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Rickey Henderson, Left Fielder Oakland Athletics 1979-1984, 1989-1993, 1994-1995, 1998 New York Yankees 1985-1989 Toronto Blue Jays 1993 San Diego Padres 1996-1997, 2001 Anaheim Angels 1997 New York Mets 1999-2000 Seattle Mariners 2000 Boston Red Sox 2002 Los Angeles Dodgers 2003 Awards 1981 AL Gold Glove - OF 1981 AL Silver Slugger - OF 1985 AL Silver Slugger - OF 1989 ALCS MVP 1990 AL MVP 1990 AL Silver Slugger - OF League Leader 1980: Stolen Bases 1981: Runs, Hits, Stolen Bases 1982: Walks, Stolen Bases 1983: Walks, Stolen Bases 1984: Stolen Bases 1985: Runs, Stolen Bases 1986: Runs, Stolen Bases 1988: Stolen Bases 1989: Runs, Walks, Stolen Bases 1990: OBP, Runs, Stolen Bases, OPS, OPS+, Runs Created 1991: Stolen Bases 1998: Walks, Stolen Bases Career Ranks OBP: 56th Games: 4th AB: 10th PA: 4th Runs: 1st Hits: 21st TB: 35th BB: 2nd SB: 1st RC: 10th Best Performance October 5, 1991 - Oakland at Texas 4 for 4, three runs, three rbi, two doubles, home run, two walks, four stolen bases. Total domination. Hall of Fame Stats Black Ink: Batting - 50 (26) (Average HOFer ≈ 27) Gray Ink: Batting - 143 (105) (Average HOFer ≈ 144) HOF Standards: Batting - 52.6 (62) (Average HOFer ≈ 50) HOF Monitor: Batting - 183.5 (52) (Likely HOFer > 100) Similar Batters in HOF: 5 (Paul Molitor, Lou Brock, Joe Morgan, Robin Yount, Al Kaline) Other Similar Batters: Craig Biggio, Rusty Staub, Steve Finley, Tim Raines, Vada Pinson Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3) 1979: 10/1.3 1980: 34/10.7 1981: 27/12.1 1982: 28/8.0 1983: 30/10.0 1984: 28/9.0 1985: 38/13.2 1986: 26/10.6 1987: 20/7.0 1988: 28/9.3 1989: 30/11.1 1990: 39/15.3 1991: 25/9.7 1992: 25/9.6 1993: 25/10.0 1994: 11/6.4 1995: 19/5.8 1996: 16/6.0 1997: 15/4.6 1998: 20/7.2 1999: 16/5.9 2000: 8/3.7 2001: 12/1.9 2002: 4/1.3 2003: 1/0.1 Career Win Shares: 535 Career WARP3: 189.8 Bored's Stupid Opinion Bored knows that Lou Brock was overrated and that RICKEY~ is the greatest of all-time.

