Whitaker was a great defender too. Wright was on a potential Hall of Fame trajectory before spinal stenosis limited him to only 77 games after his age-31 season. Lou Brock That was only two more votes than Kirk Gibson got that same ballot. Sabathia was a bona fide ace for more than a decade while pitching atop the rotation in Cleveland, Milwaukee and New York. Outspoken in more ways than one, Schillings postseason greatness should have been enough to get him votes. Molina is not as much of a slam dunk to be a first-ballot selection, despite his stellar defensive track record and longevity. May 12, 1957 Outfielder Franchy Cordero traveled from Texas to Worcester, Massachusetts, after he was optioned to Triple-A Scranton. Steve Garvey is one of only two players in the top ten snubbed from Cooperstown for a non-controversial reason. High School: Martinsville HS (Martinsville, VA), Debut: Hall of Fame Lou Whitaker on the Hall of Fame: 'I didnt even get daylight' He received just 2.9% of the vote from the BBWAA in 2001, well below the 5% threshold to carry over to another year, and fell off the ballot. Lou Whitaker December 7th, 2019. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 12:21AM. Coln ranks in the top 50 all-time in wins (247, 50th) and strikeouts (2,535, 36th), but he did it more with longevity than dominance, posting a 4.12 ERA and 106 ERA+ in 3,461.2 career innings. That said, Trammell did considerably better with the writers, peaking at 40.9 percent of the vote his final year on the ballot. All data is also open and Another surefire bet for the Hall of Fame, if not for steroid usage, is left fielder Barry Bonds. If he had a few 8 WAR years and fewer 3 WAR years, he'd be in., Sports Illustrated writer Jay Jaffe isnt optimistic about Whitakers chances. He was going to take you to the eighth or ninth inning.. He made his professional debut in 1975 for the Bristol Tigers of the Rookie-level Appalachian League. I did it, I played there. Ted Simmons, a Michigan native who played at at Southfield High School, was inducted with 13 votes. Whitaker Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. FREEP FLASHBACK:Reliving Lou Whitaker's greatest games with the Tigers, IN HIS WORDS:As Tigers hail Lou Whitaker, he's ready for Hall of Fame nod: 'That day will come'. Bonds, Clemens and Schilling are recent additions to the veterans ballot, as they exhausted their eligibility on the BBWAA ballot in January, passed over for the 10th straight year. Whitaker By extension, he could have better odds with the Modern Baseball Committee. The Hall of Fame.". Dick Groat Passes Away - MLB Trade Rumors So whats taken Trammell and Whitaker so long? He might have the best chances of anyone on the committees ballot this fall. Baseball Hall of Fame Lou Whitaker is the only player on this list whose lack of Hall of Fame induction is not associated with any scandals. They both played about 2300 games and Whitaker amassed 69.7 WAR compared to Alomars 63.5 WAR in 12 fewer games. (thus, truly capturing a players peak seasons) and making similar adjustments for catchers and relief pitchers. vs. BOS 5 AB, 3 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 SB, Last Game: Web1991 Enor Pro Football Hall of Fame Sid Gillman #47 HOF $5.14 + $4.99 shipping 1991 Enor Pro Football Hall of Fame Bill Hewitt #64 HOF $1.00 + $1.00 shipping 1991 - ENOR - Pro Football HOF - Free Admission - Pro Football Hall of Fame $0.99 + $1.08 shipping Hover to zoom Have one to sell? Louis Rodman (Lou) Whitaker Detroit, 1977-1995 Sweet Lou was the very center of the powerful Detroit Tigers in the 1980s. 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 makeup call factor is clear: everyone knows the BBWAA messed this up and almost everyone knows that Whitaker was jobbed. Trammell was elected in 2017 and inducted in 2018. 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. 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, His 2,369 hits, .276 batting averageand 244 home runs were outstanding for his era and position. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Like I said, none of that constitutes an argument against Whitakers induction as much as it explains why he was not inducted. He collected 244 career home runs and 1,084 career RBIs. Whitaker is one of five second baseman produce more than 200 home runs, 1,000 RBIs, 1,000 runs, 2,000 hits and 1,000 walks. Rafael Palmeiro is one of the guys we can partly blame as to why Garvey didnt get into Cooperstown. LOU WHITAKER Everytime I go to Detroit, the fans there say, Lou, you and Tram, you all deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. and 43.0 Wins Above Average. 