Smiths TZ is a staggering 239, so he averaged nearly 13 TZ per season so Smith is far superior defensively. was worth Lou Whitaker In his upcoming "Cooperstown Casebook," which will be out in June,Jaffe writes, Like Grich, Whitaker faces an uphill battle, because as longtime Tigers beat writer Tom Gage reminded his supporters in 2015, reconsiderations dont start at the bottom.. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. But Whitaker acknowledged teammate and longtime double play partner Alan Trammell(who spoke to Sporting News last year)managing to hang on the writers' ballot for 15 years before exhausting his eligibility in January 2016. While Dahlen could be considered as part of the Early Baseball ballot next year, Whitaker will have to wait three years for the next opportunity. Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Start your day off right with our exclusive newsletters, including The Daily Briefing, delivering the latest news and insights straight to your inbox every morning. Its time for Lou Whitaker to be in the Hall of Fame. Lou Whitaker on the Hall of Fame: 'I didnt even get daylight' WebOn Dec. 31, 1972, Clemente boarded a small plane en route from Puerto Rico to Nicaragua to assist with earthquake relief. 13,959th in major league history) Why the Miami Marlins need to use free agency to add big bat, Google honors Toni Stone with Wednesdays doodle, Detroit Tigers finally announce date for Lou Whitaker's no. 8 spot among a sea of Hall of Famers. Mandatory Credit: Harry How /Allsport. Reliving Lou Whitaker's greatest games with the Tigers, As Tigers hail Lou Whitaker, he's ready for Hall of Fame nod: 'That day will come', Trammell was elected to the Hall by the veterans committee as part of the class of 2018, We went searching for Lou Whitaker stories. Lou Whitaker. With that came little acknowledgment that a great many defensive dives and slick plays are a function of players getting to balls late and. Outspoken in more ways than one, Schillings postseason greatness should have been enough to get him votes. He received votes from six of the 16 committee members, just half of the 12-vote total needed for induction. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. For those reasons, I think Lou Whitaker has got a really good chance. For comparison, Whitakers infield contemporary, Ozzie Smith, played 19 years (just like Whitaker) and is in the Hall of Fame for his defense (his career OPS+ is 87). Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? 1 in a pregame ceremony: "I couldn't be more honored to have No. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. The Hall of Fame.". Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. Whitaker was overlooked through most of his career, possibly because he didnt do any one thing at a Hall of Fame level. The Hall of Stats was built by Hamels is hoping to make a comeback in 2023 after watching from the sidelines for the past two seasons. Baseball history felt wrong without those two in the Hall of Fame. Lou Whitaker was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 5th round of the 1975 MLB June Amateur Draft from Martinsville HS (Martinsville, VA). Whitaker was a member of the 1984 World Series team, a five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, three-time Gold Glove winner, and the 1978 Rookie of the Year. Whitaker was a great defender too. Has A Baseball Player Ever Played In The World Series For Two Different Teams? Exclusive investigative reporting that fights for the truth, exposes corruption and gives voice to the voiceless all across Michigan. See the Was Mickey Mantle The Fastest MLB Baseball Player? Daylight could finally come this fall, though. Three players from the University of Tulsas baseball glory days are in this years McLain Athletic Hall of Fame class. Clemens also holds the record number of Cy Youngs collected, winning seven of these prestigious awards over the course of his career.Although Clemens was never held legally accountable for denying steroid usage, and although he never tested positive for PEDs, his trainer recorded that the pitcher used them. Next month, baseball will gather for the annual winter meetings. It might take him the full 10 years to get there, but Utley should eventually be a Hall of Famer. 2001 was not a great year to be on that ballot if you had unappreciated skills. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Lou Whitaker had a .276 average over his career. He collected 244 career home runs and 1,084 career RBIs.He and teammate Alan Trammell were known for consistently turning double plays. @baseballhall Lou Whitaker should be in the Hall of Fame. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for Lou Whitaker Detroit Tigers Baseball Hall Fame 1979 Topps Card 123 Louis Sweet at the best online prices at eBay! Mike Mussina had a comparable career, and it took him six years to get to 75 percent of the vote. . You would have had to watch us play the game game, not just defense, but the whole game, the full game (and) you would see that Tram and I were definitely worthy of being in the Hall of Fame.. Lou Whitaker misses Hall of Fame on Modern Era ballot - MLB or Also on the committee was Dave Dombrowski, who became familiar with Whitakers cause during Dombrowskis 14-year tenure as Tigers president and general manager. Curt Schilling had great years with the Philadelphia Phillies prior and the Boston Red Sox after. Only seven times in MLB history has a catcher won the batting title, and three of those belong to Mauer. "What am I supposed to say, now I'm up there (on Comerica Park wall), that I belong in the Hall of Fame?" Lester starred when the lights shined brightest with a 1.77 ERA in 35.2 career World Series innings en route to a pair of rings with the Boston Red Sox and a third as the ace of the staff for the Chicago Cubs in 2016. During Whitakers career the things he did best get on base, hit for good power for his position, and play outstanding defense were not judged