Mark Grace, First Baseman Chicago Cubs 1988-2000 Arizona Diamondbacks 2001-2003 Awards 1992 NL Gold Glove - 1B 1993 NL Gold Glove - 1B 1995 NL Gold Glove - 1B 1996 NL Gold Glove - 1B All-Star Selections: 3 (1993, 1995, 1997) League Leader 1995: Doubles Career Ranks Doubles: 39th Walks: 79th Runs Created: 98th Best Performance July 7, 1989 - San Diego at Chicago Goes 4 for 4 with three doubles and a home run. Hall of Fame Stats Black Ink: Batting - 3 (507) (Average HOFer ≈ 27) Gray Ink: Batting - 86 (265) (Average HOFer ≈ 144) HOF Standards: Batting - 38.0 (165) (Average HOFer ≈ 50) HOF Monitor: Batting - 60.5 (309) (Likely HOFer > 100) Similar Batters in HOF: 1 (Enos Slaughter) Other Similar Batters: Keith Hernandez, Mickey Vernon, John Olerud, Hal McRae, Wally Joyner, Bill Buckner, Al Oliver, Joe Judge, Joe Kuhel Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3) 1988: 16/4.3 1989: 25/7.6 1990: 22/6.4 1991: 17/5.4 1992: 25/8.0 1993: 23/7.6 1994: 12/4.3 1995: 23/6.9 1996: 20/5.7 1997: 20/6.8 1998: 27/6.4 1999: 21/5.2 2000: 18/4.8 2001: 16/4.8 2002: 8/2.0 2003: 1/-0.1 Career Win Shares: 294 Career WARP: 86.2 My Stupid Opinion Grace always hit for a good average (Top 10 in N.L. batting average nine times), get on base at a good rate (Top 10 in OBP seven times), and was a superb defensive first baseman. Problem with him though is that he had very little power and the standards for HOF first basemen are higher than any other position and he just doesn't really have much of a case. Among first basemen who had a minimum of 3000 plate appearances between 1988 and 2003 (when Grace was active), he ranks only 17th in OPS+

Jay Bell, Shortstop Cleveland Indians 1986-1988 Pittsburgh Pirates 1989-1996 Kansas City Royals 1997 Arizona Diamondbacks 1998-2002 New York Mets 2003 Awards 1993 NL Gold Glove - SS 1993 NL Silver Slugger - SS All-Star Selections: 2 (1993, 1999) League Leader None Career Ranks None of note Best Performance July 27, 1991 - Pittsburgh at Houston Goes 4 for 5 with two home runs, four runs scored, and four rbi. Hall of Fame Stats Gray Ink: Batting - 32 (727) (Average HOFer ≈ 144) HOF Standards: Batting - 26.9 (352) (Average HOFer ≈ 50) HOF Monitor: Batting - 30.5 (576) (Likely HOFer > 100) Similar Batters in HOF: None Top 10 Similar Batters: Toby Harrah, Ray Durham, Bobby Grich, Benito Santiago, Devon White, Alan Trammell, Frank White, Edgar Renteria, Alvin Dark, Amos Otis Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3) 1986: 1/0.3 1987: 1/0.3 1988: 2/0.0 1989: 8/2.5 1990: 17/8.1 1991: 22/9.0 1992: 24/8.0 1993: 26/10.6 1994: 19/6.8 1995: 13/4.6 1996: 15/4.0 1997: 21/11.1 1998: 20/7.6 1999: 23/6.9 2000: 19/5.5 2001: 12/3.8 2002: 1/-0.1 2003: 1/-0.2 Career Win Shares: 245 Career WARP3: 88.8 My Stupid Opinion Certainly not a HOFer but a much better player than the average fan probably remembers. Good hitting shortstop with good defense, at least early in his career, who was very durable as from 1990-2000 he never missed more than 13 games in a season. Fun Fact: Only player in MLB history to ever have 30+ sacrifice hits in a season (39 in 1990 and 30 in 1991) and also have a 30+ home run season (38 in 1999) in their career.

