This Day In Blue Jays' History: July 31, 2011

This Day in Blue Jays’ History: July 31, 2011

                It was on this day in 2011 that former Blue Jays’ second baseman Roberto Alomar became the first player to have his uniform number retired by the Toronto club. To date, he remains the only player in franchise history to have received that honour. Seven days earlier, Alomar became the first player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame wearing a Blue Jays’ cap on his plaque.

                Three weeks ago, we featured Alomar on our Top 40 All-time Blue Jays list. To see hi-lights of his career, click here to read that profile.

                Besides Alomar, four other players in the Hall played for Toronto at some point during their careers. Rickey Henderson played for Toronto in 1993 and was inducted into the Hall in 2009. Dave Winfield played for the Jays in 1992 and was inducted into the Hall in 2001. Paul Molitor (inducted in 2004) played three seasons for Toronto (1993-95). And finally, Phil Niekro (inducted 1997) pitched three games for the Jays in 1987.

                At Rogers Centre, the Jays have a “Level of Excellence” where former players and other contributors to the organization are honoured. Besides Alomar, those include players George Bell, Joe Carter, Carlos Delgado, Tony Fernandez and Dave Stieb, manager Cito Gaston, executives Pat Gillick and Paul Beeston, and broadcaster Tom Cheek.

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July update on Brock Dykxhoorn, Lancaster JetHawks

                It’s been a couple of months since we did an update on Delhi, Ontario’s Brock Dykxhoorn. For those who may not have been following our other posts on the young pitcher, Dykxhoorn is currently in his second full season of professional baseball in the Houston Astros organization. After spending 2015 with the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Midwest League, he is pitching for the Lancaster JetHawks in the California League this year.

                But before we take a look at his performance, let’s look at how the JetHawks are doing. They finished the first half of the season with a .500 record—35 wins and 35 losses, landing in third place in the South Division, eight games behind the division winner High Desert Mavericks, and therefore missing out on the first-half playoff spot.

                The JetHawks still have a shot at the postseason, however, if they can capture the best record in the second half. And right now, they are in first place after 32 games with a 21-11 record, good enough for a 1 ½ game lead over the Lake Elsinore Storm. Should they fail to hold that lead, they can still qualify as a Wild Card if they can manage the best record of all the teams in the division who didn’t finish first in either the first or second halves. When you consider that there are only five teams in the division, they have a pretty good shot.

                Now, as for our Canadian kid, he pitched in five games over the course of June, totalling 25 2/3 innings and posting a 1-1 record and recording 21 strikeouts. His best effort of June was his final start of the month, on the 29^th against High Desert when he pitched eight innings, allowed two earned runs on five hits and struck out four on his way to picking up the victory.

                July has seen Dykxhoorn hit a bit of a rough patch. While he posted a 2-1 win/loss record this month, his ERA has jumped to 5.02 for the season. He pitched in 20 1/3 innings in four games in July, and struck out nine. His last start this past Tuesday, was his best performance of the month as he pitched 5 2/3 innings, struck out three and surrendered only one run in defeating Lake Elsinore.

                For the season, Dykxhoorn has a 7-3 record, has posted a 5.02 ERA and struck out 63 batters in 89 2/3 innings. He is within seven strikeouts of reaching 200 for his minor league career and two wins shy of 20. Achieving both before the end of the season is a probability.

                Our next update will be at the end of August and we will have a better idea of the JetHawks chances of making the postseason as the regular season ends on September 5^th.

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Why Trading Bautista now, doesn't make sense

                When the Toronto Blue Jays picked up outfielder Melvin Upton Jr from the San Diego Padres on Monday, I thought it was a fairly decent pick-up. Upton has some solid numbers, decent speed and is a great glove man. But then I started wondering why the trade was made. In an outfield already featuring All-Star Michael Saunders, Kevin Pillar and Jose Bautista, with Ezequiel Carrera as the fourth option, why was it necessary to add another? I started thinking about the possibility of the Jays looking to move Bautista. Sure enough, 48 hours later, rumours started surfacing that the Washington Nationals had been inquiring about the possibility of acquiring Bautista to solidify their line-up.

                Now, chances are that it’s nothing more than a rumour. Bautista can veto any trade he chooses, Washington would have to part with too much to get him and with the Toronto slugger being a free agent following the season, Washington would probably be only getting a rent-a-player.

                Still, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. No one thought the Detroit Tigers would trade David Price last year either, but they sent him on his way when—if you’ll pardon the expression—the price was right.

                But the question that should be being asked is: does it make sense to unload Bautista at this point of the season? And I would have to answer with a resounding “No!” Now those who read my post on Bautista this past February, when he proclaimed that he would not take any hometown discounts to stay with the Blue Jays and that his price tag was non-negotiable will remember that I suggested Toronto trade him after those statements, and to do it soon while they could get something of value in return.

                Here’s why I’ve changed my mind. First of all, it’s too late in the season now. If they were going to part ways with him, it should have been before the season started. To do so now may disrupt the chemistry on the ball club. It might cause some of the other players to question why management would give up on the season when they’re in the thick of the division race.

Even though Bautista has missed about a month with a toe injury, he is still a valuable contributor to the team and the other players see that. It’s hard to part with as vital a cog as Bautista, unless Washington is willing to give up someone like (ha ha) Max Scherzer, or Gio Gonzalez, or another starting pitcher who can help solidify the rotation much like Price did last year.

