Gil Hodges

[Seven]

I think Hodges resume, as a player, person and manager speak for itself and he should get into the Hall of Fame. The Hall isn't perfect, it's far from it. I think once the floodgates opened with the Veterans committee becoming a thing, the "Small Hall" Mentality went out the window.

Really the barometer for a player being Hall of Fame worthy, should be the his contributions to the game, and how well he performed. Some will also argue that a players character should be a part of that equation. I flip flop on this part, but I can't fault someone for not voting for a player who was a detestable person, just like I can't fault someone for voting for someone because he was a great man who contributed a great deal, both on and off the field.

With Hodges, I see a player that was robbed of three years because of the War, had he had those three years, I think statistically speaking his Hall of Fame case would have been much better around the first time he retired. I think him leading the Miracle Mets to their World Series title, adds to his resume as a baseball professional.