The "Very Good Hall of Fame"

[jason.1969]

With heavy Dodger bias, I nominate:
Steve Garvey
Pete Rose
Joe Jackson
Kirk Gibson
Orel Hershiser
Dale Murphy

Dump:
Tony LaRussa
Ford Frick
20-30 guys at about the George Kell level

Right now, the HOF has 240 players and 300+ members overall. This feels too big. My gut is that a Hall of Famer is the kind of player who comes around only once every 2-3 years. If we take the 125 years from 1876-2000 as when potential HOFers would have made their debut, that would make only about 50 HOFers, plus perhaps 5 active players on their way.

I suspect my "every 2-3 years" criterion seems severe, and I would be okay with "every year." Still, it bothers me to think that among each year's rookie class, with perhaps an average of 2-3 guys making their teams each year, that 2 or more are likely HOFers.

And yes, my nominations list above presumes today's more-the-merrier approach rather than the more draconian angle I preach.