                And since I’m sure Washington would only offer some prospects, players who wouldn’t contribute to the Jays’ playoff chase this season, it doesn’t make sense to part with the best slugger Toronto has had over the past half-dozen seasons.

                That brings me to my second point. Despite Bautista’s underachieving season thus far (and how much is due to his injuries is unknown) he is still a dangerous hitter that can provide a home run, or a clutch extra base hit when needed. And you can’t forget his contributions down the stretch and in the postseason last year. Don’t forget his blast that won the ALDS against Texas. Also remember that he was the Jays’ only hitter who didn’t crap the bed in the sixth game of the ALCS against Kansas City.

                Finally, I don’t think it would be smart to trade a player like Bautista to a team that Toronto could possibly face if they make it to the World Series in October. That would be a recipe for disaster and would cause all sorts of second-guessing and vilification from the media and fans if the Series didn’t work out in the Jays’ favour.

                No, it’s best that Toronto hold on to Bautista for the stretch run. You have to roll the dice with him and go all-in for 2016. While the possibility exists that he might not be back in 2017, along with a host of others, that’s a chance you have to take in order to put the best lineup possible on the field—the lineup that has the best chance of returning the label of “World Champions” back to the city of Toronto.

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This Day In Baseball History: July 28, 1993

This Day In Baseball History: July 28, 1993

                It was on this date in 1993 Seattle Mariners centre-fielder Ken Griffey Junior, tied a Major League record when he homered in his eighth consecutive game. His home run to right field leading off the bottom of the seventh at the Kingdome in Seattle, was the lone bright spot of the game for the Mariners as they lost to the Minnesota Twins by a score of 5-1.

                The record of eight straight games with a home run had first been set by Dale Long of the Pittsburgh Pirates when he accomplished the feat from May 19 to May 28 in 1956. The next player to have eight consecutive games with a homer was Don Mattingly of the New York Yankees when he did it from July 8 to July 18 in 1987.

                Griffey’s streak started on July 20 against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The second game was also in the Bronx with games 3 to 6 of the streak coming at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. The final two games of the streak were played in the Kingdome. Griffey almost extended the streak to nine games on July 19 when he smashed a drive to left-centre field that hit up against the wall for a double.

                To date, these three players remain the only ones in history to hit home runs in eight straight games. Only three other players have ever made it to seven games: Jim Thome of the Indians in 2002, Barry Bonds of the Giants in 2004 and Kevin Mench of the Rangers in 2006. A six-game home run streak has been accomplished 15 times, with the last being Daniel Murphy of the New York Mets, who did it during the postseason in 2015.

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Top 25 All-time Blue Jays' Games: #25: Jays Clinch 2015 A.L. East

                Welcome to the first of our 25-part series on the best games in Blue Jays’ history. With thousands of games to choose from, how is it possible to rank the top 25 games? Well, we looked at a variety of factors and chose accordingly. The top 25 list may not have been the most exciting games in history (although some of them are) but we also have to look at relevance and importance in the history of the franchise. These are significant games that have helped define the Toronto Blue Jays franchise over the past 40 years.

                As always, I welcome your comments to the email address below. Enjoy.

#25: Jays clinch A.L. East title, 2015

Toronto Blue Jays (15) at Baltimore Orioles (2)

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Oriole Park at Camden Yards

            Now, I know what you’re thinking: how can a game with a final score of 15-2 be considered one of the best in franchise history? Well, as I mentioned, excitement of the game is only a portion of what we looked at, and while this game turned into a laugher, the significance is highly important.

This is the game in which the Jays clinched the American League East Division for the first time since 1993. A brilliant final two months of the season finished off a second-half for the ages as the Jays turned an eight-game deficit into winning the division by six and finishing the season with 93 victories, the most since their 95-win season of 1993.

Toronto had already clinched a play-off spot by virtue of its 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays four games earlier, but with a Wild Card game a sudden-death affair, securing the division was paramount.

The Jays had Marcus Stroman on the mound, in only his fourth start of the season after coming back from knee surgery sooner than expected. Miguel Gonzalez countered for the Orioles, who were finishing off a rather disappointing 2015 season after winning the division a year earlier.

After a scoreless first inning, Toronto struck for two in the second. Designated hitter, Edwin Encarnacion, led off the inning with a walk and one out later, he scored on a double by catcher Russell Martin. An RBI single up the middle by shortstop Ryan Goins scored Martin making the score 2-0.

That lead was upped to 4-0 in the fourth. With two out and two runners on, left-fielder Ben Revere singled to centre scoring Goins. After a walk to third baseman Josh Donaldson loaded the bases, another walk—to right-fielder Jose Bautista—scored second baseman, Darwin Barney.

In the fifth, the lead was doubled. With two on and two out, Barney grounded the ball to the pitcher. Two errors later, both runners and Barney had crossed the plate making the score 7-0. Back-to-back doubles by Revere and Donaldson increased the lead to 8-0.

The score became 10-0 in the seventh when Encarnacion smacked a two-run home run with Donaldson on base. Stroman’s shutout bid came to an end when he yielded a solo homer to Steve Pearce, but the Jays put an exclamation mark on the regular season with a five-run top of the ninth inning. Bautista homered with one out. After Encarnacion singled, Justin Smoak hit a two-run shot. Later in the inning, both centre fielder Kevin Pillar and Barney had RBI singles to make the score 15-1.

Baltimore scored their second run of the game in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI triple by catcher Steve Clevenger off of Toronto reliever LaTroy Hawkins, but Hawkins rebounded with two consecutive strike outs to end the game and clinch the division.

