Pinch Hit : My Favourite Player
Monday, January 26 2004 @ 03:29 AM EST
Contributed by: Craig B
Reader BirdWatcher contributes a piece today on his favourite player, legendary Red Sox slugger Jim Rice. Thanks, Herman. Enjoy, everyone!
My favourite player : Jim Rice
By BirdWatcher
The recent Hall of Fame voting generated all the usual articles about potential inductees to the Hall. In most cases, the arguments are valid, and the deserving candidates should make it, once the recalcitrant voters are through dragging their heels and waiting the requisite number of years. One player, though, who comes up in these discussions, but who may not have the support to leap that final hurdle, is one of my all-time personal favorites - Jim Rice.
Jim Rice was the dominant player in the American League from the mid-70’s to the mid-80’s. He was MVP (memorably) in 1978; was a top-five MVP candidate five other times; played in eight All Star games and was consistently among the leaders in home runs and RBI. But forget the awards and the numbers. Just ask opposition pitchers from that period - he was categorically the most feared hitter in the American League, the one they most wanted to void.
Before reaching any conclusions about Rice’s case, let’s compare 2 sets of statistics:
Yrs AB BA HR RBI HR/600AB RBI/600AB
Player A 16 8225 .298 382 1451 28 106
Player B 16 8848 .289 338 1343 23 91
Not a lot to choose from between these two lines, right? In fact, Player A is probably the better one. Higher average, more HRs per 600 AB season, more RBIs per 600 AB season etc., etc.
Player A is Jim Rice – those are his complete career numbers from 1974 to 1989.
Player B is Carl Yastrzemski. Those are Yaz’s numbers for the first 16 years of his career. Of course, Yaz played another 7 seasons – and below are his career totals.
Yrs. AB BA HR RBI HR/600 RBI/600
1961-1976 16 8848 .289 338 1343 23 91
1977-1983 7 3140 .274 114 501 22 95
Total 23 11988 .285 452 1844 23 92
Yaz’s 1961-1976 numbers are certainly solid MLB numbers – perhaps Hall of Fame caliber. But there’s no doubt, his election to the Hall had more to due with longevity than excellence, combined with fawning love from the press. But if Yaz qualifies based on his first 16 years, then why not Jim Rice ? And, seriously, before you say it was due to fielding or his throwing arm, you must find at least 2 breathing Hall of Fame voters who have ever even considered defensive prowess before casting their ballots! Team leadership? Well, the Red Sox managed 2 World Series appearances in Yaz’s 23 years (1967 and 1975). They were there twice during Rice’s 16 seasons (1975 and 1986). Call it even.
If you ask me, the ultimate test for the Hall of Fame isn’t based on statistics or awards or longevity. There is a simple judgment test. Was that player among the leaders at his position over most of his career? In cases where that leadership is well established, where in fact leadership turns into dominance, and where that dominance was sustained for a significant period of time, then you are not dealing with a marginal candidate, but, instead, a drop-dead, no-brainer Hall-of-Famer - and that’s Jim Rice.
Let the campaigning begin!
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