Future HOFers on Your Team

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I thought that this might an interesting exercise on a slow sports days. Take a look at the rosters of the teams that you follow and see if there are any future Hall of Famers. This could range from sure things to guys that you see on a HOF trajectory. For instance, I could look at the Red Sox and identify one sure thing (Smoltz), but I could also get crazy and try to argue that Dustin Pedroia is on that path if he continues what he's done already. Basically, it's up to you to make the case.

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

Indianapolis Colts

 

Sure Thing:

 

- Peyton Manning: He may possess almost every statistical quarterback record once he retires, combine that with his Super Bowl win (and possibility of more), he's a lock.

- Marvin Harrison: He's not as much of a lock as Peyton (the HOF hates receivers) but he should get in based on his consistency and numbers. Will not be first ballot, however.

 

Possibility:

- Reggie Wayne: Borderline candidate but the HOF hate's receivers, hurting his case.

- Adam Vinatieri: The HOF doesn't do much for kickers either but if any current kicker gets in, it'll be Vinatieri (4 Super Bowl wins and he played an important part in each one).

 

Doubtful:

- Dwight Freeney: If he ever regains his peak form, he would have a good shot but it's becoming less and less likely.

- Bob Sanders: Has/had the potential but is too injury prone.

- Joseph Addai: Could retire with good numbers but won't stand out enough to make it.

 

Toronto Raptors

 

- Chris Bosh: Too tough to call right now. Depends where his career goes from here and if the Raptors ever put a team around him.

- Jose Calderon: Again, who knows but I heavily doubt it.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Green Bay Packers

 

1. Charles Woodson- One of the better shutdown corners in the league, even if he was marred by a couple bad seasons with the Raiders. Bounced back this year with an incredible season, which, had he made just a couple more plays and the Packers had gotten into the playoffs, he might've been considered for DPOTY. Up until the Saints game (and letting STEVESMITH catch what amounted to the game-clinching drive for Carolina the following week over him sealed the deal) he had that kind of year. He keeps that up, I'm sure he gets in.

2. Al Harris and Donald Driver- Both are borderline candidates. Harris has been marred by a couple really bad games (last year's NFC Championship game immediately comes to mind) and generally being underrated most of his career, while Donald Driver is this generation's Rod Smith. They're both very, very similar receivers- good, great even at some points, but probably not what you'd consider HOF-worthy.

3. Greg Jennings- So far having a great career, this year established himself as one of the league's better receivers. He keeps it up, he might warrant some consideration.

4. Aaron Kampman- Kind of the same thing with Kampman, although he's really only hit his stride the last couple years, despite having been with the Packers since 2002. If he bounces back next year in the 3-4, he could eventually warrant consideration. One really dominant season outside of 2006 and more consistency could seal it.

 

Then of course there's the complicated issue of Brett Favre, who I fully expect to retire with the team eventually, and hopefully patch things up with management to overcome that hurdle. Favre's a stubborn prick, but even he would be a really selfish twat to not retire with the team he brought back to glory. Oh, and I'd say he's a first ballot HOFer

 

Portland Trailblazers

 

Kind of hard to call on any of these guys right now, but Brandon Roy is the closest thing I can think of to this. Rookie of the Year his first season, All Star his second, and he's only going to keep getting better and better. Aldridge and Oden make up the rest of the trio who I think is supposed to be the core of this team if they ever make a championship run, but way too early to call anything on them right now, especially in regards to making the HOF. In fact, I think Roy is the only guy on the roster to even make that game, so yeah. Maybe eventually Oden will catch up to and overtake Yao Ming in the traditional center spot on the West's roster, though.

 

Colorado Rockies

 

Todd Helton is a sure thing. Everyone else is too young/too early to call right now.

 

One thing I've noticed is that all three of my favorite teams are all firmly in the youngest teams in their respective leagues. That makes it kind of hard to call on any Hall of Fame type talent.

[Guest]

Lakers

Kobe Bryant. This really went without saying. It is way too soon to give other players on this team HOF prospects. Phil Jackson's already in the Hall.

Dodgers

Uh, no players. Jeff Kent just retired, and will get in. Joe Torre will get in the Hall too.

 

LA Kings

 

Nobody.

