The reverence that fans and players hold for the Baseball Hall of Fame is a difficult entity to quantify. While the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, and the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, serve the same function as the Baseball Hall of Fame, which is to recognize the achievements of people in their sport and preserve their history, there is something distinctively special surrounding the aura of Cooperstown. Whether it is the elegance of the museum, the grandeur of the Plaque Gallery, or the rich numbers that characterize the history of baseball, from the "First Class" of Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Walter Johnson, and Christy Mathewson to the 2012 Class of Barry Larkin and Ron Santo, the Baseball Hall of Fame has been distinguished as the most lavish and splendid sporting Hall of Fame.
Comparing different ballplayers is a large reason why fans are so enamored with the game, and the Baseball Hall of Fame serves as the representative platform for the judgment and assessment of players' careers. Nonetheless, there is no clear way to determine the merits of a player's Hall of Fame candidacy. According to the Baseball Hall of Fame mission statement, the goal of the museum is "honoring, by enshrinement, those individuals who had exceptional careers, and recognizing others for their significant achievements." Obviously, this statement could not get much broader, which leaves a large area of interpretation for each voter when contemplating Hall of Fame candidates. A common, yet very effective way for people to consider the caliber of a player is by comparing him to other players in the Hall of Fame, and seeing how his career matches up. However, juxtaposing the legacies of players who played different positions, or who competed during different eras, can be quite an onerous task.
For instance, by most accounts, Roger Hornsby is the greatest power hitting second basemen of all-time. The longtime St. Louis Cardinals slugger had three seasons in which he hit more than 26 home runs and racked up a career total of 302 long balls, which is terrific production from a second basemen. Nonetheless, if Hornsby's power numbers were to be compared to for example, outfielder Dale Murphy, they may not look as remarkable since he had 6 seasons of at least 30 home runs, and fell just short of 400 for his career. However, it needs to be remembered that for a middle infielder, Hornsby's numbers are unparalleled since teams typically do not rely on their second basemen for power.
Furthermore, the fact that Hornsby and Murphy played during radically different baseball periods should not be overlooked. When Hornsby was competing from 1915 to 1937, pitchers dominated the game and home run numbers were ridiculously low. In 1918, Tillie Walker and Babe Ruth led the league in homers with just 11. Even as the game progressed, and hitting numbers began to improve, Bill Terry's 20 home runs in 1927, which today would be an average season, were the 6th most in the entire league. In comparison, during Dale Murphy's career from 1976 to 1993, only once did the league leader in home runs hit fewer than 38 long balls. In fact, in 1993, 62 players blasted at least 20 home runs. This proves that while at first glance Murphy may appear to be the more prolific power hitter, considering the position that Hornsby played, and the era in which he played in, his power numbers are much more impressive.
One of the many difficulties in assessing if a player should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame is that a variety of diverse factors, along with a multitude of different numbers, have to be extensively evaluated in order to truly evaluate a hitter or a pitcher's career. The position that he played, the time period he played in, the level of success of his team, the intangibles he brought on the field and in the clubhouse, and how his career compares to other Hall of Famers is all relevant information in terms of a player's chances of making it to Cooperstown.
The 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot will be one of the most interesting selection processes of all-time. In one category are the players that have strong connection to performance-enhancing drugs, like Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Rafael Palmeiro. In another category are the comprehensive list of pitchers that are up for selection like Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Mike Mussina, Jack Morris, Lee Smith, and Curt Schilling, all of whom make very compelling Hall of Fame cases. Players like Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza, and Tim Raines will also be hoping that their voting numbers will increase from last year. However, of all the batters on the ballot, the only two that deserve to be enshrined in the 2014 class are Frank Thomas and Craig Biggio.
When the best major league hitters since the 1990's are discussed, names like Ken Griffey, Alex Rodriguez, Jim Thome, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Gary Sheffield, Chipper Jones, Albert Pujols, and Manny Ramirez are often tossed around. However, one of the most prolific and efficient hitters of all-time, Frank Thomas, is often overlooked. Nonetheless, the Big Hurt, as he is affectionately known, did enough over the course of his career that he should become the 45th MLB first ballot Hall of Famer, and the first since Rickey Henderson was inducted in his first year on the ballot in 2009.
