Will Clark Baseball HOF

[somebodyshotmypaw]

Yeah, I'm sorry, but if Dale Murphy isn't a HOF, then none of these guys are.

I would put Dale Murphy in before Barry Bonds.

[Tbonewannabe]

HOF is something football gets right. Baseballs' fascination with statistics does more harm then good to really great players. I've always thought if a player was ubiquitous with a team and performed at a high level for 8-10 years they should get in. If you say "Player X was <insert team here> in the 80s" then that should be your sign. Dale Murphy was the Braves in the 80s. Jim Rice was the Red Sox in the late 70s and 80s. Will Clark was the Giants in the 80s and early 90s. Don Mattingly was the Yankees in the 80s and early 90s. Turn on the All-Star game, and they are there like clock work. Look at league leaders in their stats, they are the only player for that team you see.

Sandy Koufax is in with stats for a pitcher that would be similar if not worse than Dale Murphy or Will Clark. He was only really great for about 6 out of 12 years.

[BrunswickDawg]

Sandy Koufax is in with stats for a pitcher that would be similar if not worse than Dale Murphy or Will Clark. He was only really great for about 6 out of 12 years.

I think that Koufax is a little different. Koufax was a "bonus baby" - which meant that by rule he had to be on the Dodgers roster and develop at the MLB level instead of in the minors. Koufax hadn't even pitched in high school - he started pitching in Summer league between high school and starting at Cincinnati on a basketball scholarship. He then walked on in baseball and pitched 1 season, then signed with the Dodgers. He had pitched 32 innings of college ball and then is on a MLB roster. That is insane. Once he developed, he dominated, and only retired because of his hemorrhaging condition in his pitching arm.

[Tbonewannabe]

I think that Koufax is a little different. Koufax was a "bonus baby" - which meant that by rule he had to be on the Dodgers roster and develop at the MLB level instead of in the minors. Koufax hadn't even pitched in high school - he started pitching in Summer league between high school and starting at Cincinnati on a basketball scholarship. He then walked on in baseball and pitched 1 season, then signed with the Dodgers. He had pitched 32 innings of college ball and then is on a MLB roster. That is insane. Once he developed, he dominated, and only retired because of his hemorrhaging condition in his pitching arm.

And yet if you look at his overall numbers, he was great for about 5-6 years. The same could be said for Dale Murphy or Will Clark.

[Todd4State]

I think that Koufax is a little different. Koufax was a "bonus baby" - which meant that by rule he had to be on the Dodgers roster and develop at the MLB level instead of in the minors. Koufax hadn't even pitched in high school - he started pitching in Summer league between high school and starting at Cincinnati on a basketball scholarship. He then walked on in baseball and pitched 1 season, then signed with the Dodgers. He had pitched 32 innings of college ball and then is on a MLB roster. That is insane. Once he developed, he dominated, and only retired because of his hemorrhaging condition in his pitching arm.

If he wasn't a bonus baby he probably wouldn't have gotten the 10 years in to qualify for the HOF.

Dizzy Dean is another that only played 12 years in MLB and was really exceptional for only about half of his career.