Chicago Cubs: Former players hopeful for shot at HOF

Fred McGriff hit 493 home runs during his career–that’s good enough for 28th on the all-time list, tied with Lou Gehrig (not bad company). The only players ahead of him on that list who aren’t in the Hall of Fame are either still active or are suspected performance-enhancing drug (PED) users. McGriff, AKA “Crime Dog”, has never been linked to PEDs. McGriff was a five-time All-Star and two-time home run champ (1989 and 1992).

Despite the numbers, McGriff appears a little under-loved by Hall of Fame voters, as he only gets votes on about 20% of the ballots each year. It seems unlikely that McGriff will get the necessary 75% from the Baseball Writers Association of America (BWAA), but perhaps a committee could be in his future.

Next: Jimmy Baseball

Jim Edmonds only played half a season for the Cubs–but it was an important half. Nearing the end of his career, Edmonds was floundering in San Diego and the Padres released him in mid-May of 2008. The Cubs were in desperate need of a center fielder at the time, and took a flier on Edmonds. He delivered for the Cubs that season, crushing 19 home runs in a shortened season and slashing his way to a .937 OPS–not bad for a guy who was thought to be washed up.

Edmonds initial reception by Cubs fans was quite cool, since his best years had come at the Cubs expense while he played for the Cardinals. Edmonds won six consecutive Gold Glove awards as the Cardinals center fielder. He won eight total for his career, to go along with 393 home runs, good enough for 59th all time. He was a four-time All Star (three in National League, one in American as a member of the Angels).

2016 was Edmonds’ first year on the ballot. His voting numbers are low and that’s surprising considering the impact Edmonds made on the teams he played for. It is rare to find a center fielder known as both a great fielder and intimidating hitter. Edmonds was both those things for many years (Cubs fans remember that well). Perhaps he will see a spike in votes in subsequent years.

Next: Can't ignore the PEDs

Eighth all-time on the home run list with 609…

The only player to hit more than 60 home runs in a season three times…

A seven-time All Star and an MVP award winner…

One of the men who helped revive professional baseball with his magnetic personality and monster home runs…

A positive steroids test in 2003…

Because of that last statistic, Sammy Sosa sits outside the Hall, awaiting an invite in.

The numbers are certainly there for Sosa. Unfortunately, the “cheater” tag is there, too (besides the steroids, there was also bat-corking incident).

Is there a way to put Sosa’s achievements in context to his era? While we have to admit that Sammy was cheating, we also have to admit that a lot of other players were cheating–that same test that nabbed Sammy in 2003 nabbed 103 other players. So to put things in context, what was Sosa’s WAR for the five seasons prior to his positive test? They ranged from 4.8 to 10.3. In other words, Slammin’ Sammy was pretty valuable to his team in terms of producing wins. He was incredibly valuable to Major League Baseball during that time in terms of tickets sold and games watched.

BUT, (here’s the big but) Sammy Sosa doesn’t quite meet the criteria for voting, according to the Hall of Fame web site:

Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.

His record and contributions are undeniable. However, the questions about his integrity and sportsmanship are hard to overlook.

The young version of me who watched Sammy during those magical years around the turn of the century beg this older me to look past those questions and remember how great he made all of us feel about the game. That kid still wants to see Sammy in the Hall. This older me doesn’t think he’ll get there.

Next: No love for relievers

As a budding Cubs fan in the early 80’s, I learned to count on three things. First, you will get beer spilled on you sitting in the Wrigley bleachers. Second, Ryne Sandberg will win the Gold Glove. Third, Lee Smith will close out the win.

Lee Smith closed out wins for several ball clubs during his 18-year career. In fact, he ranks third on the all-time saves list. Only future HOFers Mariano Rivera (who will be eligible for election in 2017) and Trevor Hoffman rank ahead of him. The relievers who are currently in the Hall (including former teammate Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers and Rich Gossage) all trail Smith in career saves. And yet Smith awaits his call to Cooperstown.

2017 will be Lee Smith’s last year of eligibility. So let’s begin the campaign buzz now. Here are the compelling reasons to elect Lee Smith to Hall of Fame:

• Third on the All-Time saves list.
• Seven-time All-Star, showing that he ranked highly amidst his peers.
• Four-time league leader in saves.
• Consistently posted double-digit figures in Runs Above Average (RAA), meaning he saved his team quite a few runs in relation to possible replacements.
• And, here’s the sticker, his stats are comparable to other HOF relievers.

So let’s get this done, BWAA. It’s time to elect Lee Arthur Smith.