The St. Louis Cardinals to retire Ted Simmons' number 23.
Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives. As such, it is news to us that the St. Louis Cardinals have announced that they will be retiring the number 23 of Ted Simmons, and unveiling a statue in his honor.
The Cardinals have specific guidelines as to whose numbers they will retire, specifically those who have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame who spent time in St. Louis for a significant part of their career.
Simmons was elected via the Veteran’s Committee Class of 2020.
Playing for St. Louis for 13 of his 21 years, Simmons went to six All-Star Games, collected 1,704 Hits, belted 172 Home Runs and batted .298.
Simmons joins Ozzie Smith (#1), Red Schoendienst (#2), Stan Musial (#6), Enos Slaughter (#9), Tony LaRussa (#10), Ken Boyer (#14), Dizzy Dean *#17), Lou Brock (#20), Whitey Herzog (#24), Jackie Robinson (#42), Bruce Sutter (#42), Bob Gibson (#45) and August Busch (#85).
We would like to congratulate the Ted Simmons for earning this prestigious honor.
Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
Another huge day has happened as the Modern Baseball Era Committee has announced that Marvin Miller and Ted Simmons will be joining the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2020.
Miller spent 17 years (1966-82) as the Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Association. Under his guidance, players salaries increased by more than ten times.
Simmons was an eight-time All-Star who accumulated 2,473 Hits with 248 Home Runs over a career spent with the St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves. In his initial Hall of Fame ballot, Simmons only lasted one year where he received 3.7% of the ballot.
Missing out were Thurman Munson, Don Mattingly, Tommy John, Steve Garvey, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Dwight Evans and Lou Whitaker. In our latest Notinhalloffame.com baseball list, Simmons was ranked #9. It will be a pleasure to remove him, when we revise our list in February.
To receive induction, a candidate needed to receive 75% of the ballot.
The Modern Baseball Veterans Committee consists of:
HOF Players: George Brett, Rod Carew, Dennis Eckersley, Eddie Murray, Ozzie Smith & Robin Yount.
MLB Executives: Sandy Alderson, Dave Dombrowski, David Glass, Walt Jocketty, Doug Melvin & Terry Ryan.
Media/Historians: Bill Center, Steve Hirdt, Jack O’Connell & Tracy Ringolsby.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to offer our congratulations to both Ted Simmons and the family of Marvin Miller at this time.
The Modern Era Committee announces their 10 Finalists for the Baseball Hall of Fame
When the Baseball season ends, the Baseball Hall of Fame season begins.
Today, the Baseball Hall of Fame has announced the 10 Finalists for the Modern Baseball Era, which is one of four Era Committees. The Modern Era focuses on the era between 1970 and 1987.
The ten candidates are
Dwight Evans: Evans was a twenty-year veteran of the Majors, 19 of which were with the Boston Red Sox. An eight-time Gold Glove, two-time Silver Slugger and three-time All-Star, Evans collected 2,446 Hits with 385 Home Runs and an OPS of .881. Ranked #15 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Steve Garvey: Garvey was National League MVP in 1974 and he would help the Los Angeles Dodgers win the 1981 World Series. Over his career, he set a National League record of 1,207 consecutive games and would be named to ten All-Star Games and four Gold Gloves. He would accrue 2,599 Hits and 272 Home Runs and also won the 1978 and 1984 National League Championship Series MVP. Ranked #25 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Tommy John: Playing for a whopping 26 seasons, Tommy John would rack up 288 Wins over 4,710.1 Innings. A four-time All-Star, John finished second in Cy Young voting. He is also known for returning from a surgery to repair his ulna collateral ligament in 1974, the successful procedure being known now as “Tommy John Surgery.” Ranked #12 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Don Mattingly: Mattingly played 14 years (all with the New York Yankees), where he would win the Batting Title in 1984, and the MVP the next season. He would amass 2,153 Hits with 222 Home Runs while winning nine Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers. He would also be a six-time All-Star. Ranked #40 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Marvin Miller: Miller was elected as the head of the Major League Baseball Players in Association in 1986, a position he held until 1982. Under his watch, free agency came into fruition and players’ salaries rose tenfold.
Thurman Munson: Munson played 11 seasons with the New York Yankees, where he was the 1970 Rookie of the Year and 1976 MVP. Munson went to seven All-Star Games and won three Gold Gloves. He would also twice help the Yankees win the World Series. He would sadly die in a plane crash during the 1979 season. Ranked #83 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Dale Murphy: Murphy played most of his career with the Atlanta Braves and he would be named the National League MVP in 1982 and 1983. The seven-time All-Star would win five Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers. He would have 398 Home Runs over his career. Ranked #30 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Dave Parker: The “Cobra” won two World Series rings over his career (1979 with Pittsburgh, and 1989 with Oakland), and was the NL MVP in 1978. The seven-time All-Star, and three-time Gold Glove winner blasted 339 Home Runs over his career. Ranked #21 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Ted Simmons: Simmons was one of the best hitting Catchers of his day, as shown by his eight All-Star Games. He would have 2,472 Hits with 248 Home Runs over his 21-year career. Ranked #9 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Lou Whitaker: Alongside his Hall of Fame double play partner, Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker spent his entire 19-year career with the Detroit Tigers. The Second Baseman was the Rookie of the Year in 1978 and helped the Detroit Tigers win the 1984 World Series. Whitaker had 2,369 Hits and went to five All-Star Games while earning four Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves. Ranked #11 on Notinhalloffame.com.
The vote will take place on December 8.
To get inducted, a candidate has to receive 75% of the vote from the 16-member committee.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com find value in all ten of these names, and we can’t wait to hear who they elect.