Raiders

 

Shane Lechler is probably the best punter in the history of the NFL. He'll get in someday. Nnamdi Asomugha is a great corner, but I don't think he'll get in. We'll see.

[naiwf 0]

New York Giants

 

No one now that Strahan and Tiki have retired.

 

New York Knicks

 

 

New York Mets

 

Borderline:

 

Carlos Delgado - It would probably take him at least 7 or 8 chances to get close based on his current stats, but he does have 2,010 hits, and could get to 500 2B & HR this year (476/469 respectively). He's scored 1,226 runs, driven in 1,489 and drawn 1,097 BB. I would guess he's the perfect definition of a "borderline HOFer" in that he isn't a lock, but it isn't out of the realm of possibility that he could get in with another couple of seasons which would push him towards 2,300 hits, ~525 2B, 500+ HR, ~1400 runs scored and 1600-1650 RBI.

 

Future Possibilities:

 

David Wright - Delgado's 162 game averages are .280/.383./.546 - 38 2B, 1 3B, 38 HR, 120 RBI, 99 R.

Wright's are .309/.389/.533 - 42 2B, 2 3B, 30 HR, 113 RBI, 107 R and he just turned 26 which means he's about to be entering his prime this season or next.

 

Jose Reyes - It would take a lot more for him to get in than Wright since he has less power and leadoff hitters generally don't put up gaudy stats, but he's one of the more unique players in the game now thanks to his combination of power, speed and defensive ability. He'll be 26 in June but he's already led the league in hits once and 3B & SB three times each.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Shane Lechler is probably the best punter in the history of the NFL. He'll get in someday.

Ray Guy says hi.

[bob_barron 0]

Braves:

 

Chipper Jones: 2,277 hits, 408 HR, 1374 RBIs, one MVP. .310 career average.

 

Tim Hudson has an outside shot, we'll see how he recovers from surgery.

 

Leafs:

 

Cujo has 450 wins, but it's the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Very Good.

 

Canucks:

 

While Luongo's fantastic, I think he needs a couple of playoff runs before he becomes a Hall of Famer. I know it's not his fault he played for the Panthers, but I'd feel weird having a guy in the HOF with one playoff appearance.

 

Nets:

 

Do people take the basketball Hall of Fame seriously enough that Vince Carter couldn't get in because he's a cock?

 

Saints:

 

Drew Brees I guess.

[Guest]

By the time Lechler's career is over there will be no question. He'll possibly have been named to the All-Pro team more than Guy, and have held a better punting average too. They should both be in the Hall of Fame.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Mariano Rivera are in. Mike Mussina should be in but I don't know if he will make it.

 

As for the G-Men, I'll say Michael Strahan and that's about it for now.

[the pinjockey 0]

Phillies:

 

Possible:

Jimmy Rollins - Has a shot at 3000 hits if he sustains his hits/yr average from the past 5 years over the next 8 years (going into his age 30 season so it is not unreasonable), which would make him a lock. Gold glove caliber defense plus an MVP award.

 

Chase Utley - Has a Jeff Kent career path to this point and provided his hip doesn't become a bigger problem, I don't see why he wouldn't end up with similar career numbers. Plus he plays better defense and isn't regarded as one of the biggest dickheads in sports (not that that should matter).

 

Ryan Howard - I honestly don't see it. I don't think he will age well and will become more Mo Vaughn then Babe Ruth, but with 153 HRs, 431 RBIs, and 3 top 5 MVP finishes in his first 3 full seasons he at least gets in the conversation. In this era, probably has to get to 500 HRs, unless he racks up a couple more MVPs or rings.

 

Doubtful:

Cole Hamels - If he stays healthy sure, he has been declared a "big-game pitcher" which is half the battle with writers. But even hoping on putting a pitcher in the conversation before at least 1200-1400 innings is nuts due to the injury factor.

 

Eagles:

 

In:

Brian Dawkins - Probably not a first ballot, but one of the best 2 or 3 safeties in the league before the Reed/Polamalu era, and has remained a very good player with flaws since.

 

Possible:

Asante Samuel - He gets the picks driving up the easy to look at numbers. The number of picks he has in postseason play, however, is what I think is really going to drive his train.

