Tomorrow is the annual induction ceremony at Baseball’s Hall of Fame and it got me to thinking about who we’d see making speeches on this weekend ten years from now. Aside from the obvious suspects, Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter, A-Rod (Steroid Argument Aside), this generation of stat-inflated players may produce a surprisingly small amount of hall-of-famers. Being as objective as possible, I took a quick look at each AL team’s current roster for possible HOF candidates. If I care enough (doubtful) I’ll do the NL Teams in an upcoming post.
Baltimore – Baltimore has assembled a nice group of young hitters, Nick Markakis is putting up nice numbers, maybe a few batting championships would help his case but right now he’s a younger Paul O’Neill. Adam Jones is a great young center fielder, but it’s just too early to tell. The hype would have had you believe the Matt Wieters was a lock, but check back in five years. Who’s In? none.
Boston Red Sox: A roster full of solid hitters, but none of Hall Of Fame cailber. You could make an argument for Ortiz, but his peak was relatively short, and he has the disadvantage of being a full-time DH. On the pitching side, John Smoltz should be a lock at this point with over 200 wins and over 150 career saves. Josh Becket has had a nice career, and is still young, but will have to put together a really good next 10 years. Who’s in? Smoltz
Toronto Blue Jays: Halladay seems like a potential hall of famer, but a look at the numbers shows he is 32 and hasn’t reached 150 wins yet. He could easily reach 250 if he stays healthy, but as of now, he’s not in. No one on the offensive side has a shot, unles Aaron Hill keeps putting up huge numbers at second base. Who’s In? None
Tampa Bay Rays: A roster full of nice young talent and guys like Evan Longoria and David Price who could be great for a long time, but as of right now it’s too early to tell. Carl Crawford has put up some nice stats and is still only 27, but we’ll see what he looks like when the legs start to go. Who’s In? None
New York Yankees: A few locks here, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and A-Rod. Some other still-young guys who have a chance at their current pace include Texeira and C.C. Sabathia, but neither has been the best in the league at their position for more than one season. Jorge Posada is borderline, and still putting up solid stats at the catcher position. He will end up with 250 HRs and over 1,000 RBIs and was a plus defender during his prime. Missing most of last season hurt his cause, and he’s no longer a 6 game a week guy. He will probably be on the ballot for a few years, but ultimately fall short. Who’s In? Jeter, Rivera, A-Rod.
Cleveland Indians – At one time I would have told you Kerry Wood was a lock, but injuries killed his chances. Grady Sizemore should have a nice career, but not HOF-worthy. Who’s In? None
Chicago White Sox – Mark Buehrle has a nice Tom Glavine – like career, and should end up with 200 wins, along with having both a perfect game and no-hitter on his resume. If Mike Mussina doesn’t make it, he shouldn’t, but at least deserves to be in the conversation. 500 Homers should be a lock, but Jim Thome has two early strikes – he played during the steroid era, and played lots of DH in his career. He is still productive and could end up with 600 HRS, he’s at 558 today. I say he’s in. Who’s In? Thome
Kansas City Royals – Not Worth Mentioning
Minnesota Twins – Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau both have a great chance. Barring injury, Mauer should be a lock. Morneau has to keep it up for 10 more years, but he is putting up Mattingly-like numbers (yes, I said it). Who’s In? Mauer
Detroit Tigers – Magglio Ordonez has had a nice career, but doesn’t make the cut. Justin Verlander has HOF-type stuff but will need another century of seasons like this one. Miguel Cabrera is only 26 and already on the verge of 200 HRs. He’s not been injury prone and his numbers have been scarily consistent. The only question for him seems to be if he cares enough to play another 10 years. Who’s In? None.
Oakland A’s – Lots of good young talent here, check back in 10 years. Sorry Nomar, 10 years ago I would have called you a lock.
Seattle Mariners – Regardless of long Griffey feels he needs to stick around, he’s a lock. At his current pace it doesn’t look like he’ll get to 650 HRs (621 currently) but he’s only 1 RBI away from 1800. It’s all gravy now. Ichiro is an interesting case, being that his career will be relatively short, but you can’t ignore the .332 career average, and 300 career steals. Last year he showed signs of slowing down – just ask my fantasy team – but he’s back on track this year. I say he’s in. Who’s In? Ichiro, Griffey
Texas Rangers – Omar Vizquel has an outside shot in an Ozzie Smith kind of way, but I’m going to say no. Had the Rangers had betters teams in recent years, we might think more highly of Michael Young and Ian Kinsler who put up nice numbers at middle infield spots. Who’s In? None
LA Angels – Vlad Guerrero has deterorated, but is already close to 400 HRS, and is only 34. It doesn’t appear he will ever be “Vlad” again, otherwise he’d be up for discussion. Torii Hunter has made some great catches over the years and will end up with close to 300 HR’s…but just not going to make it. Who’s In? None