Matt Williams, Third Baseman San Francisco Giants 1987-1996 Cleveland Indians 1997 Arizona Diamondbacks 1998-2003 Awards 1990 NL Silver Slugger - 3B 1991 NL Gold Glove - 3B 1993 NL Gold Golve - 3B 1993 NL Silver Slugger - 3B 1994 NL Gold Glove - 3B 1994 NL Silver Slugger - 3B 1997 AL Gold Glove - 3B 1997 AL Silver Slugger - 3B All-Star Selections: 5 (1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999) League Leader 1990: RBI 1994: Home Runs Career Ranks Home Runs: 61st AB/HR: 79th Best Performance April 18, 1993 - Atlanta at San Francisco Goes 4 for 6 with two home runs, including a walk off in the 11th inning. Hall of Fame Stats Black Ink: Batting - 8 (272) (Average HOFer ≈ 27) Gray Ink: Batting - 58 (426) (Average HOFer ≈ 144) HOF Standards: Batting - 29.4 (286) (Average HOFer ≈ 50) HOF Monitor: Batting - 70.0 (258) (Likely HOFer > 100) Similar Batters in HOF: 1 (Johnny Bench) Other Similar Batters: Vinny Castilla, Andruw Jones, George Foster, Rocky Colavito, Ron Cey, Robin Ventura, Frank Howard, Gil Hodges, Jack Clark Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3) 1987: 5/2.1 1988: 2/1.6 1989: 7/3.4 1990: 28/8.3 1991: 22/8.8 1992: 11/4.0 1993: 28/10.0 1994: 18/9.5 1995: 20/6.9 1996: 18/6.1 1997: 18/6.5 1998: 12/5.9 1999: 26/9.1 2000: 7/2.5 2001: 10/3.5 2002: 6/2.0 2003: 3/0.9 Career Win Shares: 241 Career WARP3: 91.2 My Stupid Opinion Most famous for being "on pace" to tie Roger Maris' then single season record of 61 home runs (OMG STILL NON-STEROID RECORD!!!) in 1994 before the strike killed that opportunity. He was the best third baseman in baseball from 1993-1995, though it was in '95 where he started to have injury problems. Had a lot of power and played a very good third base but also a big time hacker who posted only a .317 career OBP. Overall just not impressive enough to warrant serious consideration for the HOF.

Ron Gant, Left Fielder Atlanta Braves 1987-1993 Cincinnati Reds 1995 St. Louis Cardinals 1996-1998 Philadelphia Phillies 1999-2000 Anaheim Angels 2000 Colorado Rockies 2001 Oakland Athletics 2001, 2003 San Diego Padres 2002 Awards 1991 NL Silver Slugger - OF All-Star Selections: 2 (1992, 1995) League Leader None Career Ranks Home Runs: 96th Best Performance July 5, 1990 - New York at Atlanta Easy pick as he matches he career high in hits (four), home runs (two), RBI (six), and total bases (eleven) in the same game. Hall of Fame Stats Gray Ink: Batting - 52 (477) (Average HOFer ≈ 144) HOF Standards: Batting - 26.0 (377) (Average HOFer ≈ 50) HOF Monitor: Batting - 41.5 (441) (Likely HOFer > 100) Similar Batters in HOF: None Top 10 Similar Batters: Reggie Sanders, Jeromy Burnitz, Jimmy Wynn, Andruw Jones, Bobby Bonds, Roy Sievers, Greg Vaughn, Darryl Strawberry, Bobby Thomson, Frank J. Thomas Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3) 1987: 1/0.4 1988: 16/5.3 1989: 1/0.1 1990: 21/7.4 1991: 25/8.6 1992: 17/3.8 1993: 25/6.0 1995: 21/6.1 1996: 18/5.8 1997: 11/3.3 1998: 11/2.5 1999: 16/5.3 2000: 7/3.9 2001: 4/1.4 2002: 12/3.3 2003: 0/-0.4 Career Win Shares: 206 Career WARP3: 62.9 My Stupid Opinion Had a nice combination of power and speed in his prime but was never among the best players in the game in any particular year. Don't think the dirt bike accident he had in '94 where he broke his leg, costing him the entire season and a contract with the Braves that he just signed a week before (oops!), hurt him too much as he followed that up with of his best seasons in '95. His #1 comp of Reggie Sanders is one of the more apt comparisons I've seen with the Similar Batters tool.