 

I really don't know:

Donovan McNabb - A Super Bowl ring makes this an easy yes, but outside of that I can see both sides which in my mind means a no.

 

Doubtful:

Brian Westbrook - He just isn't going to survive enough touches to get the numbers he needs.

Tra Thomas/Jon Runyan - If they didn't play their whole careers together one might be able to make a borderline case, but being together they overshadowed the individual. There is no Tra Thomas or Jon Runyan, they have always been Thomas and Runyan.

 

Flyers:

Doubtful:

Mike Richards - If they win a couple cups under his watch he will get a ton of the credit (more than he deserves probably) which will pump up his stock but otherwise he won't put up enough numbers.

[Guest Vitamin X]

By the time Lechler's career is over there will be no question. He'll possibly have been named to the All-Pro team more than Guy, and have held a better punting average too. They should both be in the Hall of Fame.

 

Lechler is still relatively young for a punter, so you may be right- but he's only been an outstanding punter for the last two seasons. Guy, I believe, was known more for the incredible hang time on his punts than how far he kicked the ball. But the main reason I bring him up is that Guy's been retired for over two decades, and there's so many non-punters clamoring to get into the hall of fame, that it'll be a while- if ever- that either of them get in.

 

Jan Stenerud is the only pure placekicker to ever make it into the HOF. George Blanda and Sammy Baugh are the only other two I can think of that made it in as part-time kickers.

 

Raiders really like themselves some special teams, huh?

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

NY Yankees

 

Locks

 

Alex Rodriquez On pace to hit 700-800 Homeruns, currently is over 550 and will turn 34 this year

 

Derek Jeter On pace to get 3500-4000 hits. Has 2500 hits and will turn 35 this year

 

Mariano Rivera The greatest closer of all time.

 

Mike Mussina who just retired 270 Career Wins, better #'s than Tom Glavine

 

Borderline

Andy Pettitte. He would have to pitch until his early 40's to get 300 wins if he wants to get in. He is currently at 215 at the age of 36.

 

 

Hall of Fame Potential

 

Robinson Cano. His first 4 seasons are comparable (not as great) to Ryne Sandberg and Jackie Robinson. Cano's first 4 seasons are better than Jeff Kent, Craig Biggio, Roberto Alomar, Joe Morgan and Rod Carew (first 4 years). Cano has a BA of .303, 62 HR's, 303 Rbi's in his first 4 years.

 

CC Sabathia Has 117 Wins and will turn 29 this season. Might be the last player to get to 300 wins. Long shot

 

 

 

 

 

Naiwf, I am suprised that you left Santana off of your list. One of the best starting pitchers in the game the last 5 years and has an outside shot at 300 as well.

 

 

Vitamin, I am sorry but Todd Helton is not a sure thing Hall of Famer. His numbers are too comparable to alot of other first basemen during this generation. I also feel that writers are going to attribute his power #'s to Coors Field as well. Todd only has 300 HR's, 1100 Rbi's and 2000 hits. Another problem is that he is turning 36 this year and is coming off of a down/injury season. That is not a good sign. He is definately borderline/great player but he would have to play several more years and pad his stats. If he were to retire tommorow he wouldn't get in.

 

 

[the max 0]

Broons:

 

Nobody really stands out yet. Chara is close, but I'm not sure what would happen if he (god forbid) had to retire tomorrow. He's a dominant physical defenseman but I don't think he's done it long enough to warrant inclusion. He would need the Bruins to do some serious winning over the next few seasons to get any sort of support and even then I don't see it happening. He'll be remembered for a lot when he retires, but he won't be in the HOF.

 

 

[bob_barron 0]

Derek Jeter is on pace to get 4,000 hits?

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

Derek Jeter is on pace to get 4,000 hits?

 

 

If he plays until his early 40's he will be awfully close. I said he is on pace to get between 3500-4000. Jeter could get to 3500 by the time he hits 40. He already has 2500 and is going to turn 35 this year. He has an outside shot at 4000. Pete Rose at the age of 34 had 2547 career hits while Jeter had 2535. The thing for Rose though is that his next 4 years after 34, he had 3 200 hit seasons and 1 198 hit season. Jeter has a long long long ways to go.