Do you have a favorite?
We here at Notinhalloffame.com are hoping the best for Miller and Whitaker, but again if anyone on this list t in, we would be happy.
14. Ted Simmons
The sabremetricians were right to love Ted Simmons who while he played many knew was a good player, have now been elevated in some eyes to a Hall of Fame snub.
Modern Baseball Committee (1970 – 1987): The 2018 Election
The Modern Era Baseball Committee announces their Finalists
The nominees are:
Steve Garvey: Ranked #31 on Notinhalloffame.com. Garvey was a ten time All Star and was named the 1974 National League MVP. He accumulated 2,599 Hits with a .294 Batting Average with 272 Home Runs. He was on the ballot for the fifteen full years finishing as high as 42.6 %.
Tommy John: Ranked #16 on Notinhalloffame.com. John won 283 Games and is a four time All Star. A two-time Cy Young runner-up, John had 2,245 Strikeouts over his career. He was on the ballot for fifteen years peaking at 31.7% on his final year of eligibility.
Don Mattingly: Ranked #54 on Notinhalloffame.com. Playing his entire career with the New York Yankees, Mattingly was the American League MVP in 1985. Mattingly went to six All Star Games and had a career Batting Average of .307 with 222 Home Runs. He would also win the 1984 Batting Title. He was on the ballot for fifteen years with a high of 28.2% in his first year of eligibility.
Marvin Miller: The head of the Players Association from 1966 to 1982, salaries skyrocketed under his tenure.
Jack Morris: Ranked #11 on Notinhalloffame.com. Morris would win 254 Games and is a four time World Series Champion. He was on the ballot for fifteen years and came very close with a 67.7% finish in his fourteenth year.
Dale Murphy: Ranked #42 on Notinhalloffame.com. In a career spent mostly with Atlanta, Murphy was a back-to-back MVP winner (1982 & 1983) and blasted 398 Home Runs. He was a five time All Star. On the ballot for fifteen years, Murphy peaked at 23.2% in 2000.
Dave Parker: Ranked #28 on Notinhalloffame.com. “The Cobra” was the 1978 National League MVP and hit 339 Home Runs over his career. He was also a two time World Series Champion. He was on the ballot for fifteen years and finished as high as 24.5% in his second year of eligibility.
Ted Simmons: Ranked #14 on Notinhalloffame.com. Simmons was an eight time All Star and one of the top Catchers of his day. He was only on the ballot for one year where he finished with 3.7% of the ballot.
Luis Tiant: Ranked #44 on Notinhalloffame.com. Tiant was known mostly for his time in Boston and he was a three time All Star with 229 career Wins. He was on the ballot for fifteen years and finished as high as 30.9, which occurred in his first year of eligibility.
Alan Trammell: Ranked #12 on Notinhalloffame.com. Trammell played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers and was a six time All Star. Trammell had 2,365 Hits and was the 1984 World Series MVP. He was on the ballot for fifteen years and finished with 40.9% on the ballot in his last year of eligibility.
It will be very interesting to see if any of these names will get in. To be chosen, a candidate must receive 75% of the 16 member vote.
Our Top 50 All-Time Milwaukee Brewers are now up
With the 2017 Major League Baseball Season underway, we are pleased to present our next top 50, which features the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Blue Brew Crew has only made the playoffs four times, with only one trip to the Fall Classic, a losing effort in 1982. Still this is a team who has produced Hall of Famers and has a healthy fan base that should see this team remain in the state of Wisconsin.
The entire list can be found here, but let’s reveal the top five right away!
1. Robin Yount
2. Paul Molitor
3. Ryan Braun
4. Cecil Cooper
5. Teddy Higuera
There will be more coming, but of course we would love to hear your input on our latest creation!
67. Styx
If you are a baseball fan you might remember the sad tale of Bill Buckner whose solid career was completely overshadowed by the ground ball that dribbled through his legs that cost the Boston Red Sox the World Series in 1986. It is a very melodramatic analogy but a couple of us at NIHOF wondered aloud if Mr. Roboto may have been the error that overshadowed the career of Styx.
Awards = HOF? Part Five: The Silver Slugger (Catcher) (MLB)
Needless to say, different awards in different sports yield hall of fame potential. In basketball, the team sport with the least amount of players on a roster, the dividend for greatness much higher. In baseball, it is not as much as a great individual season does not have the same impact.
Ted Simmons headlines this year's St. Louis Cardinals HOF Class
As such it is with great delight that we speak of the Redbirds official inauguration of their latest Hall of Fame Class.
In our eyes, the headliner of this year’s class is Catcher, Ted Simmons, who spent thirteen years with them and made six All Star Teams while there. Simmons would belt 1,704 Hits, with 172 Home Runs, a .298/.366/.459 Slash Line and a bWAR of 44.8 as a Cardinal.
Simmons is joined by Curt Flood, the man who challenged the reserve clause and ushered in Free Agency in Major League Baseball. While Flood did not profit from what he accomplished, as a Cardinal he would lead the National League in Hits in 1964, was a seven time Gold Glove recipient and was a three time All Star. He would smack 1,853 Hits with a 42.2 bWAR in St. Louis.
Bob Forsch was also inducted. Forsch spent fifteen seasons in St. Louis where the hurler posted a 163 and 127 record with 1,079 Strikeouts and a bWAR of 21.5. Forsch was also a two time Silver Slugger winner.
This group is joined by George Kissell, a long time executive within the Cardinals organization.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com congratulate the Cardinals and this group of inductees to what is becoming a very prestigious Hall of Fame.