .426 on-base percentage, .618 slugging percentage and 1.044 OPS.  Only 24 players in major league history finished with a higher career batting average than what Larry Walker put up in that ten-year span.  Of those 24, the only three who finished with a higher on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS were Ted Williams, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, all first ballot Hall of Famers and all legends of the sport.

Larry Walker played 17 years in the major leagues.  However, because of injuries, he only had four seasons in which he played at least 140 games.  From 1994-2005, Walker missed an average of 44 games per season, failing to play more than 103 games in five of those 12 campaigns.  Despite his multiple trips to the disabled list, Walker finished his career with 2,160 hits, including 471 doubles and 383 HR.  He also stole 230 bases, scored 1,355 runs and drove in 1,311 more.  His combined averages (.313 BA, .400 OBP, .565 SLG) are among the highest career marks of anyone not already in the Hall of Fame.  Walker was a five-time All-Star, won seven Gold Gloves and three Silver Slugger Awards.  He also finished in the top 20 in the MVP vote seven times, winning the 1997 MVP Award.  Not all of his awards and accolades came as a member of the Colorado Rockies, proving that Walker was an exceptional player before and after his time in Colorado.  Simply stated, Larry Walker has earned the right to become the first player with a Rockies hat on his Hall of Fame plaque.

As is the case every season, there are always quality players left out of the Hall of Fame, but will garner enough votes for future consideration.  This year such players include Jack Morris (53.5% of the votes in 2011, but his 3.90 ERA and 1.30 WHIP over 18 seasons might offset his 254 career victories), Edgar Martinez (.312 career batting average, .418 on-base percentage, 514 doubles, 309 HR, seven-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger, but might be hurt because of his DH status) and Lee Smith (478 career saves, retired as the all-time saves leader, but was never the dominant closer of his era a la Goose Gossage, Bruce Sutter and Dennis Eckersley).

Also of note, none of the first-time candidates should become Hall of Famers either this year or ever.  When Bernie Williams, who averaged 85 runs, 28 doubles, 18 HR, 79 RBI and nine stolen bases per season over his 16-year career is the most attractive new candidate, players who fell short in previous years will be camping out in front of their phones come Hall of Fame selection day.

The time might eventually come for Jack Morris, Edgar Martinez and Lee Smith, but if Studious Metsimus had a vote for the Hall of Fame Class of 2012, Barry Larkin, Jeff Bagwell and Larry Walker would be graduating to the team of baseball immortals.