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Posted By: Greg Ecklund

If numbers are all that matter why not just have a computer automatically select Hall of Famers immediately upon their retirement and eliminate the whole voting process altogether?

Statistics are useless with no context - just take 500 home runs for an example. In 1960 there were four players in history with 500 home runs: Ruth, Foxx, Ott, and Ted Williams. In recent years we have seen an explosion of 500 home run hitters, increasingly watering down the number and making it mean less than it used to. In fact, this generation of players will probably end up including the first 500 home run hitter who is never elected to the Hall.