in the same way as they are now and, frankly, were judged pretty poorly. What Is The Rarest Accomplishment In Baseball? Makes no sense that Alomar (67 WAR) is a 2nd ballot HOFer while Lou (75 WAR) got dumped. Sparky Anderson, he loved to play with this big grass because he thought he had groundball pitchers which we had nothing but fly ball pitchers with Morris and Gullickson, Whitaker said. The heavily loaded plane crashed just off the Puerto Rican We played, we won.. With NL Rookie of the Year, NL MVP, NL batting champ, seven-time All-Star and three-time World Series winner among his accolades, he is one of the most decorated players ever at the position. Lou Whitaker is the only player on this list whose lack of Hall of Fame induction is not associated with any scandals. You had some quality starters during those years but Jack pretty much dominated, was the ace. Alan Stuart Trammell was a Major League Baseball player who spent his entire 20-year player career with the Detroit Tigers ( 1977 - 1996 )! He collected 244 career home runs and 1,084 career RBIs. The Most Underrated Players of all time | Articles | Bill James Online But the universal respect that Molina had throughout his career should help him join that exclusive group. Why Do Base Runners Round The Bases In Baseball? Chase Utley retired with an OPS+ of 117, for example. Eddie Yost (15 over 150) Also already discussed. SP Clay BuchholzOF Melky CabreraSS/OF Ian Desmond3B David FreeseOF Carlos GmezOF Carlos GonzlezOF Curtis GrandersonSP Flix HernndezSP Edwin JacksonOF Adam Jones2B Ian KinslerSP Francisco LirianoC Russell MartinC Brian McCannDH Kendrys Morales2B Dustin PedroiaIF Martn PradoSS Hanley Ramrez3B Mark ReynoldsRP Fernando RodneySP CC SabathiaOF Ichiro Suzuki1B Mark TrumboSS Troy TulowitzkiSP Jason Vargas2B Ben Zobrist. There are no slam dunk Hall of Famers on the ballot for the first time in 2026. Lou Brock As for arguments against him, heres the most I can muster: Normally that peak/black ink thing would be a big blow to a Hall of Fame case, but not so much with second baseman who, again, are not expected to be the best offensive players on your team. Lou Whitaker Detroit Tigers Baseball Hall Fame 1979 Topps Card Free Press sports writers Tony Garcia and Evan Petzold and the Associated Press contributed to this report. He also aged as well as any player in recent memory with 52.2 WAR from his age-30 season until his retirement. Lou Whitaker (136 over 440) Already discussed several times. Also on the ballot were guys on this and previous years Modern Baseball Era ballots such as Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Tommy John, Steve Garvey, and Don Mattingly. The heavily loaded plane crashed just off the Puerto Rican coast, and Clementes body was never recovered. Although some discredit the record because of the Performance Enhancing Drugs Bonds was using, he still holds the MLB record for most home runs in a season, smacking an outrageous 73 balls out of the park in 2001. 1 next to No. Now thats unfair right there, he said. It can hurt to be one of many Men on a very deep and very balanced playoff team like Whitaker was in 1984 and 1987. Exceeded rookie limits during 1978 season, View Player Bio That's not my job. Whitakers numbers need contextualizing, not just for his era or position, but also the ballpark in which he played. The Detroit Tigers selected Whitaker in the fifth round, with the 99th overall selection, of the 1975 Major League Baseball draft. The makeup call factor is clear: everyone knows the BBWAA messed this up and almost everyone knows that Whitaker was jobbed. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. He came off, what, last few years or whatever. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2014 Hall of Fame Crusades Printing Plates Yellow #11 Lou Gehrig 1/1 A03 447 at the best online prices at eBay! Personal Hall of Fame, Part 4: The Infield, Personal Hall of Fame, Part 1: Time to Commit, Nobodys In: This is Why I Made the Hall of Stats, Vote: 50 Best Players Not in the Hall of Fame. Of course, the actual Hall of Fames actual standard is not and never has been that. The Hall of Fame The only thing thats keeping my range of motion down is the swelling, so Im sure today well try to get all of that out of there.. to do something fancy as opposed to making it look effortless. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. Miller, Simmons elected to HOF on Modern Era ballot. Detroit fans, for their part, havent forgotten Whitaker or Trammell. vs. BOS 5 AB, 3 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 SB, Last Game: LOU WHITAKER The company became the official tour operator of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007, a month before the induction of Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn drew a record Like Alomar, Whitaker was a Gold Glove-caliber defender and won three Gold Glove Awards. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Here's what we found, the Tigers retired the infielders No. Im sure I couldve played another four years, if I wanted to be there for numbers and whatever other things that might dare to come, Whitaker said. Zimmerman rather quietly tallied 284 home runs and 1,061 RBI in 16 seasons with the Washington Nationals. 2023 www.freep.com. (More Thanks). Pujols is arguably the greatest right-handed hitter in baseball history. Jason Beck. If you just look at offensive numbers as BBWAA voters often did more than 20 years ago, its easy to see why Detroit Tigers legend Lou Whitaker did not receive much support for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Bonds and Clemens have Hall of Fame numbers, but were accused of using performance-enhancing drugs during their later seasons. The next few years should bring more Hall of Fame talent to the ballot with Adrin Beltr, Joe Mauer and Chase Utley set to become eligible for the first time in 2024, and Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia waiting just around the corner in 2025.