David Cone, Starting Pitcher Kansas City Royals 1986, 1993-1994 New York Mets 1987-1992, 2003 Toronto Blue Jays 1992, 1995 New York Yankees 1995-2000 Boston Red Sox 2001 Awards 1994 AL Cy Young All-Star Selections: 5 (1988, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999) League Leader 1988: W/L Pct. 1990: Strikeouts, K/9, K/BB 1991: Strikeouts, K/9 1992: Shutouts, K/9 1995: Innings 1998: Wins Career Ranks Strikeouts: 22nd Games Started: 99th W/L Pct: 95th H/9: 62nd K/9: 20th Best Performance July 18, 1999 - Montreal at New York (A) Throws only 88 pitches in tossing the 15th perfect game in MLB history. Hall of Fame Stats Black Ink: Pitching - 19 (101) (Average HOFer ≈ 40) Gray Ink: Pitching - 165 (76) (Average HOFer ≈ 185) HOF Standards: Pitching - 39.0 (73) (Average HOFer ≈ 50) HOF Monitor: Pitching - 103.0 (90) (Likely HOFer > 100) Similar Pitchers in HOF: 2 (Dazzy Vance, Bob Lemon) Other Similar Pitchers: Dwight Gooden, Tommy Bridges, Bob Welch, Orel Hershiser, Dave Stieb, Kevin Brown, Jack Stivetts, Dave McNally Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3) 1986: 0/0.2 1987: 5/1.9 1988: 19/7.2 1989: 11/4.4 1990: 13/6.9 1991: 15/7.0 1992: 18/7.5 1993: 21/9.0 1994: 20/10.8 1995: 19/9.7 1996: 8/3.7 1997: 16/7.7 1998: 17/6.7 1999: 15/6.6 2000: 0/1.0 2001: 8/3.6 2003: 0/0.1 Career Win Shares: 205 Career WARP3: 94.2 My Stupid Opinion You know there are crazier cases to be made than trumpeting David Cone as a HOF, although I'm not going to do it. The 1994-95 strike very likely cost him a shot at 200 wins as it occurred in the prime of his career and he had 10 to 11 potential starts wiped out in the middle of his Cy Young season of '94. But that being said he was definitely a notch below the elite pitchers of his era. Would be worthy of staying on the ballot but I think he has less than a 50/50 chance of getting the necessary 5% of the vote.

Mo Vaughn, First Baseman Boston Red Sox 1991-1998 Anaheim Angels 1999-2001 New York Mets 2002-2003 Awards 1995 AL MVP 1995 AL Silver Slugger - 1B All-Star Selections: 3 (1995, 1996, 1998) League Leader 1995: RBI 1996: Runs Created Career Ranks Homeruns: 91st SLG%: 56th OPS: 59th Best Performance September 24, 1996 - Baltimore at Boston Hits three homeruns against the Orioles, all of them off of David Wells. Hall of Fame Stats Black Ink: Batting - 4 (405) (Average HOFer ≈ 27) Gray Ink: Batting - 78 (301) (Average HOFer ≈ 144) HOF Standards: Batting - 29.9 (274) (Average HOFer ≈ 50) HOF Monitor: Batting - 86.5 (191) (Likely HOFer > 100) Similar Batters in HOF: None Top 10 Similar Batters: Paul Konerko, Ted Kluszewski, David Justice, Kent Hrbek, Carlos Lee, Derrek Lee, Hal Trosky, Joe Adcock, David Ortiz, Richie Sexson Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3) 1991: 6/1.3 1992: 7/1.8 1993: 19/6.3 1994: 17/6.8 1995: 24/7.3 1996: 29/8.1 1997: 22/7.4 1998: 25/9.3 1999: 19/4.3 2000: 17/4.9 2002: 15/3.5 2003: 1/0.1 Career Win Shares: 201 Career WARP3: 61.2 My Stupid Opinion Although his 1995 AL MVP was a complete joke, Vaughn did have a nice little run with the Red Sox. But it was not surprising that a man of his, um, girth did not age well at all. He was already in the middle of perpetual decline when he missed the whole 2001 season due to a ruptured tendon in his left arm. Fun Fact: Vaughn was the highest paid player in baseball during his final active season where he hit .190/.323/.329 in 27 games. Remember kids, it pays to have a good agent.

