Tag / Derek Jeter

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Entering The Hall

All eyes turned towards the small hamlet of Cooperstown, New York yesterday, as the votes were tallied and two new members were announced as the Hall of Fame class of 2020: Derek Jeter and Larry Walker.  Jeter, in his first year of eligibility, came 1 vote short of joining his former teammate Mariano Rivera as the only players to be elected with 100% of the vote.  Walker, in his tenth and final year of eligibility, found himself on 76.6% of the ballots, 6 votes above the threshold for enshrinement.

Four others tallied greater than 50% of the vote, led by Curt Schilling, who jumped up to 70%.  Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds saw very modest increases, which makes their eventual induction by the BBWAA unlikely with only two more elections for each.  Omar Vizquel saw a nice increase in his third go-around, going from 42.8% to 52.6%.

Bobby Abreu is the only first timer who will return, earning 5.5% of the vote, just above the 5% cutoff.  Of the local contingent, former White Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez finished with 28.2%, Andruw Jones earned 19.4%, and Cub outcast Sammy Sosa garnered 13.9%.  Paul Konerko got a mere 10 votes, Alfonso Soriano got 6, and J.J. Putz and Adam Dunn snagged a vote apiece.

As for the newest Hall of Famers, I’ve seen Jeter play 18 times, followed by a mere 3 career games for Walker.  These two, along with Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller, who were elected by the Veteran’s Committee in December, will enter the Hall on Sunday, July 26.

Derek Jeter’s numbers in games I’ve attended were: Continue reading →

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2020 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Newcomers


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The BBWAA recently released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2020. The results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 21st, with induction taking place July 26th.  After Mariano Rivera, Mike Mussina, Edgar Martinez, and Roy Halladay were elected in last year’s voting, the new ballot contains 14 holdovers along with 18 newcomers, which may potentially continue the logjam caused by the current BBWAA rules which limit the number of votes on one ballot to 10 and the ongoing refusal by some writers to vote for players tainted by PEDs, leaving too many qualified candidates fighting for limited spots.

Yesterday, we looked at the returning candidates.  Today, it’s time to look at the newcomers and who may be thankful come January.

Bobby Abreu

I’ll be honest, I can see him getting some modest support, but I never considered him a Hall of Fame player during his career.

Josh Beckett

I’m sure he’ll get some support, but I don’t see it translating into an eventual election.

Heath Bell

I wonder what it feels like to be placed on the ballot knowing that you won’t earn even a single vote.

Eric Chavez

Again, I’m sure he’ll see a little support, but he’s not going to make it.

Adam Dunn

There aren’t enough home runs in the world to make up for the rest of his game.

Chone Figgins

Come on, now.  This is getting a little ridiculous.

Rafael Furcal

A career to be proud of, but not one that ends with election to the Hall.

Jason Giambi

The 2000 AL MVP should stick around on the ballot, but the PED stigma will likely keep him on the outside looking in.

Raul Ibanez

The former slugger may get a little support, but not enough to keep him on the ballot for a second go-around.

Derek Jeter

The only question here is whether he will join his former teammate, Mariano Rivera, in getting 100% of the vote.

Paul Konerko

Personal feelings aside, he will likely see enough support to hang on the ballot, but not enough to actually make it.

Cliff Lee

Continue reading →

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#39 – James Baldwin

Name: James Baldwin

Rank: 39

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1995-2001

James Baldwin was selected by the White Sox in the 4th round of the 1990 draft.  He made his major league debut on April 30, 1995, getting the start and lasting only 3 2/3 innings in the White Sox 17-11 victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park.  Sadly, the rest of his year went about as well.  He appeared in only 6 games for the White Sox, starting 4, and finished with an 0-1 record and a 12.89 ERA.  His time in Triple A didn’t go much better, as he posted a 5.85 ERA in 18 starts.

1996 was a drastic improvement for Baldwin, as he took his place in the White Sox rotation.  He started 28 games, going 11-6 with a 4.42 ERA.  He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, behind Derek Jeter.

Baldwin struggled in 1997, starting 32 games and leading the American League in losses and wild pitches.  Despite the struggles, he set career highs with 200 innings pitched and 140 strike outs.  He ended the year with a 12-15 record and a 5.27 ERA.

1998 was arguably worse for Baldwin.  Despite finishing the year with a winning record, at 13-6, his ERA went up to 5.32 and he threw 41 fewer innings.  Because of the ongoing struggles, he lost his spot in the rotation and made 13 appearances out of the bullpen.

Baldwin was slightly better in 1999.  He lowered his ERA slightly to 5.10 and increased his innings pitched by 40 1/3.  He finished the year with a 12-13 record.

Baldwin seemed to turn a corner in 2000.  He earned his first All Star nod thanks to a 10-1 record with a 3.11 ERA while leading the White Sox to the top of the AL Central.  He struggled in the second half, finishing the year with a career high 14 wins, against only 7 losses, while he lowered his ERA to 4.65.  He started game 3 of the ALDS against the Mariners, giving up only 1 run in 6 innings before giving way to the bullpen as the White Sox were swept out of the playoffs.