Frank Thomas is one of the most sublime power hitters in the history of baseball. The Big Hurt's isolated power, which is a measurement of a player's pure power, is indicative of his slugging ability. In 1994, Thomas had a isolated power of 0.376, which was the best in the American League that season and to this day, is the fifth highest for any player in the AL not named Ruth, McGwire, Gehrig, or Foxx. However, the impressive part about Thomas's career is that while he had a few seasons that will go down in baseball lore as some of the best of all-time, he was a very consistent and dependable superstar. In fact, Thomas had a 8-year stretch from 1991 to 1998 where his average isolated power was 0.271, which is exceptionally high. To put that in perspective, Eddie Murray, who was a first ballot Hall of Famer and hit 504 career home runs, had an average isolated power of 0.214 during the best 8-year stretch of his career, from 1980 to 1987, with the Baltimore Orioles. Furthermore, Andre Dawson, who made it into the Hall of Fame in 2010 and hit 438 career home runs, had an average isolated power of 0.215 during the best 8-year stretch of his career from 1984 to 1990. The Big Hurt's numbers compare very favorably with these two Hall of Fame power hitters. Thomas's career isolated power of .255 is the 25th highest all-time, ahead of great power hitters and Hall of Famers like Harmon Killebrew (.252), Hank Aaron (.250), Willie Stargell (.247), Willie McCovey (.245), and Frank Robinson (.243).
Additionally, Thomas's slugging percentage, which is another stat that shows a player's power, depicts why he was one of the most feared hitters in the game during the 1990's and early 2000's. The Big Hurt is one of just 9 players, along with Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, Mark McGwire, Jeff Bagwell, Jimmie Foxx, and Ted Williams, to have a season with a slugging percentage of at least .729, which he did in 1994. Thomas was also amongst the top 10 in the league in slugging percentage 8 times, in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2000, which is another example of his steady production. Only 21 players in the history of the MLB have every appeared in the top 10 of the slugging percentage list more than 8 times over the course of the career, and every one of them that is eligible for the Hall of Fame is already enshrined in Cooperstown. The Big Hurt's career slugging percentage of .555 is the 22nd best all-time, ahead of Hall of Famers like Ralph Kiner (.547), Hack Wilson (.544), Duke Snider (.539), Mel Ott (.533), and Mike Schmidt (.527).
Thomas hit at least 32 home runs 9 times in his career, including 5 seasons in which he topped the 40 home run plateau. He finished in the top 7 of the league in home runs for a season 6 times, in 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, and 2003, and during his prime from 1993 to 2000, he averaged more than 35 home runs per year. For his career, Thomas hit 512 home runs, which makes him apart of the 500 home run club along with 25 other members. Of those 25 members, 11 of them were first ballot hall of famers, Ruth, Williams, Mantle, Banks, Mays, Robinson, Aaron, McCovey, Jackson, Schmidt, and Murray, and aside from the retired members that have strong connections to steroids, Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, and Palmeiro, every player that is a part of this club, and was eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame, is currently enshrined in Cooperstown. While hitting 500 home runs doesn't guarantee a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame, it is a number that goes a long way in helping a player's candidacy, and represents the prodigious amount of success Thomas enjoyed during his 19-year career.