Greg Vaughn, Left Fielder Milwaukee Brewers 1989-1996 San Diego Padres 1996-1998 Cincinnati Reds 1999 Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2000-2002 Colorado Rockies 2003 Awards 1998 NL Silver Slugger - OF All-Star Selections: 4 (1993, 1996, 1998, 2001) League Leader None Career Ranks Homeruns: 73rd Best Performance September 7, 1999 - Cincinnati at Chicago (Game 2 of DH) Hits three homeruns against the Cubs. Hall of Fame Stats Gray Ink: Batting - 22 (928) (Average HOFer ≈ 144) HOF Standards: Batting - 25.0 (418) (Average HOFer ≈ 50) HOF Monitor: Batting - 50.0 (368) (Likely HOFer > 100) Similar Batters in HOF: None Top 10 Similar Batters: Jeromy Burnitz, Ron Gant, Rocky Colavito, Roy Sievers, Andruw Jones, Darryl Strawberry, David Justice, Greg Luzinski, Dave Kingman, Jack Clark Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3) 1989: 6/1.1 1990: 10/1.3 1991: 20/8.4 1992: 16/6.4 1993: 22/6.7 1994: 9/4.9 1995: 5/1.2 1996: 17/6.3 1997: 8/1.8 1998: 30/10.6 1999: 24/7.2 2000: 16/5.1 2001: 15/3.8 2002: 1/0.6 2003: 1/0.4 Career Win Shares: 199 Career WARP3: 65.3 My Stupid Opinion Vaughn was your prototypical low batting average slugger. His one really standout year in 1998 was of course completely overshadowed by a couple of other sluggers who's names escape me at the moment. Really nothing special about him outside of his power.

Jesse Orosco, Relief Pitcher New York Mets 1979-1987 Los Angeles Dodgers 1988, 2001-2002 Cleveland Indians 1989-1991 Milwaukee Brewers 1992-1994 Baltimore Orioles 1995-1999 St. Louis Cardinals 2000 San Diego Padres 2003 New York Yankees 2003 Minnesota Twins 2003 Awards None All-Star Selections: 2 (1983, 1984) League Leader Games: 1995 Career Ranks Games: 1st Saves: 69th ERA+: 62nd K/9: 23rd H/9: 24th Best Performance October 27, 1986 - Boston at New York (N) In Game 7 of the '86 World Series, comes in the 8th inning with none out after a Dwight Evans' two-run double off Roger McDowell pulls the Red Sox with a run. Orosco strands the tying run at 2nd by retiring Rich Gedman, Dave Henderson, and Don Baylor in order and then pitches a perfect 9th to clinch the championship for the Mets. Hall of Fame Stats Black Ink: Pitching - 1 (822) (Average HOFer ≈ 40) Gray Ink: Pitching - 17 (1143) (Average HOFer ≈ 185) HOF Standards: Pitching - 13.0 (589) (Average HOFer ≈ 50) HOF Monitor: Pitching - 62.0 (199) (Likely HOFer > 100) Similar Pitchers in HOF: None Top 10 Similar Pitchers: Tug McGraw, Don McMahon, Gary Lavelle, John Hiller, Dan Plesac, Kent Tekulve, Darold Knowles, Mike Timlin, Mike Stanton, Ron Perranoski Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3) 1979: 0/0.4 1981: 2/0.9 1982: 9/4.5 1983: 20/8.0 1984: 17/6.3 1985: 10/4.5 1986: 13/5.4 1987: 5/2.3 1988: 6/2.0 1989: 10/4.1 1990: 3/1.8 1991: 3/1.4 1992: 3/1.4 1993: 7/3.4 1994: 2/1.0 1995: 6/2.9 1996: 6/2.3 1997: 7/3.5 1998: 7/2.9 1999: 1/0.6 2000: 0/0.0 2001: 1/0.5 2002: 3/1.0 2003: 0/-0.2 Career Win Shares: 141 Career WARP3: 60.9 My Stupid Opinion I have to say it's remarkable a player from the 19th century is a first time nominee on the writer's ballot. Okay not quite, but Orosco and Rickey Henderson will be the last players to make their MLB debut in the 1970s and be a first timer on the ballot. Orosco is purely on the ballot due to his longevity and his career games pitched record might stand for a while but obviously he's not a HOF.

