Get these guys in the Hall of Fame

Found about this fun little poll that Fangraphs did. The author asked 22 writers to name three people who should be in the Hall of Fame but aren’t. (Players only, and nobody excluded for obvious reasons, like Pete Rose or Barry Bonds.) My three:

1. Tim Raines — I liked the author who compared him to Jimmie Foxx, as it’s a great comparison. Essentially, Jimmie Foxx was a poor man’s Babe Ruth but a brilliant player all the same. Ditto for Tim Raines and Rickey Henderson.

2. Mike Piazza — The greatest offensive catcher of all time. Yes, he was borderline awful defensively — doesn’t matter. He was good enough to stay behind the place for a long time.

3. Tommy John — Even if he was a terrible pitcher, I’d vote for him because he was the first to undergo the experimental surgery that has kept many a player playing. However, he isn’t a terrible pitcher. He’s essentially a left handed Don Sutton who played for worse teams.

Craig Biggio is a no-brainer — I get why people voted for him, but he’s got the magic number AND was a pretty good guy. Jeff Bagwell was 95% of Frank Thomas (except when it comes to clogging up the basepaths, when Frank Thomas has a much more stark advantage); again, I think he’ll make it.

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