Jim Kaplan Nailed It 23 Years Ago
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
, Posted by Gator Guy at 2:37 PM
"Three kinds of players dominate the Baseball Hall of Fame: batters who hit a lot, sluggers who homer a lot, pitchers who win a lot. Their glitzy stats jump out of the bios sent to electors. But there are equally deserving players who don't make the Hall: men whose numbers aren't catchy enough and whose contributions are often too subtle to be summarized. Some of them are subsequently elected by the Veterans' Committee, but that group's deliberations don't begin until 23 years after a player has retired.
"One way to try to right these wrongs is to build up support for worthy but underrated players before they get lost in the shuffle. I have in mind three current players who merit election to the Hall but possibly will not make it based on past voting patterns: Tony Perez, Ron Guidry and Ozzie Smith."
Jim Kaplan, in the June 2, 1986 edition of Sports Illustrated
SI's Jim Kaplan was prophetic - or at least 67% prophetic. Tony Perez and Ozzie Smith have indeed been inducted into the cherished Hall. Ron Guidry, however...I highly recommend the article. Kaplan succinctly stated the case for Perez, Guidry and Smith, and also neatly summarized the rather narrow perspective of the typical BBWAA voter. Click here to read the whole article.
There is a very telling quote in Kaplan's article from Ray Miller, the manager of the Twins at the time and former Oriole pitching coach.
"Ron definitely deserves to be in the Hall. He throws strikes and has great leverage when he comes over the top. And he's one of the best fielding pitchers I've ever seen. Sure, his fastball isn't what it used to be, but he throws two different sliders and mixes in curves and change-ups. The only problem with Guidry is that he doesn't talk up his own case."Indeed, Guidry does not talk up his own case. It's just not Guidry's nature to tout himself. I fear the accomplishments of the Quiet Cajun have been overshadowed by the legends and myths surrounding the outsized personalities in the Bronx Zoo - Steinbrenner, Jackson and Martin. A few more trips to the SI archives might help remind the Veterans Committee of how highly Guidry was regarded in his time.
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