No New Baseball Hall of Famers
Santo, Hodges and Flood are Shut Out Again
Many thought Ron Santo and Gil Hodges would win election to the Hall of Fame this year. Others held out hope for free agent pioneer Curt Flood. None made it.
On February 27th, Baseball's Veterans Committee had an opportunity to elect three worthy nominees into Baseball's Hall of Fame. They rejected all of them. A quick review of these players' careers, and their contributions to baseball, suggests that the Committee may have made some errors.
Ron Santo
Ron Santo was the best all-around third baseman of the 1960's, when baseball was a pitcher’s game. Back then, pitchers benefited from outfield fences that were farther away from home plate than those of today. Also, the pitcher’s mound was between 15 and 20 inches higher than the batter’s box, which gave the pitcher the illusion of being eight feet tall and provided him with a distinct advantage over hitters. And, oh yes, hurlers named Koufax, Marichal, Gibson, Spahn, and Drysdale stood atop those big mounds every fourth day just waiting to overpower their opponents.
Santo was still a great hitter during this pitching-friendly era. He smashed 342 home runs and drove in 1,331 runs during his career. Santo's 162 game averages were very impressive, and they far outshine those of Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson:
Santo: .277 BA, 25 HR, 98 RBI, 85 Runs
Robinson: .267 BA, 15 HR, 76 RBI, 69 Runs
Santo was also a great fielder who won five straight Gold Gloves Awards. He was a nine time all star who finished in the Top 10 in MVP five times. Moreover, Santo was a patient, selfless hitter who led the National League in walks and sacrifice flies four times each. While Santo is no Mike Schmidt, one can understand why so many fans and baseball insiders feel that he deserves a plaque in Cooperstown.
Gil Hodges
Hodges was probably an even better player than Santo. As a key component of seven League Champion Dodger teams, Hodges drove in 100 or more runs seven straight times. He also hit at least 25 Home Runs every season during the 1950’s. Hodges won three Gold Gloves and was an eight time All Star.
Furthermore, Hodges managed the New York Mets to the 1969 World Championship. Prior to that year, the Mets had lost at least 100 games in five of their first six seasons. The turnaround, spearheaded by Hodges, led baseball to dub that team the “Miracle Mets,” a moniker that has stuck to this day. Some thought this accomplishment might improperly slip into the voters' minds and push Hodges over the top.
Curt Flood
Flood was a great defensive player who won seven gold gloves, and made three all star teams. He was also a pioneer in baseball’s free agency movement. Some feel that Flood is worthy of the Hall based on his .293 lifetime batting average and his superb play in the outfield. Others feel that his play, when added to his off the field accomplishments, put Flood over the top.
The Final Tally
To gain election, players needed to get 75% of the votes. Ron Santo had the most votes of all nominees, but fell just short of election with 69.1%. Gil Hodges garnered 61% of the votes cast. Both will be on the ballot the next time the Committee votes, and now have excellent chances. Curt Flood is not in the same boat, however. His prospects look grim. He picked up just 17% of the votes cast.
