EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted August 17, 2004 Here is one I have been looking forward to, Jim Rice. 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? Rice was the MVP in 1978, but I do not think he was ever regarded as the very best player in baseball. 2. Was he the best player on his team? No. Fred Lynn was actually a better player while he was on the team, and after Lynn's departure, Dwight Evans was the best Red Sox player. 3. Was he the best player in baseball at his position? Was he the best player in the league at his position? Jim Rice was the best left fielder in baseball in 1978 and '79. After 1979, his production declined and Rickey Henderson rose to stardom. 4. Did he have an impact on a number of pennant races? Yes. Rice was a member of three AL East champion teams, and two pennant winners. Rice hit .314/.368/.530 in September in his career. 5. Was he good enough that he could play regularly after passing his prime? Somewhat. Rice played well into his 30s, but fell rapidly in 1989 and retired at 36. 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? Four of Rice's ten comps are in the Hall. Three of the other six are ineligible, but unlikely to gain admittance. 8. Do the player's numbers meet Hall of Fame standards? Yes. Rice scores 33 on the Black Ink test, 176 on the Gray Ink test, and meets 42.9% of HOF standards. 9. Is there any evidence to suggest that the player was significantly better or worse than is suggested by his statistics? Yes. Rice hit 320/374/546 at home at Fenway Park, but just 277/330/459 on the road. Those numbers do not show up on the top 100 lists of anything. It is very fair, in my view, to claim Rice's hitting stats were inflated by Fenway Park. 10. Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame? No. Minnie Minoso is. 11. How many MVP-type seasons did he have? Did he ever win an MVP award? If not, how many times was he close? Rice won one MVP, and finished in the Top Ten six times. 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? Rice played in eight All-Star games, a good total. 13. If this man were the best player on his team, would it be likely that the team could win the pennant? In 1978, yes. Otherwise no. 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? None apparent. 15. Did the player uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that the Hall of Fame, in its written guidelines, instructs us to consider? Rice shoved his manager in 1989 after being pinch-hit for. Of course, one event should not define a career. Conclusion: Rice had two great years, and otherwise he was middle of the pack. His numbers were great, but his rate stats do not rank among the greats, and that is before we adjust for park factor. Fenway Park used to be the best hitters' park in baseball, and no player benefit more than Jim Rice. As proof of the effects of Fenway, check out the Sox' team home/away splits for the late 1970s.... 1976 H 288/348/449 A 238/301/355 1977 H 300/367/516 A 264/325/417 1978 H 291/362/475 A 244/310/375 1979 H 306/368/521 A 261/321/395 The Sox teams of those four years also post extreme differences in W/L records between home and away. You can check this all yourselves at Retrosheet.org. I do not think Rice deserves the Hall of Fame. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bored 0 Report post Posted August 17, 2004 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? Rice was the MVP in 1978, but I do not think he was ever regarded as the very best player in baseball. He did lead all position players in VORP in 1978. Ironically enough he was 2nd in '79 to his own teammate Lynn. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Man in Blak 0 Report post Posted August 17, 2004 Given the recent hoopla over the Cardinals/Rockies trade, I think it would be interesting to take a look at Larry Walker at the end of this season (so that we'd have another instance of his contribution to a team in the pennant race). I mention this because I feel that a lot of people might mistakenly shelve Walker in with Rice in the "benefitted from hitter's park" category. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
