Or write about sports? Don't miss a beat with our sports coverage, featuring the Lions, Tigers, Red Wings, Pistons, Michigan and Michigan State, as well as exclusive access to USA TODAY Sports+. The makeup call factor is clear: everyone knows the BBWAA messed this up and almost everyone knows that Whitaker was jobbed. A history of the Sports Reference Sponsorship System. Instead, it unfortunately seems that Whitakers legacy as a baseball player is simply underrated. Braun is on a short list of players with at least 300 home runs and 200 steals in his career. Heres a thing I didnt know until just a few years ago: before Jack Morris and Alan Trammell were elected to the Hall of Fame in December 2017, the 1984 Tigers and the 1981 Dodgers were the only two World Series champions who do not have a player in the Hall of Fame. Steve Garvey is one of only two players in the top ten snubbed from Cooperstown for a non-controversial reason. 1 next to No. ", The Best Baseball Players Not in The Hall of Fame. FREEP FLASHBACK:Reliving Lou Whitaker's greatest games with the Tigers, IN HIS WORDS:As Tigers hail Lou Whitaker, he's ready for Hall of Fame nod: 'That day will come'. OF Jos Bautista3B Adrin BeltrRP Santiago CasillaSP Bartolo ColnSP Doug FisterSP Yovani Gallardo1B Adrin Gonzlez3B Chase HeadleyOF Matt HollidaySP Phil HughesRP Jim JohnsonRP Ryan MadsonC/DH Victor MartnezC Joe MauerRP Brandon Morrow2B Brandon PhillipsSS Jos ReyesSP James ShieldsOF Denard SpanSP Chris Tillman2B Chase Utley3B David WrightRP Brad Ziegler. His 75.1 WAR is among the best and greater than many already in Cooperstown. and Rookie cards, autographs and more. by Dan Holmes on November 17, 2019. Clemens also holds the record number of Cy Youngs collected, winning seven of these prestigious awards over the course of his career.Although Clemens was never held legally accountable for denying steroid usage, and although he never tested positive for PEDs, his trainer recorded that the pitcher used them. In his only appearance on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot, Whitaker was a one-and-done, garnering just 15 votes in 2002. Its time to make baseball history right again. Lou Whitaker Stats, Fantasy & News | MLB.com Asked whether he considered Trammell a Hall of Famer, Whitaker said, Of course.. They are awesome. The only thing thats keeping my range of motion down is the swelling, so Im sure today well try to get all of that out of there.. Baseball Lou Whitaker Baseball Hall of Fame Lou Whitaker had a .276 average over his career. For that you can blame the BBWAA too, as an oversight committee of that guild was responsible for coming up with nominees. He was going to take you to the eighth or ninth inning.. The heavily loaded plane crashed just off the Puerto Rican coast, and Clementes body was never recovered. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. If you doubt it, go read something in Hall of Fame columns about Derek Jeter making jump-throws which neglect to mention that truly good shortstops dont need to do that. They both retired as Tigers and never played an inning for another team. You all deserve it. Ive been hearing that since 20 years now, Whitaker said. Whitaker is a career .276/.363/.426 hitter with an OPS+ of 117. I had the opportunity to play in the major leagues, Whitaker said. The list above represents the five best baseball players who are not in the Hall of Fame, from the best on down. What Is The Rarest Accomplishment In Baseball? If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. If he had a few 8 WAR years and fewer 3 WAR years, he'd be in., Sports Illustrated writer Jay Jaffe isnt optimistic about Whitakers chances. In fact, he never got higher than 41.6% of the vote which happened on the first try. Join our linker program. Remarried since 2010, hes active as a Jehovahs Witness, back in line, back in step (and) attending my meetings.. Hes never going to get into the Hall of Fame. 13,959th in major league history) Although some discredit the record because of the Performance Enhancing Drugs Bonds was using, he still holds the MLB record for most home runs in a season, smacking an outrageous 73 balls out of the park in 2001. Buy from many sellers and get your cards all in one shipment! @ beckjason. Larry Byrd, Les Rogers and Roger Whitaker You would have had to watch us play the game game, not just defense, but the whole game, the full game (and) you would see that Tram and I were definitely worthy of being in the Hall of Fame.. Let's start with a look at the first-time eligibles for 2024. Before we get to the actual argument, such as it is, against his induction, lets look at why Lou Whitaker was so overlooked in the past. People love good stories. Ryne did have 9 gold gloves to Lous 3, but 3 is nothing to be upset about. 