It was the sixth division title in team history, but as I mentioned earlier, the first in 22 years. The impact it had on the franchise and its fan base cannot be understated. In a matter of months, the Jays went from playing in front of an overage of 20,000 to having the Rogers Centre sold out every game. The 2015 Jays made baseball relevant in Toronto once again and raised the level of expectations.

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Recommended Reading: "I Was Right On Time"

I Was Right On Time

Author: Buck O’Neil

With

Steve Wulf & David Conrads

Published: 1996

Pages: 254

                If you call yourself a baseball fan and you’ve never heard of Buck O’Neil—or know very little about him—you need to do yourself two favours. The first, read this book as it covers his journey from the celery fields of Carrabelle, Florida to the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues to his time as a coach in the Majors. I’ll give you a quick review but first, let’s get to your second favour.

                Watch the Ken Burns’ documentary, “Baseball”, released in 1994. In it, you’ll find all kinds of baseball stories and anecdotes from O’Neil, who Burns interviewed extensively throughout the nine-part production. Buck is as witty and charming as he is knowledgeable. From his stories about the great Negro Leagues players to his singing of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”, he is probably the most entertaining interviewee in the entire documentary.

                As for the book, it was published in 1996 when he was 84 years old. By that time, he had seen everyone from Babe Ruth and Cool Papa Bell, to Mickey Mantle and Satchel Paige, to Pete Rose and Bo Jackson.

                He tells the story of how, as a seventeen-year old and working in the celery fields, hot and sweating, tired and miserable, he said to himself—but out loud—“Damn, there’s got be something better than this.” Later in the day his father, who was a foreman, told Buck he had heard him in the fields and told him, “You’re right. There is something better than this. But you can’t find it here. You’re going to have to go out and get it.”

                And that’s exactly what Buck O’Neil did. He became one of the best ball players to ever play in the Negro Leagues, and after his playing days were over, he became a manager. Throughout the book, the reader keeps waiting for him to either complain about, or regret never being able to play in the Majors because of segregation. But he never does. He didn’t hold a grudge about being kept out of MLB, nor did he hold ill-will towards those who tried to keep him out.

                He does mention that he was looking for a way out of the celery fields and baseball got him out. Thankfulness and graciousness are the best qualities in him as he writes about his experiences.

                The best part about reading this book is that you feel as if you are sitting across from him in his living room, while he gets caught up in another of his wonderful stories about life in the Negro Leagues. Everything he says holds interest and excitement and sometimes you have to wonder if he’s exaggerating just a little bit, but at the same time know he’s telling it from his truthful perspective.

                All-in-all, this is a must read, even if the book is 20 years old. It’s full of everything that’s good about baseball and will make you feel like you’re enveloped in your childhood again.

                It has almost been ten years since Buck O’Neil passed (October 2006) just one month shy of his 95^th birthday. For a man born in racially-divided American, with him being on the wrong side (or to say it better, being on the wronged side), he never presents any dissatisfaction with his life, his career or America.

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This Day In Blue Jays' History: July 25, 2004

               It was on this day in 2004 that Toronto Blue Jays’ first baseman Carlos Delgado became the first player in team history to record 1000 RBIs. In a game at SkyDome, in which the Blue Jays would defeat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays by a score of 5-3, Delgado launched a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning off of Rays’ pitcher Victor Zambrano to reach the milestone. It was Delgado’s only hit of the game.

                Delgado played 12 seasons with the Blue Jays and 2004 would be his final year with the club before signing as a free agent with the Florida Marlins. After one year in Miami, Delgado would play four seasons with the New York Mets.

                For his final season in Toronto, Delgado would post a .269 batting average, hit 32 home runs and add 99 RBIs. For his Blue Jays’ career, he would finish with a .282 average, and be the franchise leader in home runs (336) and RBIs (1058). In the eleven-plus years since he left, no other Blue Jay has come close to hitting 300 home runs or 1000 RBIs, so it’s safe to assume his records are safe for a while.

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Five Players Who Should Be In The Hall: #1: Pete Rose

Top Five Players Who Should Be In the Hall of Fame

#1. Pete Rose

            Okay, let’s get right to the point: what did Pete Rose do that was so bad, that Major League Baseball not only suspended him for life but won’t allow him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame? The answer is he gambled on the Cincinnati Reds (the team he was managing) to win games. Yeah, let’s ban him for that. Real smart, MLB.

            Twenty-seven years later, I still don’t see what the big deal is. It’s not like he gambled on the Reds to lose and then manipulated his lineup and strategies so he could collect. He had enough faith in his team that he bet on them to win. And if anybody wants to dispute that, check out this article that was published by the New York Daily News just last year (click here). You will find that it states there is no evidence that Rose bet against the Reds.

            When you consider all of the players that are in the Hall and some of the things they did during their lives, it is absolutely ridiculous and complete hypocrisy that Major League Baseball refuses to right this wrong and allow Rose back into baseball. But it’s the same story that it is for “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. Baseball’s unpardonable sin, for some reason, is gambling. Absurd, really, considering all the countless drug abusers (among others) who have been given countless chances.

            Let’s get to Rose’s career and look at the reasons why he should be in the Hall. First of all, he is baseball’s All-time hit leader, with a total of 4256. That’s reason enough to get him inducted, but let’s keep going. He won the National League’s Rookie of the Year Award in 1963, the NL’s MVP Award in 1973, was a 17-time All-Star Game participant (at five different positions including first, second and third base, left field and right field), won two Gold Gloves (1969 and 1970), collected 200 or more hits in a season ten times, led the league in hits seven times, batting average three times, runs scored four times, and helped his team win the World Series three times (1975 and 1976 with the Reds and 1980 with the Phillies.)

