Instead, Whitaker will have to wait until at least December 2025 he'll be 68 when the post-1980 committee is scheduled to meet again. He had a pair of 30/30 seasons at his peak, which included 2011 NL MVP honors, but his positive PED test likely will keep him out. Now thats unfair right there, he said. much time with injury, but he did have some bangs that cost him, with his otherwise excellent 1988 season consisting of only 115 games. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. 13,959th in major league history) Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. 1 in a pregame ceremony, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. You wouldve had to watch us day in, day out to appreciate what a second baseman and a shortstop accomplished playing for the Detroit Tigers, Whitaker said. to do something fancy as opposed to making it look effortless. September 9, 1977 Whitaker, infamously, received only 2.9 percent of the vote when he first appeared on the ballot in 2001, knocking him off that ballot for good after just one year. Ranked the 11th best second baseman of all Kenny Pickett gets a big vote of confidence from one of his key receivers. Rookie cards, autographs and more. Contemporary Baseball Era Committee in 2023, Modern Baseball Era Ballot Reaction with Graham Womack: An Audio Conversation. Many behind him, including Ryne Sandberg, Roberto Almoar, Craig Biggio, Nellie Fox, Joe Gordon, and Bobby Doerr are Hall of Famers. Schilling has no PED allegations, but has seen his Hall support drop (after coming within 16 votes of induction in 2021) following hateful remarks he made in retirement toward Muslims, transgender people, reporters and others. Judge, the reigning AL MVP, hasnt played since he was replaced in the fourth inning of the series opener against the Rangers after striking out twice. We'll make our best guess at who will be a first-ballot selection, who will eventually get to the necessary support after a few years on the ballot, and who could stick around for a few years but will ultimately wind up in the Hall of Very Good. While Dahlen could be considered as part of the Early Baseball ballot next year, Whitaker will have to wait three years for the next opportunity. Emoni Bates draft stock update: Can he play his way back into the lottery? Whether Whitaker suffered from the recency bias of two teammates, Trammell and Morris, elected by the committee two years ago wasnt immediately clear. Whitaker was also known for his steady defense over his 19-season career in Detroit. The Hall of Stats is open sourced on May 12, 1957 Like Alomar, Whitaker was a Gold Glove-caliber defender and won three Gold Glove Awards. career with a line of .276/.363/.426, which translates to a 117 OPS+, which was outstanding for a second baseman of his era. I think a lot of folks on that committee will look at him differently than previous voters did, both as far as looking at his whole game the way I outlined above and by looking at all that has been said about his being overlooked in the past. Another surefire bet for the Hall of Fame, if not for steroid usage, is left fielder Barry Bonds. The heavily loaded plane crashed just off the Puerto Rican coast, and Clementes body was never recovered. Beyond WAR, Whitaker played for 19 seasons, winning the Rookie of the Year award, making five All-Star teams, winning three Gold Gloves and winning the Silver Slugger award four times. When Trammell made his big league debut on September 9, 1977, he became the first Kearny High School graduate positional player to reach the majors. The company became the official tour operator of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007, a month before the induction of Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn drew a record WebOn Dec. 31, 1972, Clemente boarded a small plane en route from Puerto Rico to Nicaragua to assist with earthquake relief. Garvey is one of the great Los Angeles Dodgers and the 1974 MVP. Palmeiro played some of his best years with the Texas Rangers on his way to hitting over 500 home runs and surpassing 3,000 career hits. If you doubt it, go read something in Hall of Fame columns about Derek Jeter making jump-throws which neglect to mention that truly good shortstops dont need to do that. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 12:21AM. How Good Was Babe Ruth Compared To Other Players During His Time? (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images), Manny Ramirez was a pure hitter only left out of Cooperstown because of alleged PED use. Who Are The Best Baseball Players Not In The Hall Of Fame? WebShop COMC's extensive selection of lou whitaker rookie related hall of fame baseball cards from 1988. OF Ryan BraunOF Shin-Soo Choo1B Chris DavisDH Edwin EncarnacinSP Gio GonzlezOF Alex GordonSP Cole HamelsRP Kelvin HerreraOF Matt Kemp2B Howie Kendrick2B Jason KipnisOF Nick Markakis2B Daniel MurphyOF Hunter PenceSP Rick PorcelloSP Jeff SamardzijaSP Edinson Vlquez2B Neil WalkerC Matt Wieters. We were just consistent, Whitaker said. Barry Lewis. Three players from the University of Tulsas baseball glory days are in this years McLain Athletic Hall of Fame class. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Tram had the opportunity to be therefor a long time, Whitaker said. SAN DIEGO -- Lou Whitaker's wait for the call from Cooperstown goes on. Whitaker, its worth noting, doesnt appear to be losing sleep over his Hall of Fame chances. The heavily loaded plane crashed just off the Puerto Rican 145, Barry Lewis. and 43.0 Wins Above Average. Dive deeper into the news and sports stories that matter most with our exclusive podcasts, featuring analysis and reporting from our team of experts. Sandberg got 49.2 percent on his first ballot in 2003 but two years earlier, Whitaker got less than three percent. Santana received only 2.4 percent of the vote in his lone year on the ballot, so the odds are stacked against King Felix. On Sunday, December 8, the Modern Baseball Era committee of the Baseball Hall of Fame, which includes candidates whose primary contributions to baseball came between 1970-87, will vote on candidates for the 2020 induction class. All of which is to say: a second baseman with pop, patience or outstanding but unsexy defensive ability was almost guaranteed to be discounted by the biases of the era, and Whitakers game hit all three of those things harder than just about anyone else. Whitaker played his entire career with the Tigers, debuting in 1977 and retiring after the 1995 season with a .276 batting average, 244 home runs and 1,084 RBIs over 2,390 games. More to explore : Hall of Fame Autographed Postcard, Sports Callahan HALL OF FAME Baseball Trading Cards, Buffalo Bills Football Pro Set 1991 Season Sports Trading Cards & Accessories, The sentimental take was that, while neither was in the Hall of Fame, history should be made right and they should be put in the Hall of Fame together, with the two of them riding across the stage at Cooperstown on a tandem bicycle to collect their plaques (I think Jay Jaffe said that bit about the tandem bike first, but if Im wrong someone let me know). Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. So whats taken Trammell and Whitaker so long? Rose has appealed for his ban to be lifted, but thus far, his pleas have been denied. Here's what we found, Trammell renewed his call for Whitakers induction in August, when the Tigers retired the infielders No. Whitakers numbers need contextualizing, not just for his era or position, but also the ballpark in which he played. Fittingly, those meetings will take place in San Diego, where Lou Whitaker led off the 1984 World Series with a double in the gap and scored a moment later on a single by Alan Trammell. Shouldn't I? On FanGraphs, it is called TZ (or Total Zone) and on Baseball-Reference, it is called Rtot (or Total Zone Total Fielding Runs Above Average) but its the same thing. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for Lou Whitaker Detroit Tigers Baseball Hall Fame 1979 Topps Card 123 Louis Sweet at the best online prices at eBay! Is there a case for Lou Whitaker for the Hall of Fame? Draft: Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 5th round of the 1975 MLB June Amateur Draft from Martinsville HS (Martinsville, VA). Reliving Lou Whitaker's greatest games with the Tigers, As Tigers hail Lou Whitaker, he's ready for Hall of Fame nod: 'That day will come', Trammell was elected to the Hall by the veterans committee as part of the class of 2018, We went searching for Lou Whitaker stories. He said he spurned an offer from the New York Yankees shortly after walking away from the game in 1995. Or write about sports? Another contemporary of Whitaker is Ryne Sandberg. MLB Power Rankings: The biggest Hall of Fame snub for every team Detroit fans, for their part, havent forgotten Whitaker or Trammell. I know he came in feeling a little bit better today, manager Aaron Boone said before the series finale at Texas. Lou Whitaker played for 1 team, the Detroit Tigers. All rights reserved. It is nearly impossible to narrow down players that deserve to be in the Hall of Fame but are not on the shortlist. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for Lou Whitaker Detroit Tigers Baseball Hall Fame 1979 Topps Card 123 Louis Sweet at the best online prices at eBay! Do you have a blog? He finished his career with a line of .276/.363/.426, which translates to a 117 OPS+, which was outstanding for a second baseman of his era. Yosts special skill, of course, was the ability to get on base (and score runs) by not swinging at borderline pitches. Roger Clemens was a Major League Baseball pitcher for 24 years (1984-2007), spending most of his career with the Boston Red Sox. All data is also open and Join our linker program. He was a two-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger winner, and his 40.1 WAR is good for 38th all-time among third basemen, ahead of guys like Tim Wallach (38.5), Eric Chavez (38.2) and Troy Glaus (38.1). He signed with the Tigers rather than attend college. They were joined at the hip in their careers, serving as the best and longest-tenured double play combination in baseball history. Baseball history felt wrong without those two in the Hall of Fame. SP Jake ArrietaC Alex AvilaRP John AxfordRP Dellin BetancesOF Jay BruceIF Asdrbal CabreraSS Starlin CastroRP Wade DavisRP Neftal FelizOF Dexter Fowler3B Todd FrazierOF Brett GardnerSP J.A. Lou Whitaker Yall wrong., He added, If you deserve something, they always say if you deserve it, youll get it.. from the SABR BioProject, More Lou Whitaker Pages at Baseball Reference. The Baseball Hall of Fame released its ballot for the Contempory Baseball Era committee, covering players who starred in MLB from 1980 forward and the longtime Detroit Tigers second baseman was left off. Why Is Joe DiMaggio Mentioned In The Song "Mrs. With 3,166 hits, five Gold Glove Awards and a 93.5 career WAR total that ranks third all-time among third basemen behind only Mike Schmidt (106.8) and Eddie The Hall of Fame.". A late-bloomer with an impressive peak, Bautista should be able to stick around on the ballot for at least a few seasons. 3, linked together forever," Trammell said. Ichiro Strikes Out 16, Goes 3-for-4 in A Sandlot Game - MLB | NBC Sports He and teammate Alan Trammell were known for consistently turning double plays. The average WAR for Hall of Fame second baseman is 69.4. Trammell hopeful Sweet Lou joins him in Hall. Think Matt Stairs (117), Adrin Beltr (116), Charlie Blackmon (116), Carlton Fisk (117), Jesse Barfield (117), Pete Rose (118), Ted Simmons (118) and many, many others. His on-base percentage, however, was a fantastic .363 for his career; Everyone back in the 70s and 80s would agree that that hitting home runs was a good thing but second baseman were not expected to hit home runs. Like I said, none of that constitutes an argument against Whitakers induction as much as it explains why he was not inducted. Lou Whitaker on the Hall of Fame: 'I didnt even get daylight', The 25 best players not in the Hall of Fame, Vets committees should review players separately. On Tuesday, the Detroit Tigers finally announced a date for the number retirement ceremony for Tigers legend Lou Whitaker. Here, we're taking a closer look at the next five years of Hall of Fame ballot newcomers. Whitaker was Rookie of the Year in his 1977 season, and he never really slowed down after that. As for a good story, we cant ignore the man whose name I mentioned at the top of this post: Alan Trammell. Lou Whitaker was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 5th round of the 1975 MLB June Amateur Draft from Martinsville HS (Martinsville, VA). Rose was often referred to as Charlie Hustle for his speed on the bases. Was Mickey Mantle The Fastest MLB Baseball Player? Lou Whitaker is the only player on this list whose lack of Hall of Fame induction is not associated with any scandals. Oh, and it didnt help that there were six future Hall of Famers on the 2001 ballot off of which Whitaker fell: Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett were elected that year and Gary Carter, Jim Rice, Bruce Sutter, Rich Gossage, Jack Morris and Bert Blyleven would make it in subsequently. Buy from many sellers and get your cards all in one shipment! The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball, Salaries may not be complete (especially pre-1985) and may not include some earned bonuses, Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please. 2023 www.freep.com. The best comparison for Flix Hernndez might be Johan Santana, who had a similarly dominant peak but fell short of the overall numbers generally associated with a Hall of Fame career. Jason Beck. Lou Whitaker (136 over 440) Already discussed several times. Asked whether he considered Morris a Hall of Famer, Whitaker said yes. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.