However, the most extraordinary part about Thomas's career is that unlike some other power hitters, who swing for the fences and hit a lot of home runs, but also strike out at a very high rate like Reggie Jackson, Thomas was very effective at constantly getting on-base for his team. A vast majority of great power hitters who are in the Hall of Fame never came close to getting on-base nearly as much as the Big Hurt. Despite the fact that many people consider him the greatest third basemen of all-time, only twice during his illustrious career did Mike Schmidt have a single-season on-base percentage of at least .400. Furthermore, Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, who hit 573 home runs, only eclipsed the .400 on-base plateau 3 times in his career. In comparison, Frank Thomas had an on-base percentage of at least .400 in 10 of his first 11 years in the MLB, from 1990 to 2000 with the White Sox. For his 19-year career, Thomas had an on-base percentage of .419, which puts him 19th all-time and well ahead of other Hall of Famers like Joe DiMaggio (.398), Cap Anson (.394), Rod Carew (.393), and Joe Morgan (.392). The Big Hurt is one of just a few players in the history of the major leagues to possess the rare ability to hit for power as well as for average. Thomas's 521 home runs and .419 on-base percentage puts him in rarefied air, as he is one of just 8 players along with Babe Ruth (.474 OBP, 714 HR), Ted Williams (.482 OBP, 521 HR), Jimmie Foxx (.428 OBP, 534 HR), Mickey Mantle (.421 OBP, 536 HR), Mel Ott (.414 OBP, 511 HR), Jim Thome (.402 OBP, 612 HR), and Manny Ramirez (.411 OBP, 555 HR) to have hit 500 home runs and have a career on-base average of at least .400. Thomas's carrer weighted on-base average, which takes into account nearly every standard hitting category, was .416, with his best season in 1994 coming in at .500. To put this in perspective, Dave Winfield, a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2001, had a weight on-base average of .364 over his career, and Paul Molitor, a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2004, had a career weighted-on base average of .361. Although Thomas is considered a power hitter like Schmidt and Killebrew, his batting skills were certainly not limited to his ability to hit for power, as demonstrated by his aptitude for getting on base.
While fans will always remember the Big Hurt for his tremendous power, he was a very patient hitter at the plate, and in contrast to many star players, he was more than willing to work the count and take a walk if necessary. Thomas's poise and diligence at the plate is substantiated by the fact that he finished with 1,667 career walks, which puts him 10th on the all-time bases on balls list in MLB history. Not only did Thomas lead the league in walks in 1991, 1994, and 1995, but he finished amongst the top 9 in bases on balls for 8 straight years from 1991 to 1998, every year drawing at least 109 walks. Typically, a player that walks a lot is often pitched around because the opposing teams fear his ability to drive the ball. For example, the players who drew more career walks than Thomas, including Hall of Famers Babe Ruth (2,062), Ted Williams (2,021), Carl Yastrzemski (1,845), Mickey Mantle (1,733), and Mel Ott (1,708) got fewer pitchers to hit than most hitters because of their prowess at bat. Thomas's walks were a primary reason why his White Sox teams were able to score so many of their runs as he got on-base so often via free passes.
Frank Thomas's statistics are very similar to the great Willie McCovey, who was a longtime outfielder for the San Francisco Giants and played 22 years in the big leagues, from 1959 to 1980. Like McCovey, Thomas is in the 500-home run club, had a career slugging of over .500, and had multiple seasons with at least a .900 OPS (13 for Thomas including 7 over 1.000 and 11 for McCovery including 3 over 1.000). Finally, McCovey and Thomas were both guys who put the ball in play at a very high rate. On average for his career, McCovery struck out just 70 times per season, while Thomas struck out just an average of 73 times per season over his 19-year career. To put that in perspective, Mike Schmidt struck out an average of 105 times per season during his 18-year career, and Reggie Jackson struck out an average of 124 times per season during his 21 year career. In 1986, McCovey received 81.4 percent of votes from the writers in his first year on the ballot, which is a similar number that Thomas should get next year on his first year on the ballot.
