PS, I agree about a simplistic comparison of fielding percentage looking at different positions. That compares what a player does with the balls on which he makes a play.
Moore is getting to more balls out there than everyone else who played, less 19 men. And then, once he gets to those balls, he's doing something with them. And gunning down a few runners on the side. He was a very good ballplayer. You can continue to perceive him as average. I'm ok with the idea that he's short of making the Hall; but he was an above average player.
As for not counting military service, that's fine if you relinquish longevity; as soon as someone tries to credit longevity, then it's only fair to consider what would have been accomplished if the player had been an the ball field instead of the battlefield. Cecil Travis, Dom DiMaggio, Dick Wakefield and Tommy Henrich are among the players who to me seem to have had their careers, and their career statistics most affected by military service. And that should be considered whenever longevity is considered for other players. It's not like these guys were on a salary hold out. Mr. James' Historical Baseball Abstract ranks Moore 60th among center fielders; not high enough to be among the HOFers, but way above the average player.
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07-31-2010, 09:32 AM
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