[naiwf 0]

Naiwf, I am suprised that you left Santana off of your list. One of the best starting pitchers in the game the last 5 years and has an outside shot at 300 as well.

 

I left him off because I don't have the slightest idea about what kind of stats pitchers in the post 'roids era will need to get in once the current crop of no doubters like Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine, Pedro, Big Unit etc make their way to Cooperstown. While Santana has already won 2 Cy Youngs and might have picked up a 3rd if the Mets bullpen didn't suck ass this past season, he does only have 109 wins and only has 1 20 win season. Since pitchers seem to suffer career ending injuries a lot more often than hitters do I was reluctant to put him on my list. Assuming he stays healthy and can put up another 4-5 peak seasons he should be right there in the discussion. If he ends up pitching until he's 65 like Jamie Moyer, then he's a lock.

[treble 0]

Blue Jays

 

I want to say Roy Halladay, because I love him, but I can't see it right now. Hopefully he's still good for another decade or so. As for anyone else, I guess they have some young players who have a lot of potential, but none that you could put anywhere near any kind of discussion like this.

 

Maple Leafs

 

Uh, maybe Curtis Joseph.

[Annabelle 0]

tigers:

 

miguel cabrera: has comparable numbers to hank aaron at this point in his career. struggled for the first few months last year, but finished strong. ended up putting up the best power numbers of his career, though. as everyone knows, the only thing that will probably slow him down is his weight.

 

justin verlander: this is the year. he'll either be continue his downward slide or recover his cy young performance.

 

curtis granderson: never know with him. as of right now, he's not a candidate. but he certainly has the tools (5) to continue his improvement.

 

raiders:

 

shane lechler: a great punter. but how many punters are in the hall? I don't know, i'm seriously asking.

 

nnamdi asomugha: probably the best corner in the game right now. depends if he stays with the raiders or not. if he continues this play for another 3-5 years, he's in.

 

darren mcfadden: disappointing first year. but he's young and you never know.

[Kinetic 0]

I want to say that Derrick Brooks and John Lynch will definitely make it. Warren Sapp has a shot, Ronde Barber likely does not. On the basketball side of things, Tim Duncan is a sure-thing first ballot guy. Other than that, no one.

[Just John 0]

Steelers:

 

Ben Roethlisberger: He's had a great start to his career, even if he has had the benefit of a strong defense. He still puts up pretty good numbers, and if he wins some more titles and doesn't die due to holding the ball too long, he could have a shot.

 

Hines Ward: He's been an excellent, tough, consistent player over his career, but his numbers aren't real flashy and WRs have enough trouble getting into the HOF as is.

 

Troy Polamalu: Seems to be the most popular guy on the team. He's got solid numbers, but more importantly, he makes plays you remember. He'll be the face that's associated with the great Steeler defenses this decade, so he has a pretty good chance if he keeps up his current pace for a few more years.

 

Rockets:

 

Tracy McGrady: He'll probably need to get out of the first round of the playoffs, but if he gets that monkey off his back he has a great shot. His numbers are usually good when he plays despite injuries, and he does have a couple scoring titles and a bunch of all-star and all-NBA teams to his credit. If he wins a title, he's a lock.

 

Yao Ming: This is a tough one. On one hand, he has solid stats and a bunch of all-star appearances, but he also has the dreaded "soft" label and some of those early ASG votes were clearly inflated by Chinese favoritism. He also has yet to have any playoff success. It could very well come down to whether or not he gets a title. As Paul Pierce showed last year, you can go from "guy who puts up big numbers but doesn't accomplish anything" to "sure-fire HOF lock" by winning the big one.

 

Dikembe Mutombo: Another border-line candidate. Doesn't have impressive scoring numbers, but he is the premier shot-blocker of his generation and contributed to some fairly successful teams. If defense alone could get you to the hall, Deke would be a lock, but the NBA is a scorer's league.

 

Astros:

 

Lance Berkman: He's been the best hitter on the team since Biggio and Bagwell got old. Unfortunately, the rest of the team has been notoriously poor offensively (even in the good 04/05 run sans Carlos Beltran), so his numbers may not be HOF good by the time it's all said and done.

