Worst Team of all HOFers

[rats60]

P - Jack Morris
C - Rick Ferrell
1B- George Kelly
2B- Red Schoendienst
SS- Phil Rizzuto
3B- Fred Lindstrom
LF- Chick Hafey
CF- Lloyd Waner
RF- Tommy McCarthy
DH- Harold Baines
RP - Lee Smith

[Chuck9788]

C'mon, give Harold some love!

[Shoeless Moe]

Rat,

Thank you for putting Lee Smith.

Guy never won a WS, never won a Cy Young.

Pitched for 8 teams......how does a HOFer get released by 7 teams?????

Lifetime WL Record 71-92

Postseason ERA 8.44

and I'm a Cub fan and saw him many times, never thought for a second he was a HOFer. Wanted him out of town most of the time.

[Mike D.]

Originally Posted by Shoeless Moe

Rat,

Thank you for putting Lee Smith.

Guy never won a WS, never won a Cy Young.

Pitched for 8 teams......how does a HOFer get released by 7 teams?????

Lifetime WL Record 71-92

Postseason ERA 8.44

and I'm a Cub fan and saw him many times, never thought for a second he was a HOFer. Wanted him out of town most of the time.

Smith is borderline HOF at best, but he was “released” once in his career...in Sept of his last season. And he played for 4 of those 7 teams after age 35 at the end of his career.

That being said, he’s below the average for a HOF reliever (only a few enshrined). He got elected based on holding the save record for a time. The HOF really hasn’t “figured out” relievers yet.

[Jim65]

Originally Posted by Mike D.

Smith is borderline HOF at best, but he was “released” once in his career...in Sept of his last season. And he played for 4 of those 7 teams after age 35 at the end of his career.

That being said, he’s below the average for a HOF reliever (only a few enshrined). He got elected based on holding the save record for a time. The HOF really hasn’t “figured out” relievers yet.

Definitely true, Billy Wagner was way better than Lee Smith ever was and he's waiting.

[Mike D.]

Originally Posted by Jim65

Definitely true, Billy Wagner was way better than Lee Smith ever was and he's waiting.

Wagner is an interesting case. Only 903 career IP...but about 1 fewer career WAR than Smith, who threw 1289 innings.

Not that WAR is great for relievers...but still!

[riggs336]

Twenty-five years ago Bill James published a great book called The Politics of Glory (later reissued as What Ever Happened to the Hall of Fame?). The book is full of analysis of the HOF: who's in, who's not, who should and shouldn't be, etc.
Here's his list of the least qualified members. Remember it's from the mid-1990s.

C. Ray Schalk
1B. (tie) George Kelly and Frank Chance
2B. Johnny Evers
3B. Jimmy Collins
SS. Joe Tinker
LF. Chick Hafey
CF. Lloyd Waner
RF. Tommy McCarthy
SP. Jesse Haines
RP. There were only 2 in the Hall at the time so no pick

I don't agree with all of it, but it's a good list.