            Besides his record number of hits, his career stats include a .303 batting average, 2165 runs scored, 160 home runs, 1314 RBIs, 198 stolen bases, 746 doubles, 135 triples, and a career .987 fielding percentage. He is also MLB’s all-time leader in games played (3562), at-bats (14,053) and singles (3215). Rose also holds the National League’s record for hits in consecutive games at 44 (tied with Willie Keeler) which he accomplished in 1978.

In 67 post season games, he had a .321 batting average and was the World Series MVP in 1975 when he hit .370.

            What happens to be Rose’s trademark is his hustle. In fact, his nickname was “Charlie Hustle”. While he wasn’t blessed with blinding speed, it was his willingness to give it one hundred per cent on every play that stood out more than his talent. You have to wonder how many extra hits he got because of his hustle, or how many more runs scored, doubles, etc.

            Well, there you have it. I could write more but I’ll stop for now. I’ll finish by saying the Pete Rose’s exclusion from Baseball’s Hall of Fame is an injustice and must be fixed. And no, I will never stop beating that drum. As long as I continue to blog, you can expect me to keep my opinions strong on the matter. 

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Five Players Who Should Be In The Hall: #2: Barry Bonds

Top Five Players Who Should Be In the Hall of Fame

#2. Barry Bonds

                Barry Bonds falls into the same category as Roger Clemens. A remarkable player and contributor to Major League Baseball but because of PED and steroid accusations (again, nothing ever confirmed), the BBWAA have decided to punish him by not allowing him entry into the Hall of Fame. I guess the baseball writers (hypocrites that they are) forget that they made a living by writing about players like Bonds and Clemens for more than two decades, but now that PEDs have been declared as bad for the game (blame Bud Selig for it not happening sooner) they take the high-and-mighty approach now that they can no longer write stories about the exploits now that the playing days are over.

                Most of what I said about Clemens yesterday could be said about Bonds as well, so I won’t reiterate it. I’ll just point out that he was indicted in 2007 on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice, and while he was originally found guilty on the obstruction charge, a US Court of Appeals panel overturned the decision by a 10-1 margin. Case closed, Bonds was not charged.

                Now, on to his baseball career, which was one of the best in many generations. Barry Bonds was born into a baseball family as his father, Bobby, played 14 years in the Majors, primarily with the San Francisco Giants. Barry was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round (sixth pick overall) in the 1985 Amateur Draft. He would make his MLB debut in 1986 and would play 22 Hall of Fame-calibre seasons, seven with the Pirates, 15 with the San Francisco Giants.

                Unlike most power hitters, Bonds was also quick enough to steal bases, swiping 36 in his rookie season of 1986. He also hit 16 home runs and would finish sixth in Rookie of the Year voting. In his seven years with Pittsburgh, Bonds would win the National League MVP award two times: first in 1990 (.301 batting average, 33 home runs, 114 RBIs and 52 stolen bases) and in 1992 (.311, 34, 103 and 39). He would help the Pirates win three straight NL East division titles but they would fail to make the World Series all three tries.

                He signed as a free agent with San Francisco for the 1993 season and would put up even better numbers on the West Coast. An NL-leading 46 home runs and 123 RBIs, combined with a .336 batting average were good enough for a second consecutive MVP Award and third overall. But Bonds wasn’t done. He was becoming such a dangerous hitter that pitchers started to avoid him by walking him, either intentionally or being careful pitching to him. He would lead the NL in walks for four straight years from 1994 to 1997.

                But despite the growing number of walks, Bonds continued to hit home runs and he continued to steal bases. On August 23, 1998, he became the first player in MLB history to enter the 400-400 club (400 home runs and 400 stolen bases). Unfortunately, being the complete all-round baseball player that was obviously the best talent in the game was being ignored by the media due to the McGwire-Sosa home run chase.

                In 2001, Bonds would embark on the greatest period of his career (as if he hadn’t done it already) by winning four consecutive MVP Awards, bringing his total to seven. He passed McGwire’s record of 70 home runs in one season when he smashed 73 of them. However, unlike McGwire, Bonds wasn’t one-dimensional as he also batted .328 and played solid defense as well.

                The following year, 2002, would see fewer home runs (46) but an amazing .370 batting average and an incredible 198 walks. In 2003, with already more than 600 home runs in his career, he stole his 500^th career base on June 23, making him the first member of the 500-500 club.

                Despite his age, Bonds would continue to hit home runs at an astounding level (hence the PED accusations started). He passed Willie Mays into third place, then Babe Ruth into second and started his charge towards Hank Aaron and the 755 all-time MLB home run record.

                Finally, on August 7, 2007, against the Washington Nationals at PNC Park in San Francisco, Bonds connected for number 756, becoming baseball’s all-time home run king. There was little fanfare for the vent because of Bonds’ PED link. Baseball Commission, Bud Selig, was not in attendance to witness the milestone, neither was Hank Aaron. But none of it mattered to Bonds. He had slugged his way into the record books.

                Bonds retired at the end of the 2007 season with these remarkable accomplishments: seven MVP Awards, 14 All-Star Game appearances, 12 Silver Slugger Awards and eight Gold Gloves. His all-time MLB career records include home runs (762), walks (2558) and an unfathomable 688 intentional walks.