 

Roy Oswalt: He's consistently been one of the better pitchers in the NL this decade. He has been slowed by injury a couple of times, but he has put up multiple 20-win seasons and has few ASGs to his credit. He also showed up in big games and usually out-performed Clemens and Pettitte come playoff time. His record is strong, so if he keeps his percentage where it is and keeps that ERA down, he should have a shot.

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

Blue Jays

 

I want to say Roy Halladay, because I love him, but I can't see it right now. Hopefully he's still good for another decade or so. As for anyone else, I guess they have some young players who have a lot of potential, but none that you could put anywhere near any kind of discussion like this.

 

 

He is on pace for it, but you are right about another decade or so. He has 1 Cy Young and 3 top 5 finishes.

 

 

I think the automatic # for Pitchers from this generation is going to be 250 Wins. This is due to pitchers being babied/natured while being brought up, injuries, high priced contracts. Look at the best pitchers who came up earlier this decade, Oswalt, Sabathia, Hudson, Santana, Halladay and Sabathia. They are all around the age of 30 and their win totals are all in the low 100's. Hudson is at almost 150. 300 is going to be very exclusive.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Hall of Fame Potential

 

Robinson Cano. His first 4 seasons are comparable (not as great) to Ryne Sandberg and Jackie Robinson. Cano's first 4 seasons are better than Jeff Kent, Craig Biggio, Roberto Alomar, Joe Morgan and Rod Carew (first 4 years). Cano has a BA of .303, 62 HR's, 303 Rbi's in his first 4 years.

 

I don't agree with any of this. First of all, Jackie Robinson and Ryne Sandberg won MVP trophies in their first four seasons and were definitely considered to be amongst the top five players in the game. Their numbers were off the chart compared to Cano. The other five were definitely way ahead of where Cano is as well. I guess he's put up some decent HR and RBI already, but his other numbers pale in comparison.

 

The other thing to consider is that by their fourth season almost everyone on that list was a superstar or damn close to superstar level. They were beginning meteoric rises. After four seasons, I don't even know if I'd call Cano a good player. He was below average at the plate and in the field last year. He has youth on his side and two good seasons to his name, but nothing that makes him even stand out among his contemporaries at 2B.

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

Hall of Fame Potential

 

Robinson Cano. His first 4 seasons are comparable (not as great) to Ryne Sandberg and Jackie Robinson. Cano's first 4 seasons are better than Jeff Kent, Craig Biggio, Roberto Alomar, Joe Morgan and Rod Carew (first 4 years). Cano has a BA of .303, 62 HR's, 303 Rbi's in his first 4 years.

 

I don't agree with any of this. First of all, Jackie Robinson and Ryne Sandberg won MVP trophies in their first four seasons and were definitely considered to be amongst the top five players in the game. Their numbers were off the chart compared to Cano. The other five were definitely way ahead of where Cano is as well. I guess he's put up some decent HR and RBI already, but his other numbers pale in comparison.

 

The other thing to consider is that by their fourth season almost everyone on that list was a superstar or damn close to superstar level. They were beginning meteoric rises. After four seasons, I don't even know if I'd call Cano a good player. He was below average at the plate and in the field last year. He has youth on his side and two good seasons to his name, but nothing that makes him even stand out among his contemporaries at 2B.

 

I was comparing the players based on #'s. Lets go take a look at Baseball-Reference.com

 

Sandberg Playing in a Hitters Park

 

Year Ba HR's RBI's Runs OPS PLus

 

1 .271 7 54 103 90

2 .261 8 48 94 82

3 .314 19 84 114 140

4 .305 26 83 113 132

 

 

Jeff Kent Playing in a Pitchers Park

 

Year Ba HR's RBI's Runs OPS PLus

 

1 .239 11 50 52 105

2 .270 21 80 65 104

3 .292 14 68 53 111

4 .278 20 65 65 110

 

 

Craig Biggio

 

Year Ba HR's RBI's Runs OPS PLus

 

1 .257 13 60 64 114

2 .276 4 42 53 93

3 .295 4 46 79 113

4 .277 6 39 96 118

 

Joe Morgan

 

Year Ba HR's RBI's Runs OPS PLus

 

1 .271 14 40 100 131

2 .285 5 42 60 132

3 .275 6 42 73 131

4 .236 15 43 94 109

 

 

 

Robinson Cano

 

Year Ba HR's RBI's Runs OPS PLus

 

1 .297 14 62 78 106

2 .342 15 78 62 126

3 .306 19 97 93 120

4 .271 14 72 70 86

 

 

 

I fully understand that Cano had a down year last year. I understand that he should be more patient of a hitter. I understand that he lacks focus at times in the field. He is comparable though to Current HOF and 2 future HOF based on their first 4 seasons.