1 in a pregame ceremony, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Or any era. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for Lou Whitaker Detroit Tigers Baseball Hall Fame 1979 Topps Card 123 Louis Sweet at the best online prices at eBay! Everytime I go to Detroit, the fans there say, Lou, you and Tram, you all deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Trammell and Morris stumped then for Whitakers induction to the Hall. Examining the Hall of Fame case for Detroit Tigers legend Lou The insult was compounded when, in 2017 the last time the Modern Baseball Era Committee dealt with this current era Whitaker wasnt even included on the dang ballot. In other injury news, outfielder Jake Bauers and the team are awaiting MRI results. vs. BAL 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB, Rookie Status: Jack was a dominating pitcher during his era, Whitaker said. Now, lets take a look at them in more detail, starting from the bottom of the list and moving up to the greatest player who has yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Rookie Road may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Cant wait til you guys get there. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. Whitaker has 77 TZ in his career (0 is league average, just like with DRS) so he averaged just over 4 TZ per season. Lou Whitaker. Bonds was a home run king for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants from 1989-2007. He was a rare second baseman who hit Lou Whitaker Rookie Related Hall of Fame Baseball Cards from 1988 Makes no sense that Alomar (67 WAR) is a 2nd ballot HOFer while Lou (75 WAR) got dumped. On Tuesday, the Detroit Tigers finally announced a date for the number retirement ceremony for Tigers legend Lou Whitaker. Santana received only 2.4 percent of the vote in his lone year on the ballot, so the odds are stacked against King Felix. He began his 19-year Major League Baseball(MLB) career with the 1961 Chicago Cubsbut spent most of it as a left fielderfor the St. Louis Cardinals. Baseball Hall of Fame The Hall of Fame, though, isnt always great about rewarding consistent players who are good in a number of areas but seemingly not elite at any. Lou Whitaker Rose primarily played first base for the Cincinnati Reds from 1963-1986. Draft: Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 5th round of the 1975 MLB June Amateur Draft from Martinsville HS (Martinsville, VA). Whitakers best season was likely 1983, when he hit .320 with 12 homers, 40 doubles and drove in 72 runs to finish eighth in AL MVP voting. Can A Batter Decline An Intentional Walk In Baseball? That could be good enough to help him spend multiple years on the ballot. With that came little acknowledgment that a great many defensive dives and slick plays are a function of players getting to balls late and. Buy from many sellers and get your cards all in one shipment! His stellar postseason work should help elevate a Hall of Very Good career to serious Cooperstown consideration. Concussions forced him out of the crouch shortly after he turned 30 and he had a good-not-great second half of his career, but his .306/.388/.439 batting line and impressive list of accolades that includes 2009 AL MVP honors should be enough to eventually earn him the call. Defensive metrics in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s are not great but there is the predecessor to DRS. us. Instead, hes off the ballot and he will never get in. We present them here for purely educational purposes. By the numbers: Lou Whitaker's Hall of Fame candidacy The sentimental take was that, while neither was in the Hall of Fame, history should be made right and they should be put in the Hall of Fame together, with the two of them riding across the stage at Cooperstown on a tandem bicycle to collect their plaques (I think Jay Jaffe said that bit about the tandem bike first, but if Im wrong someone let me know). Free When my career was over, well, thats all I could have done. Sparky Anderson, he loved to play with this big grass because he thought he had groundball pitchers which we had nothing but fly ball pitchers with Morris and Gullickson, Whitaker said. His snubbing has to do more with attitude than anything on the field. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973 in a special election that waived the mandatory five-year waiting period. Its going to happen, Trammell said Friday. 13. RP Steve CishekUT Brock HoltC Yadier Molina1B Albert PujolsC Kurt SuzukiC Stephen Vogt. 2023 www.freep.com. He won four Silver Slugger Awards and three Gold Glove Awards as well. The Best 11 Second Basemen of All Time But Whitaker acknowledged teammate and longtime double play partner Alan Trammell(who spoke to Sporting News last year)managing to hang on the writers' ballot for 15 years before exhausting his eligibility in January 2016. Can You Fake A Pickoff Throw In Baseball? Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. Rookie cards, autographs and more. Lou Whitaker Whitaker told the Free Press in August. My God, man, hes overqualified. Lou Whitaker deserved more consideration for the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Hall of Fame Era Committees (formerly known as the Veterans Committee) but with the voting record, they may decide to pass him over as he hasnt even made a ballot for them, let alone get 75 percent of the vote. the top 17-25 men at every defensive position are in. Since A-Rod only retired recently, his name has only been eligible for Hall of Fame ballots twice thus far. Nolan Ryan Houston Astros 1999 Hall of Fame Induction 8x10 Since then history, while better for his inclusion, has felt imbalanced. in Brooklyn, NY Back to home page Return to top. His 2,369 hits, .276 batting averageand 244 home runs were outstanding for his era and position. Louwhitaker018. Shouldn't I? All rights reserved. We'll make our best guess at who will be a first-ballot selection, who will eventually get to the necessary support after a few years on the ballot, and who could stick around for a few years but will ultimately wind up in the Hall of Very Good. Tigers' Lou Whitaker snubbed by Baseball Hall of Fame vet ballot Who he is: Hall of Fame committees seemingly exist for candidates like Lou Whitaker. McLain Athletic Hall of Fame class includes TU baseball trio Buy from many sellers and get your cards all in one shipment! Now thats unfair right there, he said. Its time for Lou Whitaker to be in the Hall of Fame. Robinson? Roger Clemens was a Major League Baseball pitcher for 24 years (1984-2007), spending most of his career with the Boston Red Sox. Baseball researcher and Cooperstown enthusiast Adam Darowski made note of this in an email and also offered a theory for Trammell and Whitakers differing popularity. The same goes for Holliday, who had a career that most closely resembles Moises Alou, Magglio Ordez and Shawn Green, according to Similarity Scores at Baseball Reference. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Whitaker was a career-long Detroit Tiger, playing second base from 1977-1995. Zimmerman rather quietly tallied 284 home runs and 1,061 RBI in 16 seasons with the Washington Nationals. How Many Baseballs Can You Hold In One Hand? Whitaker, who played from 1977 to 1995 with the Detroit Tigers, ranks among the best second basemen in baseball history by various sabermetrics sixth by Wins It probably comes down to shortstop being a bit more glamorous and Trammell having a couple seasons that put him in the MVP mix, Darowski wrote. MORE: The 25 best players not in the Hall of Fame. Clemens was nothing short of a star, holding not only ninth place on the MLB record list for wins, but also third place for all-time strikeouts (354 and 4,672, respectively). Trammell has something of a similar case to Whitaker, rating as one of the top shortstops in baseball history by sabermetrics but having less impressive traditional stats partly because of his era. For comparison, Whitakers infield contemporary, Ozzie Smith, played 19 years (just like Whitaker) and is in the Hall of Fame for his defense (his career OPS+ is 87). Lou Whitaker Seemingly, this accusation has been enough to keep Clemens out of Cooperstown. Why: Through nearly 20 years alongside Alan Trammell, Whitaker proved terrifically well-rounded and talented. Baseball Curt Schilling had great years with the Philadelphia Phillies prior and the Boston Red Sox after. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Hall of Fame Announces Changes to Era Committees, Vote: 25 Best Players Not in the Hall of Fame, Reaching the BBWAA Standard, not just the Hall of Fame Standard, New Visual: Graham Womacks Top 50 Players Not in the Hall of Fame, Anticipating the 2014 Expansion Era Hall of Fame Ballot. available as a free download. Like French language skills for a fry cook in Tulsa; Everyone back in the 70s and 80s would agree that catching everything hit your way, effortlessly turning double plays and making strong steady throws all the dang time defined great second base defense, but for some reason the guys who were considered the best defensive players back then were always the guys who dove for stuff or made whatever passed for highlight reel plays of the day. WebAn annual Hall of Fame Induction souvenir for over thirty years, this Photocard is like a jumbo baseball card! The average WAR for Hall of Fame second baseman is 69.4. Why havent the 1984 Detroit Tigers, who won 104 games and the World Series, had a single Hall of Famer? You wouldve had to watch us day in, day out to appreciate what a second baseman and a shortstop accomplished playing for the Detroit Tigers, Whitaker said.
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