While it would not be prudent to argue that Thomas's stats are anything but Hall of Fame worthy, it is impossible to deny the steroid implications surrounding baseball during Thomas's entire career. As shown by last year's Hall of Fame ballot, players that have a strong link to PED's like Clemens, Bonds, Sosa, Palmeiro, and McGwire are falling well short of the required 75 percent that is needed to gain entry into Cooperstown. However, more than most other players, Thomas was very outspoken against steroids from the beginning of his career, and he was one of the very first players to demand Commissioner Bud Selig implement PED testing to ensure a level playing field. After the Mitchell Report, an investigation into steroids and HGH in the major leagues, was released in 2007, the only player in all of baseball to meet with George Mitchell, the US Senator that conducted the report, to talk about the drug culture in the MLB and how to stop it was Frank Thomas. Despite his large, 250-pound frame, Frank Thomas appears to be squeaky clean in terms of steroid usage, which would lead many to assume that his Hall of Fame induction will be coming in 2014.
Craig Biggio's career was not flashy, or notoriously renowned, but the Houston Astros great should always be remembered for his versatility, ingenuity, and resourcefulness, despite not possessing all the best physical tools. Although Biggio was never a big time power hitter, a stolen base master, or a hitting machine, he did a little bit of everything well, which makes his career unique and special. Biggio was one of the most fundamentally sound baseball players of all-time, which is a large reason why the Astros flourished during his 20-year MLB stint. Prior to Biggio, from 1962 to 1987, Houston made the playoffs just three times over the 26-year period. However, Biggio was the catalyst behind the Astros successes during the 1990's and 2000's, leading the team to 6 playoff appearances in 9 years from 1997 to 2005, including the franchise's first World Series in 2005. Biggio has meant more to the Astros than arguably any other player in baseball history to his respective team, which definitely puts him in Hall of Fame territory.
Biggio was a constant producer at the top of the Astros lineup from his rookie season in 1988 to his final year in the big leagues 2007. The New York native was one of just 6 NL hitters in the 1990's, along with Paul Molitor, Lance Johnson, Ellis Burks, Tony Gwynn, and Dante Bichette, to have a season with at least 210 hits. Biggio accomplished the difficult feat in the prime of his career in 1998. During the pinnacle of his career from 1995 to 1999, Biggio averaged 186 hits per season. In 13 of Biggio's 20 seasons in the MLB, he had more than 150 hits, including 8 seasons in which he had at least 170 hits. To put this in perspective, Rickey Henderson, who had 3,055 career hits and was a first ballot Hall of Famer, only had 6 seasons of more than 150 hits and just 2 seasons in which he had at least 170 hits. Furthermore, second basemen Joe Morgan, who had 2,517 career hits and was also a first ballot Hall of Famer, only had 5 seasons in which he had more than 150 hits, and never had a season where he reached 170 hits. For his career, Biggio had 3,060 hits, which puts him a part of the exclusive 3,000 hit club, along with 27 other revered members. Of those 27 members, an incredible 19 of them were first ballot Hall of Famers, Cobb, Aaron, Musial, Wagner, Yastrzemski, Molitor, Mays, Murray, Ripken, Brett, Yount, Gwynn, Winfield, Henderson, Carew, Brock, Boggs, Kaline, and Clemente, and aside from the retired members that have strong connections to steroids, Palmeiro, or have been banned from the Hall of Fame, Rose, every player that is a part of this club and was eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame is currently enshrined in Cooperstown. Typically, if a player hits 500 home runs, has 300 wins, or accumulates 3,000 career hits, like Biggio, they are Hall of Fame bound.
While it is easy to see that Biggio had various impressive statistical categories, he was not a player that was only great at one aspect of the game, but rather he was more of an all-around ballplayer in the field and at the plate. Thus, a great sabermetrics stat to truly evaluate the impact Biggio had on his team is through wins above replacement, or WAR, which measures a player's overall contribution to his team and, for Biggio, would take into account the variety of talents he showed on the field. While WAR can vary depending on the formula that is used, his average WAR during the prime of his career from 1993 to 1999 was a very impressive 5.8. To put that in perspective, second basemen Bill Mazeroski, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001, had an average WAR of 2.8 during the best 7-year stretch of his career from 1962 to 1968 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Furthermore, Billy Herman, who made it into the Hall of Fame in 1975, and was a longtime Chicago Cub second basemen, had an average WAR of 4.7 during the best 7-year stretch of his career from 1935 to 1941. Obviously, Biggio's WAR numbers compares very favorably with these two Hall of Fame second basemen. In 1997, Biggio had a remarkable WAR of 9.4, which would be the best of his career, and the second best WAR in the league that season, only trailing behind the NL MVP Larry Walker.
