Dick Allen has great hitting stats for the amount of time he played, but his defense was very bad and he flamed out quick. I think he needed to stay on the field a little more during those 11 prime years he had. He missed 344 games during that stretch.
Oliva doesn't stack up to Allen and he missed even more time. I think he looks better because he led the league in hits and average numerous times, but he didn't walk much, so he never led the league in OBP. Unfortunately for him, injuries took away his real chance at the Hall, at least that is what I thought
Hodges dropping to three or less votes is shocking. He spent two years in the military and came back as a catcher for a short time, those two facts have to help his case.
If I had a vote and had to stick to four votes maximum, I probably would have only picked Hodges and Kaat, though Allen and Tiant are real close for me and I've gone back and forth with them. Everyone else falls short.
I don't get the Maury Wills pick at all, .661 OPS and his SB% is below average, plus his career stats don't stand out. He didn't draw walks, hit for zero power and did that as a .281 hitter. The most comparable player all-time to Wills is Luis Castillo and I'd be shocked if he got more than one pity vote. You could make a case that Castillo was slightly better. Wills gets too much credit for his short reign with the SB record and his MVP.
Last edited by z28jd; 12-08-2014 at 12:41 PM.
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