Is Koufax A Worthy Hall of Famer?
And a lynch mob dressed in Dodger Blue should be at my door in 3… 2… 1…
Ok. Let’s be realistic here. I am, in no way, shape, or form, denying the legendary lefty’s rightful place within the sacred walls of Cooperstown. What I am questioning are the criteria by which the nation’s sports writers decide who is and is not granted baseball immortality.
It is no secret. From ’61 to ’66, Koufax flat out dominated hitters. Ask them and they’ll tell you. Pirate legend, Willie Stargell, said, “Trying to hit him was like trying to drink coffee with a fork.” Bob Uecker even claims an intentional walk from Koufax as one of two career highlights. Over those six years, the southpaw averaged an ERA of 2.19 along with 22 wins and 286 strikeouts, throwing in two World Series MVP awards for good measure. But his place in all-time career totals is far less impressive. A career shortened by injuries left him ranked 38th all time with 2,396 Strikeouts and 195th all-time with 164 Wins.
Bert Blyleven, who has been denied a spot in Cooperstown for a decade, ended his career 5th all time with 3701 Strikeouts and 27th all time with 287 Wins. With those stats, does Blyleven not deserve the same recognition? If you are a Twins fan, how do you feel about that?
So I guess you would have to make the argument that the Hall of Fame is not about statistics, but rather greatness. And greatness Koufax showed, albeit over a period of about 6 years. So what, then, is keeping Don Mattingly out? “Donnie Baseball”, as Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett named him, put up monster numbers in the late 80′s. Over the course of six or seven seasons, he showed his greatness as the American League’s best hitter. Pick an offensive category and Mattingly probably led the AL. In different seasons, he led the league in batting average, RBI, Slugging, OPS, two seasons leading in Hits and Extra Base Hits, and three seasons in Doubles, throwing in nine Gold Gloves and an AL MVP award for good measure. Yet, he’s never garnered more than 28% of the ballot, even falling to 12% this past year. If you love the Yankees, what reasoning would make Donnie’s rejection acceptable?
So I guess the Hall of Fame is not about statistics, or greatness, but rather… what?
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