In the past I’ve talked about how Pete Rose deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
Yesterday the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) voted on their 2017 class, and the entries are: Jeff Bagwell, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, and Tim Raines.
All three more than earned their place in the Hall:
- Bagwell had a batting average of almost .300 (.297) and had over 1,500 runs and RBI
- Pudge was a 14-time All-Star and 13-time Gold Glover, and holds records for a catcher including most Games, Hits, Doubles, Bases, and Runs
- Raines was a seven-time All-Star but he was a beast on the base paths, with the highest stolen-base percentage of anyone in history (84.7%) beating Ricky Henderson (80.8%).
Trevor Hoffman missed the Hall this year by just a few votes, but he definitely deserves to be in. A seven-time All-Star, and during his time he set records for most 20-save, 30-save and 40-save seasons, and the highest career strikeout rate of any reliever, and his 601 saves was the most ever (until broken by Mariano Rivera (652)).
I think it’s also time for the Hall of Fame to let in the Steroids era, as the best players of their time, including Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Rafael Palmeiro.
Aviously 