Deservedly So?

Today I'm taking a queue from a fellow blogger, and since there is not much to talk about other than former Boston outfielder Jim Rice in his 14th attempt to gain enshrinement into the Hall of Fame, we'll focus on that. In my tenure as a Red Sox fan I've asked myself this question around this time every year there aren't slam dunk candidates on the ballot. Does Jim Rice deserve to be in Cooperstown?

Of course every pro-Boston writer probably believes that he should have been voted in over a decade ago, I on the other hand, am not so sure. Of course, in the arena of me vs. the Baseball Writers Association of America, I don't carry any weight. But screw them, this is my Thunderdome and I'll write about and write off whoever I like. Bias because of fandom is something I try to steer clear of.

Jim Rice had a long and fruitful career with the Boston Red Sox. It was solid, you can't take that away from him. Rice was drafted by the Sox in the 1971 amateur draft as the 15th pick overall and played every game of his major league career in a Sox uniform until 1989. In his first full season he batted .309 with 102 RBI's and an OPS of .841. He ended up finishing third in the AL MVP voting behind Fred Lynn (who played for Boston) and John Mayberry of the Kansas City Royals. He finished behind Lynn as well for AL Rookie of the Year honors.

I've read a lot lately from the Herald or on the Globe that Rice was one of the "most feared" hitters in his era. He reached base on balls 670 times in his career, a good portion (but not a majority) of which were intentional. However during his most prosperous years he didn't even rank in the top 10 or even top 25 of players who were intentionally walked. Not very feared if you ask me.

He hit above 40 home runs one time in 1978, the year he won his only AL MVP award. He came close to 40 again in '77, '79 and '83 with 39, but never cracked more than 30 the rest of his career. For a player who is described as a 'feared power hitter' these are hardly impressive numbers. I don't think relying on subjective statements is a great case for any player when considering induction into any hall of fame either.

Over his career he hit 382 homers in his 16 years in the Major Leagues. If you compare that to Mike Schmidt's (who no one will argue was a dominate power hitter of the same era) 548 home runs in 18 seasons you'll see some disparity between the two. Of course you can't compare everyone to Schmidt because his numbers were astounding while he was in his prime, but it does make for some interesting food for thought when he is the measuring stick for power hitters from the mid 70's through the next 10 years or so.

One thing pro-Rice writers will tell you is that he was one of the best players from 1975-1986. The problem is, is that Rice played from 1974-1989. You can cherry pick most people and make a strong case for all the above average players in their respective generations. Sure it's the bulk of his career as a big leaguer, but it certainly doesn't tell the entire story. You shouldn't pick and choose good seasons and separate them from the bad because this isn't the "Hall of Very Good," right? A term I absolutely hate, by the way.

The way I sometimes like to look at it is the "how many times do I have to be on the ballot to get in factor," or the "HMTDIHTBOTBTGIF" as I like to call it. I should really find a shorter way to describe this so I can have an easier to understand acronym. Simply put, Rice has been on the ballot since 1994 and is yet to enter into the Hall. If he doesn't make it in this year against the likes of Rich Gossage, Bert Blyleven or Andre Dawson, he'll be competing with likely first-time-in Rickey Henderson in '09. Having players like Mark McGwire and Brady Anderson on the ballot may help Rice's chances as well.

The players whom I mentioned in the previous paragraph that Rice is competing against he'll likely either pass up or get voted in with. I'm thinking most likely Goose Gossage? But who knows, baseball writers are notoriously caught in public and in print with their heads firmly planted in their asses, noses pointed toward the clouds. If Rice gets in it will be a great victory for the Boston faithful and most will be pleased without any cause other than the fact that he played for the beloved Sox.

It's easy to be blinded by fandamonium, it's harder to reach back to compare and contrast objectively. Your guy isn't always going to get in, but then again sometimes the right guys don't get in either. That's my problem with the Hall. It's great to have on your all-time resume, but sometimes "member of the Baseball Hall of Fame" isn't the true measure of the man. Rice had a great career, but is it HOF worthy? When you go back and look, even as a faithful fan, I'm going to say no. Does that diminish his impact on baseball or his status on the Sox? I'm going to say no to that too.