Hall of Fame Inductees

This year's Hall of Fame ballot was jam packed with All Stars, MVPs, Cy Young Award winners, Gold Glovers, and five tool players, but only three players made the hall this year.

Left to Right: Larussa, Torre, Cox

Three inductees made it in as managers, they were the leaders of dynasties: Joe Torre, Bobby Cox, and Tony Larussa. Toree led the Yankees through some of their most successful seasons winning 4 World Series titles in a 5 year period. Bobby Cox managed the Braves through the years and led the team to a World Series in 1995, but has the 4th most wins as a manager in history. Tony Larussa is known for being the manager of the Cardinals and leading them to World Series victories in 2006 and 2011. All three managers are well respected and definitely deserve their position in the Hall of Fame.  

Now for the reveal of this years Hall of Fame inductees. With 75% of the total vote three players made it in to they Hall of Fame. These greats are Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas.

Tom Glavine (left) and Greg Maddux (Right)

Maddux's 355 career wins, 3.16 ERA, 3371 strikeouts, 4 consecutive Cy Young Awards, and his overall greatness make him not only the best pitcher of generation, but perhaps one of the greatest pitchers of all time, and one of the best in the Hall of Fame. He deserves his position in the Hall of Fame.

Glavine was a teammate of Maddux for 10 seasons and they were one of the most devastating duo's for those 10 years. His 305 wins, 2607 strikeouts, 2 Cy Young Awards, and career 3.54 are absolutley fantastic, but Glavine really shined when it meant most. 14 post season wins with a 3.30 ERA in the clutch probably sealed the deal for Glavine to get in on his first ballot. It is only appropriate that he and Maddux are entered along with Bobby Cox.

Frank Thomas

Spending 16 seasons with the Chicago White Sox Frank Thomas, also known as The Big Hurt, put him ridiculous numbers. The two time MVP posted 521 home runs over the course of his career, along with .301 batting average and a staggering .419 on base percentage. Thomas struck not only the ball but fear into the pitchers that faced him.

As for Jack Morris, he has failed to get into the Hall of Fame, but will probably be considered by the veterans committee. Craig Biggio missed being inducted by less than 1%, so he and his 3000 hits will have to wait, he will almost certainly be inducted next season. Mike Piazza improved on his percentage, but he may take more than one more season to make the Hall of Fame.

Greatest Pitcher Ever

Greg Maddux

I'll admit it, i'm pitching biased. If you can't win, you can't score. So who was the best pitcher ever?

Ok, i'm going to start off by saying if a pitcher pitched before 1925 I consider their stats irrelevant. The game was not developed, the hitters weren't as good as they were later on. So people look at some of the old players and see they have 400 wins. It is very misleading. If a pitcher pitched the majority of their career before 1925 I refuse to compare them to someone today. To add on to the previous statement: How many great hitters can you name from the 1910's and how many can you name from the 1980's?

There are three pitchers in competition for the greatest pitcher ever. They are the following: Greg Maddux, Warren Spahn, and Nolan Ryan.

Greg Maddux pitched from 1986-2008. His career ERA is 3.16  and has 355 wins. His most dominant season was cut off due to the 1994 strike. With  25 starts under his belt Maddux had 16 wins with a 1.56 ERA and 202 innings pitched. The average OPS in 1994 was .747.

Warren Spahn

Warren Spahn pitched from 1946-1965. He recorded a career 3.09 ERA and has 363 wins in his career. Spahn's most dominant season was 1953. In that year he recorded a 2.10 ERA and 23 wins for the Milwaukee Braves. He pitched 265 innings that year and was dominant throughout. The league average OPS was .747 in 1953.

Nolan Ryan pitched from 1968-1993. Ryan recorded 324 wins and had a 3.19 ERA in that time. His most dominant season was 1972 when he pitched for the California Angels and had a 2.28 ERA, 19 wins over 284 innings pitched. The average OPS that season was .649.

Nolan Ryan

I know what you're saying: What about strikeouts? It doesn't matter how many strikeouts a pitcher gets as long as he gets the out. Strikeouts come into play when you evaluate relief pitchers. Just like a no hitter is nice to watch but the most important part is that the team got the win. So let us take out Nolan Ryan from the race because his ERA was higher in an era that had weaker hitters.

Warren Spahn and Greg Maddux are the competitors now. Maddux got 355 wins in 740 games. Spahn got 363 win in 714 games. Spahn pitched in a time where there was weaker hitters and Maddux pitched through the Steroid Era. Its hard to compare two pitchers who pitched 40 years apart, because there are so many intangibles.

