2017 MLB Hall of Fame Inductees

MLB Hall of Fame (HOF) inductees have been named and I am a huge fan so I look forward to these announcements each year.   Jeff Bagwell was one of those guys who was always on the cusp of my HOF radar.  Loved him as a player but was never quite sure he was there.  While total numbers may not quite pass the test you have to look at him as a total hitter from his 15 years in the league.  He was nothing short of a stud.  2314 hits, 449 homeruns, 1529 RBIs, 202 stolen bases, .297 BA, .408 OBP, .540 SLG.  Bagwell was a four-time all-star and the 1994 NL MVP.  He was a guy who all pitchers were scared of and was a main cog of the Houston Astros  offense that powered their great run from ’98 to ’05 during which they lost the World Series to the Chicago White Sox.  I’m on board with him getting into the Hall of Fame.  The more you look at his numbers you see how dominant and consistent he was.  Great to see him make it.

Tim Raines is a guy who was on his final year of HOF eligibility but also deserves his place among the game’s best.  It wasn’t until about 8 years ago that I got on the Tim Raines train.  If you are a stats driven guy like myself  you can get too caught up in players not reaching the “automatic thresholds” for players getting in to the HOF.  His stats line looks like this:  2605 hits, 808 stolen bases (5^th all-time), .294 BA, and .385 OBP.  Raines could get on base and when he did he wasn’t afraid to run.  A seven time all-star he led the league four times (’81 to ’84) in steals and is 13^th all-time in steals percentage.  He also scored himself a batting title in 1986 with a .334 batting average (also led the league in OBP that year at .413).  But don’t stop there.  His batting average and on base percentage coupled with his 2605 hits make him a no brainer.  Again I was slow to jumping on his band wagon but I’d drive it now if asked.  Raines also won a ring with the Yankees in 1996 and it is always great to see the all-time greats get one.  Raines was fun to watch and it will be even more fun to see him enter the HOF this year. 

Ivan Rodriguez was a guy you just knew was a hall of famer when he played.  His defense coupled with his outstanding hitting skills made this a slam dunk for me.  Voters thought the same thing electing him his first time on the ballet.  Rodriquez finished with 2844 hits, 311 homeruns, 1332 RBIs, a .296 BA, and .334 OBP.  He was the AL MVP in 1999 and an all-star 14 times.  He picked up a World Series ring his one year with the Florida Marlins in 2003.  As good a hitting catcher as he was he was best known for his arm and his defense.   He was a 13 time gold glove winner and is also the all-time leader in games played at catcher.  His resume speaks for itself but again I’ll say that while he played you just knew he was going to be enshrined one day.