                His career batting average was .298. He also collected 2935 hits, 2227 runs scored, 1996 RBIs, 514 stolen bases and a .607 slugging percentage. He was the season league leader in home runs only twice, but he also led the league in walks 12 times, on base percentage ten times, slugging percentage seven times and intentional walks 12 times.

                Wow. Time to catch my breath. He should be in the Hall, no questions asked. The numbers don’t lie and his voting percentage is increasing yearly. Hopefully, the BBWAA will get off their high horse and give Bonds the respect he earned in his 22 season in the Majors, and put him in Cooperstown, where he belongs.

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Five Players Who Should Be In The Hall: #3: Roger Clemens

Top Five Players Who Should Be In the Hall of Fame

#3. Roger Clemens

                This one is a no-brainer. Roger Clemens is the best pitcher baseball has seen in the last sixty years—maybe more. Let’s go over the details: an eleven-time All-Star, seven-time Cy Young Award winner (won at least one in both Leagues), the 1986 AL MVP, two-time Pitching Triple Crown winner, four times led the AL in wins, seven times led the AL in ERA, five times led the AL in strikeouts, two-time World Series winner, 354 career wins, 46 shutouts, 4672 strikeouts (third all-time), and a member of MLB’s All-Century Team.

                But it’s obvious why the Baseball Writers of America Association won’t vote him into the hall, and that would be his link to having used Performance Enhancing Drugs. However, he never tested positive and there is no proof that he ever took PEDs. Now, his critics will say I’m being naïve and they will point to indictment by a federal grand jury for perjury, false statements and contempt of congress for lying to the United States Congress when answering questions regarding the PED allegations.

                However, I will point out that he was found “not guilty” in his second trial after a mistrial was declared during the first proceedings. Again, critics will point out that just because he was not guilty doesn’t mean that he never used PEDs. And that’s true, it doesn’t. But it also doesn’t mean that he did take them and any opinions are strictly that: opinions and hearsay. And the fact that the BBWAA is hiding behind these presumptions and opinions is rather sickening.

                The fact of the matter is that Roger Clemens is one of the best pitchers of all-time and to deny him entry into the Hall Of Fame is shameful and hypocritical.

                Now, let’s have a look at his career.

                Clemens first gained notoriety in 1986 when he won his first Cy Young Award while winning 24 games with the Boston Red Sox, leading them to the AL East title and a trip to the World Series. His 2.48 ERA also led the AL and he struck out 238 batters. On April 29 of that season, he set a Major League record, that has never been broken, of striking out 20 hitters in one game.

                He won his second Cy Young in 1987 when he won 20 games, led the AL in complete games and shutouts while striking out 256 batters. He would go to play a total of 13 years in Boston, winning 192 games over that span, picking up his third Cy Young Award in 1991.

                He signed as a free agent with the Toronto Blue Jays prior to the 1997 season, and while he only pitched two years in Toronto, he won baseball’s pitching triple crown (league leader in wins, ERA and strikeouts) both years and won two more Cy Youngs.

                He was traded to the Yankees where he helped the team win two World Series (1999 and 2000) while picking up his sixth Cy Young in 2001 when he posted a record of 20-3. He left the Yankees after the 2003 season and signed with the Houston Astros where he would play for three years. He won his seventh Cy Young Award in 2004 and helped pitch the Astros to the National League Pennant in 2005.

                One final season followed with the Yankees in 2006 but age and injury had caught up to the right-hander and me managed only a 6-6 record in 17 starts for New York. He retired following the season at the age of 44.

                Chances are Clemens could very well earn entry into the Hall Of Fame one day, but it could be a while before all the commotion dies down from the false PED accusations. Whether he took them or not may never be known, but when other players from the so-called “Steroid Era” are gaining entry into the Hall, it seems rather ridiculous that the best pitcher we will see in our lifetimes is still being rejected.

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Five Players Who Should Be In The Hall: #4: Joe Jackson

Top Five Players Who Should Be In the Hall of Fame

#4. “Shoeless” Joe Jackson

                Any student of baseball history should know who “Shoeless” Joe Jackson is but for those who don’t, here’s the quick version of it. He is one of eight players for the Chicago White Sox who allegedly took money from gamblers to purposely lose the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in 1919. While the Sox were heavy favourites, they lost the best-of-nine series in eight games and suspicious play by various members of the team brought forth an investigation.

                While the eight players were found “not guilty” in a court of law, MLB commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis ruled that any player who associated with gambling would be banned for life from baseball. This was the beginning of what may be considered the “unpardonable sin” of baseball. Over the years, players have been given second chances after drug-abuse, domestic situations and other indiscretions, but for some reason, those associated with gambling are not given another chance.

                Back to Jackson, while most would know the story of the “Black Sox Scandal”, what some may not know is just how remarkable a player he was. But his story begins before his baseball career. Jackson had neither the ability to read nor write and the reason for that was because starting at the age of six, he worked 12 hours a day in the textile mills of Greenville, South Carolina, due to family finances.

                The story of his nickname comes from receiving a new pair of baseball cleats that were too tight and blistered his feet. In order to alleviate the pain, he removed the shoes, prompting a heckler in the crowd to call him a “shoeless son of a gun.”

                Okay, enough of the legend, let’s look at the stats. He played a total of ten games for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1909 and 1910 before being traded to the Cleveland Indians. In his four complete seasons with the Tribe, Jackson had the best years of his career, garnering MVP votes all four years, finishing second in 1913.