Pud Galvin not
considered

For now I will declare this a tie between Warren Spahn and Greg Maddux, but slightly in favor of Maddux. Be sure to share your opinions in the comments.
 

The Draft

Carlos Correa was the first pick in the 2012 draft. He was taken by the Astros 20 years after they passed on a prospect named Derek Jeter. It was a wise decision to choose Carlos Correa. AS history may show the Amateur Draft rankings don't mean much of anything.

Many teams select prospects as the first overall, but they don't pan out. In 1984 the first overall pick was Shawn Abner by the New York Mets. You will be shocked by the players picked in the second round. Pick 31 was the greatest pitcher ever, Greg Maddux (355 wins and 3.16 ERA). Pick 47 was Tom Glavine another fantastic pitcher (305 wins and 3.54 ERA). Pick 50 was Al Leiter (162 wins 3.80 ERA).

In the 1999 draft the first 2 picks worked out wonderfully, Josh Hamilton (#1) and Josh Beckett (#2) both have successful careers at the major league level. Other names selected in the first round that year are: Barry Zito (#9), Ben Sheets (#10), Alex Rios (#19) and Brian Roberts (#50). The most successful selection from the 1999 draft did not come the first 1 round, but in the 13th. 29 other teams had the chance to pick this player and 401 picks were before him. Albert Pujols was #402. The Cardinals' first pick was #30 and they chose Chance Caple who never made it to AA.

Although the draft day is filled with optimism most of the players will never make it to the major leagues. The picks selected in the latest parts of the draft can make it and be some of the greatest ever.

Possible Hall of Fame Inductees in the Near Future

The 2012 Hall of Fame class consisted of one person, Barry Larkin, but in the near future some big names are coming up, with a lot of controversy.

Frank Thomas (The Big Hurt)- Thomas played 19 seasons, 16 of them with the Chicago White Sox. over those 19 seasons he posted a .301 batting average, .419 on base percentage, 521 home runs, and a .555 slugging. I think there will be some controversy, because he was convicted of steroid use in his career. This is one of the many problems of the steroid era.  All in all Thomas will get inducted within 5 years of eligibility.

Greg Maddux- Without a doubt Maddux will be inducted on his first ballot. He dominated the 1990's and 2000's pitching 23 total seasons mostly with the Braves (11 seasons) and the Cubs (10 Seasons), but pitched 2 seasons each with the Dodgers and Padres. 355 wins is a ridiculous number, I don't think we will see a player hit 350 wins for another 20 years or so if that. A lifetime 3.16 era and 3371 strikeouts. His best season was 1996 when he held a 1.63 era, 209.2 innings pitched, and 181 strikeouts with just 28 walks.

Mike Mussina (Moose) - Mussina pitched 18 seasons, 10 with the Orioles and 8 with the Yankees. He collected 270 wins, a 3.68 era, 2813 strikeouts, and 6 gold gloves. He may not make it in the first ballot, but he will absolutely make in by 2017. He is a fan favorite, getting his first 20 win season in his final season was something really magical. He was known for his durability and incredible fielding.

Roger Clemens (The Rocket) - 24 seasons, 13 with the Red Sox, 6 with the Yankees, 2 with the Blue Jays, and 3 with the Astros.  354 wins, 3.12 era, 4672 strikeouts, and 7 cy young awards will not get Clemens into the hall of fame for a long time. Until he admits that he took steroids, he will not be admitted. Once he admits it, then I will give him 10 years to get admitted, just because there is no on better to admit that year.

Barry Bonds- Bonds played 22 seasons in the MLB, 15 for the Giants and 7 for the Pirates. Being known as possibly the best hitter all time, The son off Bobby Bonds and godson of Say Hey Kid (Willie Mays) Barry posted 762 home runs (The most all time) a .444 on base percentage, a .298 batting average, .607 slugging, 1996 rbis, and 2558 walks. Barry Bonds will never get into the hall of fame. His constant denial of steroid usage will keep him out. All he would have to do is apologize and he would be admitted.

Pete Rose (Charlie Hustle) - Pete has been eligible for 21 years for hall of fame induction, but he was denied again and again, for gambling on games he took part in as a manager and a player. he has 4256 career hits. Come on Pete, just apologize. The same would go for Shoeless Joe Jackson, although he is deceased taking part in the Chicago Black Sox scandal withheld him from the Hall of Fame.