Why Lee Smith Should Be in the Baseball Hall of Fame
Players are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by eligible members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). In 2010, only one player, outfielder Andre Dawson, was elected, and he is very deserving of the honor. In general, the BBWAA has made very good choices over the years, but occasionally someone is overlooked.
Closers are a relatively new part of baseball. The role of the closer started to be defined in the 1970s, and evolved as time went on, and the "save" became a more frequent statistic in box scores. Most of the great closers in the game pitched within the last 35 years or so, and not too many have been elected to the Hall of Fame yet. Perhaps the writers are uncomfortable with the election of such specialized players; players who were primarily designated hitters have a hard time getting in as well. Some closers that have made it in include Rich Gossage, Rollie Fingers, and Bruce Sutter all of whom deserved the honor. But Lee Smith had more saves than all of them.
In 2011, the number four man in career saves, John Franco, is eligible for the Hall of Fame. Franco had 424 saves in his long career. So next year, the voters will have two of the top four saves leaders to consider. In order to be elected, 75% of the electors must vote for the player. This time around, Smith received 47.3%, which is actually his best showing in the eight times he's been on the ballot. But that's a long way from 75%, and at this point all Smith can do is wait and wonder when, or if, he'll finally make it in.
Sources:
All Time Pitching Leaders at MLB.com
Baseball Hall of Fame 2010 BBWAA Election Results Press Release from National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, January 6, 2010.
Published by Mark Hudziak - Featured Contributor in Sports
Mark is a Featured Contributor in Sports for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. He also blogs about the Civil War at Iron Brigader.com. He is an analytical chemist for a public health laboratory in his other... View profile
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6 Comments
Post a CommentGossage = white, Fingers = white, Sutter = white, L.Smith = black. The problem is that there are still old HOF'ers that think the old way. Smith should be in period! Oh, by the way I am white(but that should'nt matter either should it). What percent of the ones voting are white versus black?
You have some very good points.
You should present this to the Hall of Fame. ;)
smith in....franco out
I'm impressed :-)
That's a good argument. I think Lee Smith belongs in, too. I think another thing that hurts him that his era is flooded with closers, but he still had more than any of them in his generation. If they're in, I think he should be, too. Good article!