The Keltner List

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

1. 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?

 

Maris won two consecutive MVPs, so observers considered him the best for two years. However, Maris won the award by leading the league in RBIs, and part of that was simply having Mantle's OBP in front of him in the lineup. Mantle was always the better player.

 

2. Was he the best player on his team?

 

No, although he was second best behind Mantle from 1960-62.

 

3. Was he the best player in baseball at his position? Was he the best player in the league at his position?

 

Maris was never the best right fielder in baseball, as Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson were better. Maris was the best right fielder in the American League in 1960 and '61, but was overshadowed afterward by Tony Oliva and Al Kaline.

 

4. Did he have an impact on a number of pennant races?

 

Maris was the MVP for two pennant winners. He was also considered a valuable role player for the 1967-68 Cardinals. Maris hit just 217/298/368 in 152 World Series at bats.

 

5. Was he good enough that he could play regularly after passing his prime?

 

No. Maris was out of baseball by the time he turned 34.

 

6. Is he the very best baseball player in history who is not in the Hall of Fame?

 

No.

 

7. Are most players who have comparable statistics in the Hall of Fame?

 

No. None of Maris's ten most similar comps are in the Hall.

 

8. Do the player's numbers meet Hall of Fame standards?

 

No.

 

9. Is there any evidence to suggest that the player was significantly better or worse than is suggested by his statistics?

 

Maris won a Gold Glove in 1960, and had one of the better arms of his era.

 

10. Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame?

 

No. Dave Parker, Tony Oliva, and Andre Dawson are better.

 

11. How many MVP-type seasons did he have? Did he ever win an MVP award? If not, how many times was he close?

 

Roger Maris won two MVPs, but never placed in the top ten in any other year.

 

12. How many All-Star-type seasons did he have? How many All-Star games did he play in? Did most of the players who played in this many All-Star games go into the Hall of Fame?

 

Maris played in four All-Star games.

 

13. If this man were the best player on his team, would it be likely that the team could win the pennant?

 

Only in 1960-61. Otherwise, no chance.

 

14. What impact did the player have on baseball history? Was he responsible for any rule changes? Did he introduce any new equipment? Did he change the game in any way?

 

Maris was the catalyst for the second Dead Ball era. His 61 home runs caused the baseball establishment to overreact to the rise in offenses, and they enacted several changes which crippled offenses for the next decade.

 

15. Did the player uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that the Hall of Fame, in its written guidelines, instructs us to consider?

 

Yes.

 

Conclusion: Two years in which Maris did not dominate, but was a top hitter and set a home run record. And outside of those two years, Maris was nothing special at all. There's really no justification to place Maris in the Hall outside of the home run record.

[Vern Gagne 0]

If Roger Maris hadn't broken the HR record for the Yankees no one would even consider Maris for the HOF?