                He led the American League in hits in 1912 (226) and 1913 (197). His batting averages for those years was .408, 395, .373 and .338. His .408 batting average in 1912, along with the 233 base hits he tallied were not enough to lead the league. Detroit’s Ty Cobb had more hits (248) and a .420 average. However, Jackson’s stellar play was enough to get him noticed by Chicago White Sox owner, Charles Comiskey, who traded for the outfielder during the 1915 season.

                In his first full season with the Sox (1916) Jackson would have a .341 batting average and lead the AL with 21 triples. The following year, he would help lead Chicago to a World Series championship. The White Sox defeated the New York Giants four games to two and Jackson batted .304 with two RBIs and four runs scored.

                Jackson would miss most of the 1918 season while working in a shipyard because of World War I, but he returned to the Sox without missing a beat the following year. His .351 average would help lead the team to the AL Pennant and the fateful World Series. Due to Comiskey’s penny-pinching ways, the eight members of the Sox felt cheated because they weren’t making enough money and agreed to lose the World Series in exchange for somewhere between five and ten thousand dollars. Considering they were only paid about six thousand for their six months of work during the season, it’s easy to see why the offer was enticing.

                Despite the accusations, Jackson set a World Series record with 12 hits, a mark that stood until the 1964 Series. He also hit the only home runs of the Series and finished with a .375 batting average.

                The scandal didn’t break until the 1920 season was nearing the end. Despite having a chance to go to the World Series for a second consecutive year, Comiskey suspended his players until the investigation was complete. Jackson was having another magnificent season, batting .382 while leading the league with 20 triples.

                There have been many stories over the years that Jackson was never involved in the discussions about losing the World Series. He was never seen at any of the meetings and it has often been debated that his name was just thrown around in the meetings to persuade the rest of the players to join in. However, Major League Baseball has not seen fit to exonerate Jackson from any guilt and even now, sixty-five years after his death, and 97 years since the 1919 World Series, he is still not eligible for the Hall of Fame.

                His numbers indicate he should be there. His .356 career batting average ranks higher than any player in history except for Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby. 

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Five Players Who Should Be In The Hall: #5: Tim Raines

                Since it’s still Hall Of Fame Week and we’ve already looked at this year’s inductees, I thought it would be fun to make a Top 5 list of players who are, without a doubt, Hall worthy, but for various reasons have not been inducted as of yet. These are players whose stats and impact on the game of baseball is undeniable, but—for most on the list—the powers that be (whoever they might be) have felt it in the best interest of the game to leave them out.

                This is strictly my list. These are players who unjustly have not gotten the honour they so deserve. It is my hope that one day, others will put aside their prejudices and realize that it is in the best interest of the game to induct them into the Hall. Enjoy.

Top Five Players Who Should Be In the Hall of Fame

#5. Tim Raines

                After my little intro up top, I will have to start this profile by saying Tim Raines is probably the only player on my list not being kept out of the Hall due to a prejudicial reason. Most likely, Raines hasn’t been inducted yet because it hasn’t been his time. Every year that goes by, the percentage of the votes he receives grows (this past January, he received 69.8% of the votes while 75% is the minimum required). I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets inducted in 2017, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t already be in Cooperstown.

                Raines played 23 seasons of Big League baseball including the first 12 with the Montreal Expos, five with the Chicago White Sox, three with the New York Yankees before bouncing around his final three seasons with Oakland, Montreal again, Baltimore and Florida.

                He made a name for himself while with the Expos, the team that drafted him in the fifth round of the 1977 Amateur Draft. While playing only a handful of games in 1979 and 1980, Raines’s official rookie season was the strike-shortened year of 1981 when he played in 88 games. His .304 average, and National League-leading 71 stolen bases (yup, that’s right: 71 steals in 88 games) helped him finish second in the NL’s Rookie of the Year voting. He also helped the Expos into the postseason for the first (and only) time in franchise history.

                Raines would continue to lead the NL in stolen bases for three more years (78 in 1982, 90 in 1983 and 75 in 1984) while winning the NL batting crown with a .334 average in 1986. He won a Silver Slugger Award, also in 1986, and played in seven consecutive All-Star Games from 1981 to 1987. He would finish up with the Expos after the 1990 season and still holds single-season team records for runs scored (133 in 1983) and triples (13 in 1985) while holding All-time franchise records in runs scored (947), triples (82), walks (793) and stolen bases (635). Incidentally, second place on the Expos/Washington Nationals stolen bases list is Marquis Grissom with 266.

                He was traded to the Chicago White Sox prior to the 1990 season and spent five years with the team, helping them to the AL West Division title in 1993. While still putting up decent numbers, they didn’t compare to those he put up with the Expos. He stole 50 bases just once with Chicago (51 in 1991) whereas he did it seven times with Montreal.

                At the end of the 1995 season, Chicago traded Raines to the New York Yankees, where he was no longer a full-time player, but platooned with several players in left-field. Raines helped the Yankees win two World Series in 1996 and 1998 before singing with the Oakland Athletics for the 1999 season.

                Midway through his season with Oakland, he underwent a kidney biopsy and was diagnosed with lupus. He missed the rest of the season and all of 2000 undergoing treatment and recovering.

                Prior to the 2001 season, he joined the Montreal Expos for his second stint. He didn’t play many games (47 altogether) and was traded, in a classy move by the Montreal organization, to the Baltimore Orioles on October 3, so he could play with his son, Tim Raines Jr. The following day, Tim Junior played centre-field while his dad played in left, becoming only the second father-son combination to play as teammates in the same game (the Griffeys being the other).

