Hall of Fame Ballot Announced

[Mike D.]

Originally Posted by bbcard1

Let me throw a name out there...I am completely a supporter of Lofton and Sweet Lou getting another look, but no one ever mentions Rick Rueschel. Talk about someone who doesn't pass the eyeball test, but the stats are right there in comparison to the mid-level HOF pitcher. Despite pitching for poor teams he has a 69.5 WAR (34th among starter) and is statistically ahead of several hall of famers. One of the better one and done candidates.

Rueschel is an interesting one for sure. The modern metrics love him, but at the time and with traditional stats, he's solid but unspectacular.

People will insist this means that modern stats aren't worth a lick, but what amazes me is how often the traditional and the modern metrics AGREE on who the best players are.

BTW, the "active" version of Rueschel is Evan Longoria. His WAR is far higher than I would expect, with it approaching low end of HOF consideration. He did a lot of things better than average, but wasn't a standout in any one thing.

[G1911]

Lofton, I think, should also get in*. It’s a disgrace he fell off the ballot immediately. However, Schilling is actually on the ballot that the tread is about and Lofton is not. Getting to these other guys is one of many reasons to induct the obvious candidates that have been backlogging the ballots for the last decade.

I would probably not vote for Reuschel*. He has nothing but WAR; where we usually use WAR as a general ranker to summarize other stats, he has nothing else in hall territory at all.

Watching FTX crash and burn in the way that it has has been hilarious.

*I guess I need to investigate Lofton and Reuschel’s business careers to see if they’ve ever had a failed business before determining, though.