Dan Plesac, Relief Pitcher Milwaukee Brewers 1986-1992 Chicago Cubs 1993-1994 Pittsburgh Pirates 1995-1996 Toronto Blue Jays 1997-1999, 2001-2002 Arizona Diamondbacks 1999-2000 Philadelphia Phillies 2002-2003 Awards None All-Star Selections: 3 (1987, 1988, 1989) League Leader None Career Ranks Games: 6th Saves: 59th K/9: 10th K/BB: 61st Best Performance April 25, 1990 - Kansas City at Milwaukee Comes in with the bases loaded, none out in the 8th inning with a 1-0 lead and George Brett coming up. Brett pops out and then Willie Wilson grounds into an inning ending double play. Plesac retires the side in order in the 9th. Hall of Fame Stats Gray Ink: Pitching - 17 (1143) (Average HOFer ≈ 185) HOF Standards: Pitching - 8.0 (981) (Average HOFer ≈ 50) HOF Monitor: Pitching - 54.0 (231) (Likely HOFer > 100) Similar Pitchers in HOF: None Top 10 Similar Pitchers: Mike Jackson, Mike Timlin, Mike Stanton, Willie Hernandez, Dave LaRoche, Darold Knowles, Craig Lefferts, Roger McDowell, Paul Assenmacher, Roberto Hernandez Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3) 1986: 13/6.4 1987: 14/6.2 1988: 10/4.1 1989: 11/5.5 1990: 6/3.1 1991: 4/2.0 1992: 6/2.8 1993: 3/0.8 1994: 2/1.3 1995: 6/3.2 1996: 8/3.2 1997: 5/2.2 1998: 7/2.4 1999: 2/1.2 2000: 4/1.7 2001: 5/3.2 2002: 3/1.7 2003: 4/1.4 Career Win Shares: 113 Career WARP3: 52.5 My Stupid Opinion Along with Jesse Orosco, I'm pretty sure Plesac is the first pitcher to make the HOF ballot who was primarily a middle reliever. Closers are gaining more acceptance when it comes to HOF voting but just a hunch we are way off from LOOGYs gaining enshrinement. Maybe if they open a middle reliever wing of the HOF Plesac would be worthy of consideration but for the real HOF he's no where close.

I'm always happy with the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot is announced as it means content for my blog! I'll be doing profiles on each the first year nominees over the next few weeks but before I get to what I wanted to talk about in this entry, here are links to old profiles I did for the returnees on this year's ballot listed in order of where they finished in the voting last year. 1. Jim Rice 72.2% (15th and final year) 2. Andre Dawson 65.9% (8th) 3. Bert Blyleven 61.9% (12th) 4. Lee Smith 43.3% (7th) 5. Jack Morris 42.9% (10th) 6. Tommy John 29.1% (15th and final year) 7. Tim Raines 24.3% (2nd) 8. Mark McGwire 23.6% (3rd) 9. Alan Trammell 18.2% (8th) 10. Don Mattingly 15.8% (9th) 11. Dave Parker 15.1% (13th) 12. Dale Murphy 13.8% (11th) 13. Harold Baines 5.2% (3rd) If a player played ten seasons in the Majors they are eligible for nomination on the baseball writer's ballot but believe it or not there actually is a screening process for the HOF ballot. I always find it interesting to see what players didn't make the cut and originally thought about making brief comments on each player but there were more players than I expected so this is just going to be a random list. Whole lot of back up catchers and middle relievers but there's a few decent players in there. Mike Bordick John Burkett Omar Daal Joe Girardi Mark Guthrie Joey Hamilton Bill Haselman Darren Holmes Trenidad Hubbard Todd Hundley Brian L Hunter Felix Jose Chad Kreuter Graeme Lloyd Keith Lockhart Albie Lopez Pat Mahomes Al Martin Orlando Merced Charles Nagy Denny Neagle Troy O'Leary Lance Painter Craig Paquette Tom Prince Jeff Reboulet Rick Reed Rich Rodriguez Terry Shumpert Luis Sojo Dave Veres Matt Walbeck Mike Williams Kevin Young