I don't think there's any other reason why Dizzy Dean is in the HOF except for winning 30 games once. He only pitched in parts of 12 seasons in total and in three of those seasons he pitched exactly 1 game. Why else is he in?

He had a very strong 4.5 year prime, won 20+ games each season. He finished 1st, 2nd, 2nd and 7th in MVP voting. The next season he was injured in the AS game and struggled with injuries the rest of his career. Those 4.5 seasons he averaged 25+ wins per season. So, yes he did a lot more than have a one season career. He got very strong support from the baseball writers who saw him play and elected him.

I'm with you here. I really liked Touch'emall's post. I think we should start a movement a'la Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant -
- a stream of fans walk in to the HOF one by one.
- each takes a turn to stand in front of the Harold Baines plaque
- while there, call over an attendant and ask, "Where can I see the guy who broke Babe Ruth's record?"
- Then walk out

Also Dean was a larger than life character as a player. He was constantly generating publicity for the game (and himself).

His period of domination was about the same as Koufax who was certainly Hall worthy.

People who didn't consider Jenkins a star were wrong.

I think his 30 win season is why he's in the HOF. Do you think he gets in without it? Without hitting a milestone like 30 wins I mean. Not without winning his MVP.

A lot of pitchers have had some impressive stretches. Johan Santana comes to mind. If Johan Santana won 30 games in his prime I think he's in the HOF too.

Does Jack Chesbro get in if he doesn't win 41 games in 1904?

If he had only won 29 games in his MVP season I think he still makes it. He still averages 25+ wins over 4.5 seasons before his injury Not many pitchers have had a peak like that. There is just no comparison between Dean and Maris who is well short of HOF standards.

Jim Bunning
 

Why is Jim Bunning in the Hall? One twenty win season (exactly 20) and 4 19 win seasons. .549 winning pct and a career era of 3.27 in a pitcher friendly era.

He had been in Congress from Kentucky for 9 years, and was 2-3 years away from becoming a US Senator at the time of his VC HOF election. I'm not saying that had anything to do with it. But not saying it didn't either. It was not the worst PR move at the time that the folks responsible for Cooperstown could have made.

The instructions that the hall sends to voters explicitly say that players are not to be elected for a single achievement. They're not clear about a whole lot, but they are clear that it's a lifetime achievement award.

Someone else said:
"I always felt that the Hall should be reserved for those players that were iconic at their position within the era that they played, and numbers in line with the elites of the game"

It hasn't been this since the 1940s. Tommy McCarthy was elected in 1946. Frank Chance was elected the same year. Pie Traynor was elected two years later, along with Herb Pennock. And so on. Except at the very beginning, the hall has never been just for the Babe Ruths.

That said, Maris doesn't belong. Even by the hall's rather lax standards, there have been some notable mistakes. Maz is one. Harold Baines is the most recent example. These guys are far below the hall's usual standards. So to say that Maris is better than some of the guys in the hall isn't much of an argument. Maris burned brightly but briefly. And given that the hall prohibits electing players for single achievements, he burned too briefly.

People like to bitch and moan about Harold Baines, but truth is the HOF has a long history of enshrining "borderline" players - at least back to the 1940's. Herb Pennock? Rube Marquard? I'm a 30+ year Cubs fan, and I will give you that even I don't know that all three of the "Tinkers to Evers to Chance" poet laureates deserve enshrinement. Frank Chance probably has the strongest case.

Others - Bobby Doerr? Ted Lyons? Ducky Medwick? Bill Mazeroski?

It's much more a Hall of popularity than it is only a collection of players like Ruth, Mays, Musial, Williams, and Ken Griffey Jr. That much is for sure.

Well, after reading through all of these very well thought out discussions, I guess in the end it really just doesn't matter. Frankly, I have my own HOF. There are quite a few non-actual-HOFers in it. Roger Maris is well included, and there are folks who would pay a lot of money for some of these cards. Maybe not 52 Mantle or Honus Wagner money, but a lot nevertheless. I'm not in it for that. I have what I like, and I will keep it that way, HOF or not.

There is a rule about a 10 year (min) career...so I’d guess no. If they had 9 mediocre years then made a deal with the devil, had the greatest season ever (the things you mentioned plus hitting 75 HR, winning 30 games on the mound and managing his team to a WS win)...probably not but you never know!

Well said, bro. --- Brian Powell