[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by bn2cardz

I don't understand how anyone could possibly say Ozzie Smith is the worst HOF.

I agree, Andy. Dave's a friend, but on this, we don't agree.

The Wizard of Oz wasn't an offensive force by any means. He had no power, though he did have a few good offensive seasons, even winning a Silver Slugger in 1987 when he hit .303 with 102 runs, 182 hits, 40 doubles and 43 stolen bases. He had a handful of other seasons where he was decent with the stick, hitting in the .280s and 290s. But it was his defense which made him a star, and one of my favorite players to watch when he played. Though the prevailing line of thinking might be that offense wins games more than defense, you can pitch around a hitter when they come up. A great defensive shortstop like Ozzie Smith is out there every day, sucking up everything that comes within 10 feet of them. Ozzie Smith was a black hole where doubles went to die. And he did just fine negating my Brewer bats that hit 216 home runs in the 1982 World Series.

I liken the Wizard of Oz to another Cardinal who was a late bloomer with the stick, Yadier Molina. Look at what Yadi did in his first seven seasons in the Majors, and then look what he's done the last three:



Yadi is the best catcher in baseball. Period. Sorry, Giants fans. I like Buster Posey a lot. But Yadi now offers comparable offense, and superior defense. If I were a manager, I'd run against Buster. There's not a chance in hell I'd run with Yadi Molina behind the plate.

Will Molina make the Hall of Fame one day? He's going to be 32 this July, so he's still in his prime right now, and could have at least three or four more seasons behind the plate. He's had back to back top 4 MVP finishes, and has been awarded six straight Gold Gloves. Look for him to finish with 10 Gold Gloves, 2,000 + hits, and a couple World Series championships under his belt. If he gets another one or two of those, which I think he will, he's going to get an awful lot of credit for handling that pitching staff. Things like that factor into the minds of voters. So does throwing out 45% of would be base runners for your career. So, if Yadi does not continue hitting the way he has these last three seasons, and keeps playing great defense, he's basically Ozzie Smith behind the plate.

I don't think Smith got the credit he deserved when he played. And I certainly don't think he's the worst Hall of Famer. Not by a long shot.