[Annabelle 0]

outside of one great season, cano doesn't strike me as being that great at all.

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

outside of one great season, cano doesn't strike me as being that great at all.

 

 

Ok thats your opinion. He isn't as good as Chase Utley but he still has had a better start to his career than Morgan, Kent and Biggio and comparable numbers to Sandberg.

[Annabelle 0]

outside of one great season, cano doesn't strike me as being that great at all.

 

 

Ok thats your opinion. He isn't as good as Chase Utley but he still has had a better start to his career than Morgan, Kent and Biggio and comparable numbers to Sandberg.

i guess. he just started out real strong and has kinda fizzled. last year was really rough for him.

[naiwf 0]

I think the problem with Cano is that basically every time I watch the Yankees play they have to reference him as being potentially a "multiple time batting champion and/or 30+ HR hitter in the future" or "Rod Carew like". The guy is not a hitter on the level of Tony Gwynn or Wade Boggs or an approximation of Jeff Kent in terms of power, and yet that's what they act like he is, and has been for years. If you're going to compare the guy to nothing but HOF level players, but he routinely dogs it on defense and sometimes looks like he just doesn't give a shit, you're probably going to end up with a lot of fans thinking he's overrated.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

Leafs:

 

Cujo has 450 wins, but it's the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Very Good.

 

The Hockey HOF is a joke, Cujo will likely get in.

[Guest Smues]

Hall of Fame Potential

 

Robinson Cano. His first 4 seasons are comparable (not as great) to Ryne Sandberg and Jackie Robinson. Cano's first 4 seasons are better than Jeff Kent, Craig Biggio, Roberto Alomar, Joe Morgan and Rod Carew (first 4 years). Cano has a BA of .303, 62 HR's, 303 Rbi's in his first 4 years.

 

I don't agree with any of this. First of all, Jackie Robinson and Ryne Sandberg won MVP trophies in their first four seasons and were definitely considered to be amongst the top five players in the game. Their numbers were off the chart compared to Cano. The other five were definitely way ahead of where Cano is as well. I guess he's put up some decent HR and RBI already, but his other numbers pale in comparison.

 

The other thing to consider is that by their fourth season almost everyone on that list was a superstar or damn close to superstar level. They were beginning meteoric rises. After four seasons, I don't even know if I'd call Cano a good player. He was below average at the plate and in the field last year. He has youth on his side and two good seasons to his name, but nothing that makes him even stand out among his contemporaries at 2B.

 

I was comparing the players based on #'s. Lets go take a look at Baseball-Reference.com

 

Sandberg Playing in a Hitters Park

 

Year Ba HR's RBI's Runs OPS PLus

 

1 .271 7 54 103 90

2 .261 8 48 94 82

3 .314 19 84 114 140

4 .305 26 83 113 132

 

 

Jeff Kent Playing in a Pitchers Park

 

Year Ba HR's RBI's Runs OPS PLus

 

1 .239 11 50 52 105

2 .270 21 80 65 104

3 .292 14 68 53 111

4 .278 20 65 65 110

 

 

Craig Biggio

 

Year Ba HR's RBI's Runs OPS PLus

 

1 .257 13 60 64 114

2 .276 4 42 53 93

3 .295 4 46 79 113

4 .277 6 39 96 118

 

Joe Morgan

 

Year Ba HR's RBI's Runs OPS PLus

 

1 .271 14 40 100 131

2 .285 5 42 60 132

3 .275 6 42 73 131

4 .236 15 43 94 109

 

 

 

Robinson Cano

 

Year Ba HR's RBI's Runs OPS PLus

 

1 .297 14 62 78 106

2 .342 15 78 62 126

3 .306 19 97 93 120

4 .271 14 72 70 86

 

 

 

I fully understand that Cano had a down year last year. I understand that he should be more patient of a hitter. I understand that he lacks focus at times in the field. He is comparable though to Current HOF and 2 future HOF based on their first 4 seasons.

