Hall of Fame Discussion Pt. 2

Now, yesterday I told you that I had four guys possibly getting into the Hall of Fame this 2014 year. My two guys that I think are automatically in are Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux. Their statistics stand alone for pitchers in the era they threw the ball in, but the other two players I feel that have a chance to get in did none of their work on the pitchers mound.

The "Big Hurt" Frank Thomas

When we think of 1990's-2000's hitters, we think of Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Alex Rodriguez. Some of the more die hard, old school guy think of a tainted era, but out of the guys eligible for the Hall this year, the number one hitter I see is Frank Thomas. Now a lot of voters have said "No way, no how" to voting for hitters from this era, but I see no reason to leave out guys that were never "convicted" or suspected of using PEDs. Thomas is a guy that has rarely, if ever, brought up with PEDs. His numbers, let them talk please. Start with this fact: even though he hit 521 home runs, he also hit .301 in his 19 year career. Add along with that 1,704 RBI, you have a guy that hit for average, power, and knocked in runs every time he stood at the plate. With all of these statistics, he also won the AL MVP award in 1993 and 1994 and won a battling title in 1997. He was one of the most dominant forces during his major league stay.

Oh, he also looks just like Tom Brady!

Now, Frank Thomas was a huge guy, 6'4" and weighed 240 pounds to be exact. Think more like 5'11" and weighing 185 pounds. Yeah, you know now: Craig Biggio. This guy was the best second baseman in the MLB during his time in the league, and clearly a class guy that belong in the hallowed Hall. He knocked out 3,060 hits, 291 home runs, and 414 stolen bases. He also holds a record that many baseball fans remember: he was hit by more pitches than any one player that has ever played the game (285 times). This doesn't tell the whole story about Biggs though. He was a 5 time Silver Slugger award winner and a 4 time Gold Glove award winner. He also stands 5th all time in the MLB in doubles with 668 (behind
Cobb, Rose, Musial, and Tris Speaker). A classy figure that hit well, fielded well, and set records belongs in the Hall. Easily.