                One final year of baseball followed in 2002, when Raines played for the Florida Marlins, before calling it a career at the age of 42. His statistics speak for themselves: 2502 games played, 2605 hits, a .294 batting average, 1571 runs scored, 170 home runs, 980 RBIs, 1330 walks and 808 stolen bases.

                Hall worthy? Without a doubt.

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Hall of Fame, Class of 2016: Mike Piazza profile

Hall of Fame Profile: Mike Piazza

Teams Played With:

 Los Angeles Dodgers (1992-1998)

Florida Marlins (1998)

New York Mets (1998-2005)

San Diego Padres (2006)

Oakland Athletics (2007)

MLB Awards: NL Rookie of the Year (1993)

All-Star Game MVP (1996)

Silver Slugger (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002)

All-Star Game Selection: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999

2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005

Stats: Games Played 1912            Batting Average .308

                                               Base Hits 2127                     Runs Scored 1048

                                               Home Runs 427                    RBIs  1335

                                               Doubles  344                         Triples  8

                                               Stolen Bases  17                   Walks  759

                When most teams look for a starting catcher, they look for a player who can handle a pitching staff, has a strong arm to throw out base runners and whatever offensive production he produces is a bonus. Mike Piazza was the exact opposite of those requirements. He was an average fielding catcher, with a decent arm, but was perhaps one of the most productive hitting catchers in MLB history.

                He was drafted by the Dodgers in the—get this—62^nd round of the 1988 Amateur Draft. After a few years in the minors, he made his debut in the Bigs in 1992 appearing in 21 games with LA. He became the Dodgers’ full-time catcher in 1993 and displayed the offensive skills that would make him a perennial All-Star for the next dozen years.

                In 149 games, he had an average of .318, smashed 35 home runs and added 112 RBIs, easily winning the National League’s Rookie of the Year Award. He also won the first of ten consecutive Silver Slugger Awards and appeared in his first of ten straight All-Star Games. He set a Dodgers’ team record of 18 home runs by a rookie before the All-Star Break (the record was broken in 2015 by Joc Pederson).

                Piazza would consistently hit 30 or more home runs every year he was with the Dodgers except for the strike-shortened year of 1994 when he hit 24. His best offensive years with LA were 1996 and 1997 when he finished second in NL MVP voting both seasons. In 1996, he batted .336 with 36 home runs and 105 RBIs. The following year, he out-did himself with a .362 batting average, 40 homers and 124 RBIs. Surprisingly, the .362 average was not good enough to lead the league as San Diego’s Tony Gwynn hit .372.

                However, despite all his success, the Dodgers traded him to the Florida Marlins mid-way through the 1998 season. But he didn’t stay in Miami very long—one week to be exact—before the Marlins traded him to the New York Mets.

                Piazza’s career would continue to thrive in the Big Apple and he would get more opportunities to play in the post-season than he had with the Dodgers. In his first full season with the Mets—1999—he would hit 40 home runs for the second time in his career, while batting .303 and adding 124 RBIs in leading the Mets to the National League’s Wild Card spot after defeating the Cincinnati Reds in the one-game playoff after the two teams finished with the same record.

                After upsetting the bought-and-paid-for Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS, the Mets lost the NLCS to the Atlanta Braves in six games. Piazza struggled against the Braves’ pitchers, batting only .167 in the series, but the Mets had much to look forward to in 2000.

                Piazza’s numbers in the first year of the new millennium were impressive (.324, 38, 113) but the Mets failed to win the NL East, finishing one game behind Atlanta, but qualifying for the Wild Card spot for the second year in a row.

                The Mets swept the Giants in the NLDS (Piazza only hit .214) and then knocked off the St. Louis Cardinals in five games to win the National League Pennant for the first time since 1986. Against the Cards, Piazza batted .412 with two home runs, four RBIs and seven runs scored.

                The Mets would lose the World Series to the Yankees but the most memorable moment of the Series involved Piazza and Yankee pitcher Roger Clemens in the second game. Earlier in the season, Piazza had been hit in the head by a Clemens’ pitch and suffered a concussion. While Clemens maintained it wasn’t intentional, baseball fans and media were expecting fireworks when the two met in Game 2 of the World Series.

                Most times, anticipated confrontations never happen as expected, but it did happen in Yankee Stadium in the first inning of the game. Piazza’s bat was broken by Clemens’s pitch and the barrel bounced in between the mound and first base. Piazza, as is instinct, started towards first base at contact but stopped when he realized the ball was foul.

                Clemens, however, picked up the broken bat and fired it into the ground close to where Piazza would have been running had he not stopped. The two exchanged glares and then started yapping at each other. The benches emptied but no fisticuffs happened.

                Piazza would play for the Mets for five more seasons but his skills started to erode, most likely due to the stress on his body after catching for so many years. While it was attempted to help ease the wear and tear by getting him into the game at first base, his defensive deficiencies were obvious and the experiment was abandoned.

                He would play one season for the Padres in 2006 and one for the Athletics in 2007 before retiring at the age of 39, having played 16 seasons in the Major Leagues. Despite the criticisms of his defense, Piazza caught two no-hitters with the Dodgers (Ramon Martinez and Hideo Nomo) and he led all NL catchers with a .997 fielding percentage in 2000.

                While he was considered a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Piazza failed to get enough percentage of the votes in his first three years of eligibility (2013-15). It could possibly be because of the steroid and PED allegations that he has been linked to since his retirement, although no proof of Piazza’s use of illegal drugs has ever surfaced.

