gold star for USAHOF

As we are deep into the Baseball Hall of Fame season, one of the inductees is hopeful to get the logo on his plaque changed from the Montreal Expos to the Chicago Cubs.

Andre Dawson, who was inducted into the Hall in 2010, was enshrined with the Expos cap, but stated all along that he wanted to go in as a Cub.  He is still hopeful of changing it to the iconic Cubs “C”, as reported by the Chicago Tribune, and he has sent letters to the chairman of the Hall of Fame Board of Directors in another effort.  Dawson has long since said that he wanted to go in as a Cub, the team he won his only MVP (1987), despite the longer and more successful statistical tenure with Montreal.

The Hall of Fame rarely makes changes to plaques, and as the Cooperstown-based institution has not corresponded with Dawson, it is unlikely that we will see any changes in bronze.

278. Moises Alou

The son of Felipe Alou, Moises Alou is an interesting case here as we have a player whose sabermetric numbers were good, but he managed to compile traditional numbers that were better, and he was a player who teams wanted in their lineup and fear when he wasn’t for more than a decade.  He is also known more for a foul ball that he probably could not have caught.

289. Javier Vazquez

Javier Vasquez could be considered to have been a journeyman, as he played for six different teams (and one team twice), but the Puerto Rican hurler was a lot better than he got credit for.

216. Steve Rogers

The claim can be made (and we will be among those who make it) that Steve Rogers was the greatest Pitcher in franchise history when the Washington Nationals were in Montreal as the Expos.

139. Dennis Martinez

Historically speaking, one of the most important Pitchers in Latin America is Dennis Martinez, and he was also one of the most tenured.

Dan Schatzeder was a Montreal Expo twice (1977-79 & (1982-86) where both times he was not considered to be an elite (or even a above average) Pitcher.  That did not stop the southpaw from putting together very solid runs predominantly as a spot starter and middle reliever.  Schatzeder would be with Montreal for eight seasons and was a lot more valuable than his traditional statistics.  He had a 37-31 Record for the Expos.

The son of former star Felipe Alou (and his manager with the Expos) Moises Alou began his successful career in Major League Baseball (save for two games in Pittsburgh) with the Montreal Expos.  Alou was an All-Star in the strike-shortened 1994 season where he batted .339 and was also named a Silver Slugger while finishing third in MVP voting.  Alou would also have a pair of 20 Home Run seasons for the Expos.

An everyday Second Baseman for the Montreal Exposfrom 1993 to 1997, Mike Lansing would have a great season in 1996 when he belted 183 Hits with 11 Home Runs.  He would also have another season where he managed 20 Home Runs.   Like many other Expos, the small market club sent him elsewhere when he approached free agency.
Larry Parrish had a solid run (1974-81) with the Montreal Expos as a starting Third Basemen.  

Parrish was an All-Star in 1979, a season where he had career-highs in Home Runs (30), Batting Average (.307), Slugging Percentage (.551), and OPS (.909).  He would finish fourth in MVP voting that year.  Parrish helped the Expos make the 1981 Playoffs, but that was where it ended for him in Montreal, as he was traded to Texas afterward.  With Montreal, Parrish had 896 Hits and 100 Home Runs.
Ken Singleton spent three seasons with the Montreal Expos in the 1970’s and would lead the National League in On Base Percentage in the 1973 season.  Singleton would finish ninth in NL MVP voting that year.
The closer for the Montreal Expos for three seasons, John Wetteland would accumulate 105 Saves for the team with each year showcasing his relieving ability better than the year before.  Wetteland would become a three-time All-Star with the New York Yankees later in his career.
Spending three seasons with the Montreal Expos, Ken Hill would twice win 16 games as a Starting Pitcher, one of which (1994) saw Hill finish second in the Cy Young race.  Hill’s 16 wins would be enough to win that category that year.  With Montreal, Hill went 41-21 with an ERA of 3.04.
Playing for the Montreal Expos for three seasons in the late 1980’s, Pascual Perez had a solid stint where he would lead the National League in WHIP in 1988 and SO/BB in 1989.  With Montreal, Perez had a record of 28-21 with a 2.80 ERA.
A two-time All-Star with the Montreal Expos in the 1980s, Hubie Brooks would also win two Silver Sluggers and was one of the better hitting Shortstop of his day.  He had 75 Home Runs and 689 Hits with the Expos.
The runner-up for the 1980 National League Rookie of the Year, Bill Gullickson had an underappreciated career as a Starting Pitcher.  Gullickson would lead the NL in FIP in 1981 (2.11) and in BB/9 (1.5) in 1984, but this was at a time when those stats were not exactly understood…or even known!
An All-Star in 1989, Tim Burke was a Relief Pitcher the duration of his Montreal Expos stay and would Save 101 Games for the team..  Prior to being the team’s closer, Burke was used in middle relief and led the National League in Games Played in 1985, his rookie year.
Jeff Fassero did not debut until he was 28 and two years later he worked his way into the Expos starting rotation.  Fassero would finish ninth in Cy Young voting in 1996 and overall as an Expo had a 58 and 48 Record with 750 Strikeouts and an ERA of 3.20.
Al Oliver was only with Montreal for two seasons but those were excellent offensive campaigns, which saw him win the National League Batting Title and lead the league in Hits.  Oliver was an All-Star both years and also led the NL in doubles both times.  Had he been a better defensive player (or at least not a liability as he led the NL in errors for a First Basemen both years) he would have been ranked much higher.
Warren Cromartie would spend a great deal of his baseball career in Japan, but in North America, “Crow” was known for his time with the Montreal Expos, where he would play eight seasons and accumulate  1,104 Hits with a Batting Average of .281.
An elite reliever for a few seasons with the Montreal Expos, Jeff Reardon would go to two All-Star Games as an Expo, and he led the National League in Saves in 1985. That season he would win the NL Rolaids Relief Award and would tally 152 Saves in Montreal.