One of the most impressive parts about Biggio's career is his adaptability to play multiple positions for his team. Unlike many star players, Biggio was more than willing to use his versatility in the field. When the Astros great came up to the MLB, he was a catcher and he played behind the plate to begin his career for four seasons from 1988 to 1991. However, Biggio willingly moved to second base in his 5th year in the league, where he played at a Gold Glove level from 1992 to 2002. Despite his defensive prowess in the middle infield, Biggio went to the outfield for two years in 2003 and 2004 before playing his last three seasons back at second base from 2005 to 2007. Regardless of the fact that he was constantly changing positions, Biggio excelled in the field, as shown through the Hoban Efficiency Quotient for defense. In 1991 at catcher, Biggio had a HEQ-D of 481.045, which was a higher rating than all but two of Johnny Bench's seasons behind the plate, who many people consider the greatest defensive catcher of all-time. Furthermore, Biggio had an average HEQ-D of 385.874 in his best 7 defensive years at second base, which is considered to be nearly a superstar rating. Even in the outfield in 2003, Biggio had a HEQ-D of 364, which is outstanding for a regular outfielder, and even more so for a converted outfielder that was a longtime catcher and second basemen.
Craig Biggio's statistics are very similar to the great Robin Yount, who, like Biggio, played his entire career with one team, the Milwaukee Brewers, and was a 2-time AL MVP in 1982 and 1989. Biggio and Yount were both very well rounded players despite the fact that their stats may not blow you away. For example, although neither Biggio nor Yount had a career batting average better than .285, they each are apart of the prestigious 3,000 hit club. Furthermore, while neither Biggio nor Yount ever reached the 30 home run mark, they both were very successful in driving the ball into the gaps, as Biggio had 7 seasons with more than 40 doubles, including 2 seasons with more than 50 doubles, while Yount had 4 seasons in which he hit at least 40 doubles. Additionally, while neither Biggio nor Yount ever had 115 runs batted in over the course of a single season, they were both constantly getting on-base for their teammates to drive them in, as indicated by the fact that Biggio had four seasons in which he scored at least 120 runs, including a career high of 146 in 1997, while Yount had two seasons where he scored at least 120 runs for his team. Finally, like Biggio, Yount was an exceptional fielder, as he won a Glove Gold award in 1982 at shortstop. However, which makes them even more similar is that while they're each Gold Glove caliber players in the middle infield, they were both very versatile, as Yount converted to the outfield towards the tail end of his carrer, much like Biggio. In 1999, Yount received 77.5 percent of votes from the writers in his first year on the ballot, which is a similar number that Biggio should get in just his second year on the Hall of Fame ballot.
Looking back at Biggio's career accomplishments is quite impressive to say the least. The Seton Hall University attendee was a 7-time All-Star, 3 more than any other Houston Astros player in franchise history. Biggio also won four straight Gold Glove awards at second base from 1994 to 1997, making him one of just eight middle infielders in MLB history along with Bobby Richardson (2B, 1961-1965), Bill Mazeroski (2B, 1963-1967), Bobby Grich (2B, 1973-1977), Dave Concepcion (SS, 1974-1977), Mark Belanger (SS, 1973-1978), Tony Fernandez (SS, 1986-1989), and Ryan Sandberg (2B, 1983-1991) to win at least four consecutive Gold Glove awards. Finally, Biggio won the Silver Slugger, which is considered the best offensive player at each position for a season, 5 times (1989, 1984-1985, 1987-1988) and only Ryan Sandberg won the award more times for a second basemen. The last career honor that Biggio will be adding to his already splendid resume will be as a 2014 Hall of Fame inductee.