In 2001, Baldwin continued at the same pace.  He was sitting at 7-5 with a 4.61 ERA as the trade deadline approached, when, on July 26, he was shipped off to the Dodgers for Jeff Barry, Gary Majewski, and Onan Masaoka.

Baldwin’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

Continue reading →

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#86 – Omar Vizquel

vizquel

Name: Omar Vizquel

Rank: 86

Position: 3B/2B

Years With White Sox: 2010-2011

Signing as a free agent, Omar Vizquel joined the White Sox prior to the 2010 season.  With his usual #13 taken by manager Ozzie Guillen, Vizquel was allowed to wear jersey #11, retired in 1984 for Luis Aparicio.  He ended up getting the most playing time he had seen since 2007, appearing mostly at third base.  On May 25, he landed in second place for hits all-time by a shortstop, behind Derek Jeter.  One month later, he hit his first home run of the year, becoming the 4th player to homer in four different decades.

Vizquel returned to the White Sox in 2011, but his playing time fell off as he appeared in a career low 58 games.  On April 3, he got the 2800th hit of his career.  Following the season, he left as a free agent.

Vizquel’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

Continue reading →

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Yankees All Time Leaders – Through 2015

YankeesWith 4 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. We continue today with the New York Yankees.

The Yankees began life in 1901 as the Baltimore Orioles, moving to New York in time for the 1903 season.  I’ve seen them play 21 times, first in 1997 and most recently this past August.

Home Runs

Name Total
Marcus Thames 3
Nick Swisher 3
5 tied with 2

Hits

Name Total
Derek Jeter 18
Jorge Posada 15
Melky Cabrera 11

Runs

Name Total
Derek Jeter 10
Jorge Posada 6
Melky Cabrera 6
Robinson Cano 6
Nick Swisher 6

RBI

Name Total
Jorge Posada 10
Derek Jeter 9
Melky Cabrera 9

Doubles

Name Total
Jorge Posada 7
Melky Cabrera 4
Alfonso Soriano 4

Triples Continue reading →

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2016 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Holdovers

baseballhof

The BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2016 on Monday.  The results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 6th, with induction taking place next July.  After Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz were elected in last year’s voting, the new ballot contains 17 holdovers along with 15 newcomers, which may start to cause a bit of a problem.  The current BBWAA rules continue to limit the number of votes on one ballot to 10, and there may be more than 10 deserving candidates, so there will be too many qualified candidates fighting for limited spots in a shorter amount of time.  Once again, the BBWAA and the Hall may find themselves with a mess on their hands.

Let’s take a look at the returning candidates today before moving on to the newcomers.

Jeff Bagwell
Years on ballot: 5
2015 Percentage: 55.7

Bagwell bounced back last year with a small increase, but things continue to look bleak for him thanks to seemingly unsubstantiated PED rumors.  I fear he’ll continue to wait for that elusive call.

Barry Bonds
Years on ballot: 3
2015 Percentage: 36.8

The all time home run champion saw his vote percentage rise for the first time last year, but not significantly.  I doubt he’ll see much more support this year, leaving him on the outside looking in.

Roger Clemens
Years on ballot: 3
2015 Percentage: 37.5

Roger Clemens, he of the 354 career victories and 7 Cy Young awards, also found himself with a slight rise after his third run through the voting process.  For some odd reason, perhaps by having played for more teams, Clemens continues to get marginally more support than his fellow PED poster child Barry Bonds.

Nomar Garciaparra
Years on ballot: 1
2015 Percentage: 5.5

Considered at one time on an even keel with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, Garciaparra is likely to drop off the ballot after this election.

Jeff Kent
Years on ballot: 2
2015 Percentage: 14.0

The 2000 NL MVP saw his support wane in his second year of eligibility.  With the number of candidates coming down the pike, the future does not look good for him.

Edgar Martinez
Years on ballot: 6
2015 Percentage: 27.0

The longtime DH for the Mariners has had plenty of support from the Internet but not as much from the BBWAA, though his percentage did increase slightly last year.  His long career as a DH in the Pacific Northwest may be holding him back.

Fred McGriff
Years on ballot: 6
2015 Percentage: 12.9 Continue reading →

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2014 All Star Break Batting Leaders

With the All Star Game on the books for tonight, we close the books on yet another disappointing first half for the 2014 season.  Here are the offensive leaders for the 17 games I attended:

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 4
Alejandro de Aza 2
Jose Abreu 2
20 tied with 1

Hits

Name Total
Alexei Ramirez 18
Adam Eatorn 17
Gordon Beckham 14
Dayan Viciedo 13
Paul Konerko 10
Jose Abreu 10

Runs

Name Total
Adam Eaton 9
Alexei Ramirez 7
Continue reading →