 

Mystery 2nd basemen playing in a fairly neutral park that if anything favors pitchers. I'm using the first four full seasons for this mystery man.

 

Year Ba HR's RBI's Runs OPS PLus

 

1 .316 21 69 101 136

2 .311 8 48 61 111

3 .291 15 63 104 114

4 .262 11 60 87 87

 

A little less power than Cano but scores more and held his own in OPS plus. Who was it? Marcus Giles, who is already out of the league. So yeah, don't count me in on the Cano is a HOFer bandwagon.

 

Edit: Ok so Giles isn't out of baseball, just the majors. Apparantly he signed a minor league contract with the Phillies a few weeks ago.

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

Hall of Fame Potential

 

Robinson Cano. His first 4 seasons are comparable (not as great) to Ryne Sandberg and Jackie Robinson. Cano's first 4 seasons are better than Jeff Kent, Craig Biggio, Roberto Alomar, Joe Morgan and Rod Carew (first 4 years). Cano has a BA of .303, 62 HR's, 303 Rbi's in his first 4 years.

 

I don't agree with any of this. First of all, Jackie Robinson and Ryne Sandberg won MVP trophies in their first four seasons and were definitely considered to be amongst the top five players in the game. Their numbers were off the chart compared to Cano. The other five were definitely way ahead of where Cano is as well. I guess he's put up some decent HR and RBI already, but his other numbers pale in comparison.

 

The other thing to consider is that by their fourth season almost everyone on that list was a superstar or damn close to superstar level. They were beginning meteoric rises. After four seasons, I don't even know if I'd call Cano a good player. He was below average at the plate and in the field last year. He has youth on his side and two good seasons to his name, but nothing that makes him even stand out among his contemporaries at 2B.

 

I was comparing the players based on #'s. Lets go take a look at Baseball-Reference.com

 

Sandberg Playing in a Hitters Park

 

Year Ba HR's RBI's Runs OPS PLus

 

1 .271 7 54 103 90

2 .261 8 48 94 82

3 .314 19 84 114 140

4 .305 26 83 113 132

 

 

Jeff Kent Playing in a Pitchers Park

 

Year Ba HR's RBI's Runs OPS PLus

 

1 .239 11 50 52 105

2 .270 21 80 65 104

3 .292 14 68 53 111

4 .278 20 65 65 110

 

 

Craig Biggio

 

Year Ba HR's RBI's Runs OPS PLus

 

1 .257 13 60 64 114

2 .276 4 42 53 93

3 .295 4 46 79 113

4 .277 6 39 96 118

 

Joe Morgan

 

Year Ba HR's RBI's Runs OPS PLus

 

1 .271 14 40 100 131

2 .285 5 42 60 132

3 .275 6 42 73 131

4 .236 15 43 94 109

 

 

 

Robinson Cano

 

Year Ba HR's RBI's Runs OPS PLus

 

1 .297 14 62 78 106

2 .342 15 78 62 126

3 .306 19 97 93 120

4 .271 14 72 70 86

 

 

 

I fully understand that Cano had a down year last year. I understand that he should be more patient of a hitter. I understand that he lacks focus at times in the field. He is comparable though to Current HOF and 2 future HOF based on their first 4 seasons.

 

Mystery 2nd basemen playing in a fairly neutral park that if anything favors pitchers. I'm using the first four full seasons for this mystery man.

 

Year Ba HR's RBI's Runs OPS PLus

 

1 .316 21 69 101 136

2 .311 8 48 61 111

3 .291 15 63 104 114

4 .262 11 60 87 87

 

A little less power than Cano but scores more and held his own in OPS plus. Who was it? Marcus Giles, who is already out of the league. So yeah, don't count me in on the Cano is a HOFer bandwagon.

 

I never said Cano was a HOFer. I said Cano has HOF potential based off his first 4 years compared to other HOFers and 2 players who are going to get into the HOF. Cano has to keep up his level of production/improve for another 10 seasons at least to get into the HOF. What the hell happened to Marcus Giles? He went from being a 23 old all star to being released by the Rockies in spring training last year.