                This year, he finally got the necessary votes to be inducted and it is well deserved for the greatest power-hitting catcher in baseball history. 

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Hall of Fame, Class of 2016: Ken Griffey Jr. Profile

                Welcome to Hall of Fame Week. This coming Sunday, the Hall will welcome two new members: Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza. Today, we will take a brief look at the career of Junior while tomorrow we look at Piazza. On Wednesday, we will begin out Top 5 list of MLB players who rightfully belong in the Hall but have been kept out for various reasons. Enjoy.

Hall of Fame Profile: Ken Griffey Jr.

Teams Played With:

 Seattle Mariners (1989-1999, 2009-2010)

Cincinnati Reds (2000-2008)

Chicago White Sox (2008)

MLB Awards: Most Valuable Player (1997)

Silver Slugger (1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999)

Gold Glove (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999)

All-Star Game Selection: 1999, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996,

1997,1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2007

Stats: Games Played 2671            Batting Average .284

                                              Base Hits 2781                     Runs Scored 1662

                                              Home Runs 630                    RBIs  1836

                                              Doubles  524                         Triples  38

                                              Stolen Bases  184                Walks  1312

                You could make an argument about Ken Griffey Jr being one of the most naturally gifted baseball players in history. He had talent beyond comprehension with his power, speed, outfield ability, and run production, all without ever being linked to Performance Enhancing Drugs as were a lot of the superstars of his era. If it weren’t for some injuries that cost him over 300 games during his time with the Cincinnati Reds, we would be talking about him being the home run king and not Barry Bonds.

                However, the injuries aside, he still put up Hall-worthy numbers and deserves his induction to baseball’s immortal shrine. Rather than do a year-by-year analysis of his career, I think it would be better to focus on specific areas and go into depth a bit more. We’ll start with his rookie season.

                While Griffey basically grew up from infancy surrounded by baseball (his father, Ken Griffey, was an All-Star outfielder with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees), he proved he was in the Bigs for more than just his name in his first season, 1989. As a 19-year old, Griffey finished third in voting for the American League’s Rookie of the Year Award, playing in 127 games, batting .264, hitting 16 home runs, driving in 61 and stealing 16 bases. His emergence with the Seattle Mariners gave the team some promise as up to this point in their history, the Mariners were just fodder for other teams in the American League West. Griffey’s presence would lead to other players coming to Seattle and helping build the club into a contender by the middle of the 1990s.

                One of the high-lights of his early career was being able to play with this father on the same team. In fact, on September 14, 1990, the Griffeys became the first father-son duo to hit back-to-back home runs in MLB history. That season was also the beginning of 11 consecutive All-Star Game appearances for Junior.

                As Griffey became a constant All-Star performer, the Mariners went about putting together a contending team. In 1995, they final qualified for the postseason for the first time, ten years after their expansion cousins, the Toronto Blue Jays, made their first appearance. The Mariners quickly fell behind two games to none in their best-of-five American League Division Series against the New York Yankees, but Seattle rebounded to win the next two games to force a Game 5.

                The Game was tied at four after nine innings and the Yankees took a 5-4 lead in the top of the eleventh. After second baseman Joey Cora led off the bottom of the inning with a single, Griffey followed with a single of his own. That set the stage for Edgar Martinez and his game-winning double that won the series for Seattle. Even though it was Martinez’s hit that drove in both runs, the image that will remain with any baseball fan that watched the game is Griffey sprinting around the bases and sliding into the plate with the game-winning run.

For the series, he batted .391, hit five home runs, drove in seven and scored nine runs.

                Unfortunately, the Mariners would come up short in the ALCS against Cleveland, but Griffey still managed to have a .333 batting average against the Indians.

                He would play four more seasons with the Mariners, leading the American League in home runs in 1997 (56), 1998 (56) and 1999 (48). He would win the AL MVP Award in 1997. Besides the 56 homers, he had a .304 batting average, led the AL in RBIs (147), slugging percentage (.646) and runs scored (125).

                Following the 1999 season, Griffey made it clear he wanted to play with the Cincinnati Reds in order to be closer to his family. On February 20, 2000, the Mariners granted his request, trading him to the Reds for pitcher Brett Tomko and outfielder Mike Cameron.

                After a solid season in 2000, injuries began to take their toll, among them a broken wrist when he made contact with the wall after making a catch in the outfield. For three consecutive years (2002-04) the injuries he suffered were season-ending. His home runs started to decline as his bat speed seemed to slow after the injuries.

                However, on Father’s Day 2004, Griffey became the 20^th player in MLB history to hit 500 home runs. Near the end of the season, Griffey suffered another injury when his hamstring in his right leg tore completely away from the bone.

                Despite the declining skills, Griffey continued to climb up the All-time home runs list. On June 9, 2008, he hit his 600^th home run, at the time, only the fifth player to do so (Alex Rodriguez has subsequently become the sixth).

                His time with the Reds came to an end when he was traded to the Chicago White Sox in July and after 41 games with the Sox, he returned to Seattle for the final two years of his career. Two months into the 2010 season, Griffey decided to finally retire at the age of 40 after 22 season in the Bigs. His 630 career home runs place him sixth on the All-time list.

                His induction into the Hall Of Fame is no surprise given his extraordinary career. He received 99.32 % of the possible votes in gaining his entry, breaking the previous record of 98.84 % received by Tom Seaver in 1992.

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