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. Hall of Fame Announces Changes to Era Committees, Vote: 25 Best Players Not in the Hall of Fame, Reaching the BBWAA Standard, not just the Hall of Fame Standard, New Visual: Graham Womacks Top 50 Players Not in the Hall of Fame, Anticipating the 2014 Expansion Era Hall of Fame Ballot. WebShop COMC's extensive selection of lou whitaker rookie related hall of fame baseball cards from 1988. He won World Series rings Lou Whitaker is the only player on this list whose lack of Hall of Fame induction is not associated with any scandals. With 51.9 career WAR, he sits 21st all-time among second basemen, behind contemporaries Jeff Kent (55.4) and Ian Kinsler (54.1), both of whom are headed for the Hall of Very Good as well. (More Thanks). 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. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. Modern Baseball Era ballot Many behind him, including Ryne Sandberg, Roberto Almoar, Craig Biggio, Nellie Fox, Joe Gordon, and Bobby Doerr are Hall of Famers. Tigers Stadiumlong had a reputation as being something of a bandbox, but the sandy infield and thick grass might not have helped Whitaker. Facebook. For weird reasons that make absolute no sense now, that was seen less of added value for middle infielders than it was seen as an unnecessary component of their resumes. That is the MOST underrated skill in baseball, and most underrated players are strong in that. Boone didnt expect Judge to return to the lineup on Monday, when the Yankees open a three-game home series against Cleveland. 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 Examining the Hall of Fame case for Detroit Tigers legend Lou Instead, it unfortunately seems that Whitakers legacy as a baseball player is simply underrated. wWAR is then converted to Hall Rating. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. Lou Whitaker. Can A Batter Decline An Intentional Walk In Baseball? Trammell has something of a similar case to Whitaker, rating as one of the top shortstops in baseball history by sabermetrics but having less impressive traditional stats partly because of his era. We played, we won.. Lou Whitaker is above average compared to all Hall of Fame second baseman and not only has he not been elected, he was a one-and-done with the BBWAA and was literally left off the ballot when they could have given him a second chance. Tigers' Lou Whitaker snubbed by Baseball Hall of Fame vet ballot That plus, with a nod to Sandberg, he was no worse than the second best defensive second baseman of his era and was the best in his league, he was the leadoff batter on a World Series winning team and as a thing that Hall of Fame voters normally consider a cherry on top for candidates he played with the same team for his entire career. Ichiro already had 1,278 hits over nine professional seasons in Japan before becoming the first position player ever to make the leap from the Japanese League to MLB in 2001. Most impressively, he holds the all-time MLB hit record, at 4,256 career hits.This statistic alone would surely guarantee him Cooperstown status if not for a betting scandal he was engrossed in during his years as Cincinnatis manager. Hall of Famers October 1, 1995 Whitakers numbers need contextualizing, not just for his era or position, but also the ballpark in which he played. Now thats unfair right there, he said. Its time for Lou Whitaker to be in the Hall of Fame. Web5. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Baseball history felt wrong without those two in the Hall of Fame. And they dang well should get that third player in Lou Whitaker. But that day will come.". 8 spot among a sea of Hall of Famers. Trammell hopeful Sweet Lou joins him in Hall. (Age 20-120d, He consistently played every game, reached 200 hits, and hit for good power while playing Gold Glove defense. Lou Whitaker's HoF case by Joe Posnanski Why: Morris, who had 254 wins, pitched a 10-inning shutout in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series and topped out at 67.7 percent of the BBWAA vote in 2013, doesnt need too many people to make his case at this point. Or write about sports? He signed with the Tigers rather than attend college. Alan Trammell Baseball Stats Nolan Ryan Houston Astros 1999 Hall of Fame Induction 8x10 After all, Whitaker produced 75.1 WAR, according to Baseball Reference, tied with Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench for 82nd in MLB history. Then, the adjWAR and adjWAA are combined, but with extra weighting given to adjWAA. It seems the voters have been getting things mostly correct. He won the aforementioned three Gold Glove Awards but, perhaps, he should have won more. Here's what we found, the Tigers retired the infielders No. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. People love good stories. 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. But those raw numbers might have seemed to have Whitaker coming up short with many voters. Why Do Base Runners Round The Bases In Baseball? Whitaker's next opportunity to get into the Hall of Fame will come in December when the MORE: Vets committees should review players separately. "I will wait for that day. As for arguments against him, heres the most I can muster: Normally that peak/black ink thing would be a big blow to a Hall of Fame case, but not so much with second baseman who, again, are not expected to be the best offensive players on your team. Whitaker was also known for his steady defense over his 19-season career in Detroit. It still wasnt enough on a ballot that included Dwight Evans, Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Don Mattingly, Miller, Thurman Munson, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker and Simmons. Asked whether he considered Trammell a Hall of Famer, Whitaker said, Of course.. Whitaker's chances seemed better in 2019, when he was the only Tiger under consideration and committee members included former opponents George Brett, Rod Carew, Dennis Eckersley, Eddie Murray, Ozzie Smith and Robin Yount, not to mention former Tigers president/general manager Dave Dombrowski. Jack was a dominating pitcher during his era, Whitaker said. A Hall Rating of 100 represents the Hall of Stats borderline (similar to OPS+ or wRC+, where 100 represents league average). Ranked the 11th best second baseman of all We were just consistent, Whitaker said. It might take him the full 10 years to get there, but Utley should eventually be a Hall of Famer. Adam Darowski, But Whitaker acknowledged teammate and longtime double play partner Alan Trammell(who spoke to Sporting News last year)managing to hang on the writers' ballot for 15 years before exhausting his eligibility in January 2016. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. Rose primarily played first base for the Cincinnati Reds from 1963-1986. They are awesome. Miller, Simmons elected to HOF on Modern Era ballot. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? 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. Concussions forced him out of the crouch shortly after he turned 30 and he had a good-not-great second half of his career, but his .306/.388/.439 batting line and impressive list of accolades that includes 2009 AL MVP honors should be enough to eventually earn him the call. 3, linked together forever," Trammell said. Lou Whitaker was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 5th round of the 1975 MLB June Amateur Draft from Martinsville HS (Martinsville, VA). . 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. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images), Manny Ramirez was a pure hitter only left out of Cooperstown because of alleged PED use. Trammell was elected to the Hall by the veterans committee as part of the class of 2018 (along with fellow Tiger Jack Morris). Lou Whitaker Heck, people still think that. Lou Whitaker WebAlan Trammell Stats by Baseball Almanac. See the Instead, hes off the ballot and he will never get in. Dick Groat Passes Away - MLB Trade Rumors Eddie Yost (15 over 150) Also already discussed. Did voters naively see what other first basemen were doing and appreciate them more? The Hall of Stats is open sourced on The six men in front of him Rogers Hornsby, Eddie Collins, Napoleon Lajoie, Joe Morgan, Rod Carew, and Charlie Gehringer are all Hall of Famers. Its just a matter of when, and Im hoping its this year.. In other injury news, outfielder Jake Bauers and the team are awaiting MRI results. He doesn't have the counting numbers of a Hall of Famer, but his peak performance could be enough to keep him around on the ballot for a few years. The Most Underrated Players of all time | Articles | Bill James Online Whether Whitaker suffered from the recency bias of two teammates, Trammell and Morris, elected by the committee two years ago wasnt immediately clear. Whitaker hit 20+ homers four times back when hitting 20 homers was an actual accomplishment. Asked whether he considered Morris a Hall of Famer, Whitaker said yes. on Baseball Reference. Former National League MVP and two-time World Series champion Dick Groat has passed away at 92. Whitaker had stats and accomplishments over his 19-year career that not only stood the test of time, but seemed strengthened by it. This content is only available to subscribers. WebOn Dec. 31, 1972, Clemente boarded a small plane en route from Puerto Rico to Nicaragua to assist with earthquake relief. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. Why: Through nearly 20 years alongside Alan Trammell, Whitaker proved terrifically well-rounded and talented. Exclusive investigative reporting that fights for the truth, exposes corruption and gives voice to the voiceless all across Michigan. Whitaker might have gotten to 3,000 hits if hed stuck around baseball beyond age 38. Remarried since 2010, hes active as a Jehovahs Witness, back in line, back in step (and) attending my meetings.. In his only appearance on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot, Whitaker was a one-and-done, garnering just 15 votes in 2002. 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. Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onAll MLB and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. His 75.1 Wins Above Replacement, according to baseball-reference, ranked 78th all-time and 49th among position players. Which Player Has The Best Outfield Arm of All Time? This leaves four spots in the top 10 available for the following players: Joe Gordon, Bobby Doerr, Robbie Alomar, Craig Biggio, Lou Whitaker, Bobby Grich, Ryne Sandberg. Whitaker, who played from 1977 to 1995 with the Detroit Tigers, ranks among the best second basemen in baseball history by various sabermetrics sixth by Wins Now, lets take a look at them in more detail, starting from the bottom of the list and moving up to the greatest player who has yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Barry Lewis. Clemens also holds the record number of Cy Youngs collected, winning seven of these prestigious awards over the course of his career.Although Clemens was never held legally accountable for denying steroid usage, and although he never tested positive for PEDs, his trainer recorded that the pitcher used them. Should I? Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images, Scott D. Weaver/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images. Whitaker is someone that the sabermetric community has long campaigned for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, as he was, inexplicably, dropped off the BBWAA ballot on his first ballot in 2001 after receiving just 2.9 percent of the vote, or 2.1 percent below the requisite five percent needed to stay on the ballot. making him a member of the Hall of Stats. Lou Whitaker Ichiro Strikes Out 16, Goes 3-for-4 in A Sandlot Game - MLB | NBC Sports was worth Braun is on a short list of players with at least 300 home runs and 200 steals in his career. So, when will Lou finally get into the Hall of Fame? When Lou Whitaker will FINALLY get into the Baseball Hall of Fame Hes an underwhelming candidate by sabermetrics, but that seems unlikely to work too much against him with the committee. The standard it does have the top 17-25 men at every defensive position are in then Whitaker absolutely belongs. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. Heck, its a good OPS+ for. He teamed with shortstop Alan Trammell to play the most games together of any 2B/SS combo in MLB history. As for a good story, we cant ignore the man whose name I mentioned at the top of this post: Alan Trammell. He is as equally a Boston Red Sox legend, but one equally as controversial player takes that spot in this weeks MLB Power Rankings. In or Out: Voting on the Next 5 MLB Hall of Fame Classes Was Mickey Mantle The Fastest MLB Baseball Player? Lou Whitaker has a Hall Rating of Its criminal. They both retired as Tigers and never played an inning for another team. Louwhitaker018. (Age 38-142d) Zimmerman rather quietly tallied 284 home runs and 1,061 RBI in 16 seasons with the Washington Nationals. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The Most Underrated Players of all time | Articles | Bill James Online WebShop COMC's extensive selection of lou whitaker rookie related hall of fame baseball cards from 1988. To me, hes one of the best shortstops to ever play the game, Whitaker said. This despite the fact that Whitaker more than deserves induction. If your Hall of Fame standard is I only want the best of the best the guys who we can call immortals in the Hall of Fame, then sure, Lou Whitaker is probably not your man. The insult was compounded when, in 2017 the last time the Modern Baseball Era Committee dealt with this current era Whitaker wasnt even included on the dang ballot. Lou Whitaker misses Hall of Fame on Modern Era ballot - MLB Smiths TZ is a staggering 239, so he averaged nearly 13 TZ per season so Smith is far superior defensively. 13,959th in major league history) WebShop COMC's extensive selection of lou whitaker rookie related hall of fame baseball cards from 1988.
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