The three names mentioned with him all sucked defensively. Edgar was a career DH after a couple of seasons. Chipper got pushed all over the diamond while Thome eventually spent all his time at first. Rolen was a 7-time All-Star, an 8-time gold glover, hit over 300 homers with an .855 OPS and over 2000 hits. I'm not saying he's first-ballot but I do think the voters dissed him.
I miss the old Mile High Stadium.
Of those three names, Rolen was, unequivocally, the worst in offensive production. His batting average was 40 points below Martinez and Thome hit 300 more home runs. Chipper Jones hit over .300 as a switch hitter and had an OPS 80 points higher than Rolen.
Rolen is a fantastic player who is borderline and I think will probably get in. But certainly not over Jones or Thome. Edgar Martinez is at least an argument, but what Martinez did at the plate surpasses anything Rolen did playing third base.
Well, a precedent has already been set. Guys like Aparicio, Ozzie Smith, Brooks Robinson, Bill Mazeroski didn't get in because they had great bats. it was defense. And considering a very overrated Omar Vizquel got 30% of votes on his first year tells me there is certainly room for Rolen.
Election to the Hall should mean you were one of the very few dominating players of your era. Papi and Edgar were one of the most feared hitters of their era and should be in.
Especially when the Hall has been totally diluted the past couple years with selections like Blylevin, Biggio, Santo, etc.
No, I'm not wrong. I said you don't have to play the game in totality. And they don't. Hitters clamor to be a DH because it's easy. Barry Bonds wanted to DH because it would have added years to his career. The grind of being out in the field for hours a game is what players try to avoid because it's hard over the course a career, and that's a portion of the game and father time that DH's got to avoid.
I am thirty years old and and well versed in statistics and researching. I'm just fine.
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