Hall of Fame Debate: Is Jim Rice Worthy of Being Inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame?

One of the greatest individual accomplishments in all of sports is to be elected into the Hall of Fame. Cooperstown, NY is the most well-known city that holds a Hall of Fame, and it is baseball's that resides there.

I was recently working out at my local gym, and I heard three of the guys training in there talking about Jim Rice. Two of the athletes in this discussion were African-American, the other was Caucasian, along with the trainer. The conversation was actually more of a debate of two separate questions.

1) Should Jim Rice be in the Hall of Fame?

Let's analyze Rice's stats from all angles (source: baseball-reference.com). Rice played 16 seasons, all for the Red Sox. His career batting average was .298, he smacked 382 home runs, and he totaled 2452 hits. Rice was an 8-time All-Star and the AL MVP in 1978. In that magical season, Rice led the AL in home runs with 46 (the most of his career) and drove in 139 runs. He won the AL Silver Slugger Award in 1983 and 1984 and had seven seasons with a batting average higher than .300.

Below is a list of all the players elected to the Hall of Fame in the 14 years that Jim Rice has been on the ballot in order of selection:

Mike Schmidt, Phil Niekro, Don Sutton, Nolan Ryan, George Brett, Robin Yount, Carlton Fisk, Tony Perez, Dave Winfield, Kirby Puckett, Ozzie Smith, Eddie Murray, Gary Carter, Paul Molitor, Dennis Eckersley, Wade Boggs, Ryne Sandberg, Bruce Sutter, Cal Ripken, Jr., Tony Gwynn, and Goose Gossage

The players in bold qualified for one of the three "automatic tickets" into the Hall of Fame, which are: 500 home runs, 3000 hits, or 300 wins. Now let's see why Rice was not elected and these other players were.

Carlton Fisk: Fisk has comparable stats to Rice (374 HRs), but played a much more demanding position. He also played an astounding 25 seasons as compared to Rice's 16.

Tony Perez: Also a player with a considerably longer career, Perez played 23 seasons and racked up 2732 hits along with his 379 HRs. Perez was most likely selected over Rice since he was such an essential part of "The Big Red Machine" from the '70s. Voters like players who have won championships.

Kirby Puckett: Puckett had over 2,000 hits in his first ten seasons. He was forced into retirement at the age of 35 due to glaucoma (wikipedia.org). His career batting average was .318--the highest by any right handed hitter in the second half of the 20^th century.

Ozzie Smith: Although technically Smith did not receive an automatic ticket, he was a shoo-in. His stats include 580 SBs, 2460 hits, and an amazing .978 fielding percentage.

Gary Carter: Carter is a similar case to Perez. He played a much more demanding percentage and was the best at it in his time period. He hit 298 HRs as a catcher (6^th most all-time) and was an 11-time All Star selection.

Dennis Eckersley: This case is similar to Smith--"Eck" racked up 390 saves and 197 wins in his 23 year career. He won an MVP, a CY Young Award, and a World Series when he was a member of the Oakland A's.

Ryne Sandberg: Sandberg only hit 285 home runs but was outstanding defensively. He won 9 straight Gold Gloves and was surprisingly the NL Silver Slugger 7 times.

Bruce Sutter: Sutter racked up 300 saves in his career and only blew 19. Also, his career ERA stands at 2.83, not to mention he was a CY Young Award winner.

Goose Gossage: Similar to Sutter, Gossage racked up 310 saves.

This past year, when Gossage was elected, was the closest Rice came to being elected. Rice received 72.2% of the vote (75% is required to be elected into the Hall of Fame) and finished second to Gossage.

It is hard to argue with the numbers. Rice does not cut it as compared to those who have been elected into the Hall of Fame in his 14 years eligible on the ballot. The only two players that Rice is potentially more deserving than are Perez and Carter. But, the voters just saw it the way that was just previously outlined, and not in favor of Rice.

2) Is Jim Rice not being elected into the Hall of Fame because he is African-American?

I could not believe it when I heard the two African-American athletes using this as the reason Rice had not been elected. If anything, baseball and sports in general is always more forward in civil rights and less racist than the general population. However, Jim Rice was known for playing with a chip on his shoulder due to race.

Argument #1

Jackie Robinson: Robinson broke the color barrier when MLB allowed him to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. His number 42 has been retired throughout baseball. But, yes, baseball is racist.

Argument #2

Is the NBA racist against Caucasians?

Argument #3

Ten years ago 17% of Major League Baseball was African-American. Currently the figure stands just under 10% (source: http://media.www.thehilltoponline.com). Of the 21 players selected in the last 14 ballots, 5 have been African American. This is 23.8%, which is higher than the percentage of all players.

I did not get involved in this argument, but these athletes need to take a look at the facts and also use a little common sense. Rice is right on the cusp, but simply might not have what it takes to be elected. I believe one of the biggest factors against him is the Red Sox not winning a World Series in his career. The next Hall of Fame ballot will be Jim Rice's last. Players are only allowed to be on the ballot for 15 years for the chance to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.