…. otherwise I probably would have written a thousand word rant trying to talk you out of 2 of the names on your “voting yes” list….

It’s the hall of FAME, not the hall of Ethics. The steroid era is an important piece of MLB history, no matter how dark that piece may be, and Big Mac is a huge piece of that era. I say let them all in (Bonds, Sosa, McGwire..), and make a note of them being a suspected steroid user. After all, McGwire is #2 on the single season HR list.

I still hold this guy in high regard. If you look at the Tigers through the 80’s, they lost before he arrived and they lost after he left. He knew how to win, and he desperately wanted to be on the mound. He didn’t have Gooden’s fastball or Maddux’ control, he just had a barrel full of guts and never quit. And when he finally did leave the Tigers he joined the Twins and Blue Jays, and brought them both world series victories too.

He was terrible with the media, but he was reliable. You could count on him to make his scheduled start unless it rained, and when it was time for him to leave a game you could expect him to growl about it – 11 seasons with 10 or more CGs, and 490 games without missing a turn in the rotation. He didn’t give you cheap starts, he averaged 7 innings per appearance over 549 games.

- Career OPS+ of 116, .371 OBP, had many seasons of more BB than Ks, 379 SBs (83% success rate),

- On a World Series winning team in 1990

- Exceptional defensive player – 3 Gold Gloves

- One of the best SS in his era – 9 Silver Slugger Awards

- MVP in ’95, 12 All Star Games

I think he should easily get in.

Here’s a question. I’m always reading how stats don’t tell the full story with Jack Morris because he gave up runs in games that his team had a lead so that he could eat innings.

Is that a legit argument or not?

The numbers don’t tell the story. He wasn’t a showhorse, and he wasn’t a racehorse, he was a workhorse. If we tried to make the numbers the story, find me a list of all the pitchers who pitched at least 3000 innings and averaged 6.95 innings or more in their career – you’d come up with a long list of hall-of-famers.

And, uh.. Bert Blyleven, probably.

Career OPS+ of 110 as a shortstop, .352 OBP, plus-defense, ranked 69th all-time in Rally’s WAR database with 66.8, just ahead of Eddie Murray, had seven years of 5+ WAR, including 8.4 WAR in 1987.

Barry Larkin and Trammell should get in. Both are very underrated middle infielders. Go over their stats again and compare them to their contemporaries. They’re well above them.

Fred McGriff is borderline but I’d personally vote him in. I can understand why others wouldn’t though. Depends if you’re a big Hall or small Hall kind of guy.

Take another look at Lee Smith. He has a lot of saves but he wasn’t a HOF-level relief pitcher. At best he was a good not great reliever who just happened to be a closer. I don’t think he’s even close to a HOFer personally.

Dawson shouldn’t be in. Just look at that OBP. His career rate stats are closer to Corey Hart than a HOFer.

The rest of your yes and nos look good to me.

I’m sold on Larkin. Moved him into the “Yes” column. I bumped Lee Smith off my ballot.

At the moment the top “on the fence” guy in my mind is McGriff. I remember him as being good but I’m just not sold on his greatness.

.307 career BA, six-time All-Star, One-time AL MVP, Nine-time Gold Glover and Three-time Silver Slugger.

Granted, his career was on a little on the short side, but at the very least, shouldn’t he be considered “on-the-fence”?

so no McGwire. I’d say yes for Dawson and Larkin. I’m on the fence with Martinez and McGriff, but lean towards yes with McGriff.

And I’m here to make a case for Larkin. The average HOF SS’s offensive career numbers v. Larkin’s career numbers:
Stat Ave Larkin
BA .285 .295
OBP .355 .371
SLG .399 .444
H 2335 2340
HR 113 198
RBI 1060 960
Runs 1227 1329
SB 267 329

Larkin is only lacking in RBI. 11 earned AS appearances (I wouldn’t count the 2004 appearance since that was just a farewell tour). Before this era of offensive SS, he and cal were the offensive SS. He still won 3 Gold Gloves (though that has about as much to do with defensive rankings as hat size). Larkin was the standard when it came to grading SS in the 90s, and was THE premier guy in the NL. I say he’s a no brainer.

I remember Bill James had a Kelter System for determining if a player belonged in the Hall. Here’s my rundown for Larkin:

Was he ever regarded as the best player in baseball? Did anybody, while he was active, ever suggest that he was the best player in baseball?
Probably in his MVP year, though Frank Thomas was raking at that time.

Was he the best player on his team?
Though Eric Davis was pretty phenomenal during his time with the Reds, you easily say Larkin was the best player on the Reds in the 90s

Was he the best player in baseball at his position? Was he the best player in the league at his position?
Not so much in baseball, as I have to give that nod to Cal, but he was definitely the best player in the NL during his tenure.

Did he have an impact on a number of pennant races?
not so much a number, but he did make the post season twice, being a contributor to the World Championship team of ’91 and leading the team to the playoffs in ’95.

Was he a good enough player that he could continue to play regularly after passing his prime?
He put up an OPS+ over 100 from age 24 to 36, including a 134 at age 34. He was good well into his 30s

Is he the very best player in baseball history who is not in the Hall of Fame?
No

Are most players who have comparable career statistics in the Hall of Fame?
3 of his most comparable players (Cronin, Reece, and Sandberg) are already in, Alomar and Jeter are locks, and both Trammell and Whitiker should be getting more consideration. The other 3 are Edgar Rentaria, Ray Durham, and Jay Bell, all of which were excellent players.

Do the player’s numbers meet Hall of Fame standards?
Baseball Reference’s Hall of Fame Monitor has him above the average HOF-er. Since Larkin’s most comparable player is Allen Trammell, I can infer that his JAWS score will be similar as well, probably a little higher. Trammell has a 75, which is an average HOF-er.

Is there any evidence to suggest that the player was significantly better or worse than is suggested by his statistics?
couldn’t tell you, not smart enough

Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame but not in?
Though you could make a case for Trammell, I’d say yes.

How many MVP-type seasons did he have? Did he ever win an MVP award? If not, how many times was he close?
He won 1 in ’95, finished 7th in ’90, and received votes 4 other times in his career.

How many All-Star-type seasons did he have? How many All-Star games did he play in? Did most of the other players who played in this many go into the Hall of Fame?
he went to 12 AS games (11 earned, see previous comment), he won 9 Silver slugger awards, and 3 gold gloves. As for the last part, I would think so.

If this man were the best player on his team, would it be likely that the team could win the pennant?
He had the best OPS+ on the 91 championship team, so the answer there is yes.

What impact did the player have on baseball history? Did he introduce any new equipment? Did he change the game in any way?
not really.

Did the player uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that the Hall of Fame, in its written guidelines, instructs us to consider?
I have never heard a bad word spoken about his charecter, and everything I read tells me he’s a pretty great guy.

I hope this helps.