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Has there ever been any suspicion of Vlad using? Do you think that guys like Chipper and Griffey will also be in trouble?To me, all three of those guys played the game with an effortlessness and consistency, that they are sure hall of famers by the eye test.
Wouldnt shock me if he did steroids (like Bagwell) but both those guys never had a single mention about them in any single steroid report and so its not fair to punish them for that IMO.
If you can link me to a .320ish+ hitter that has 2400 hits and isn't in the Hall, I'd be grateful. Bonus points if he has over 400 HR too.
Actually, with his swing and the distance he hits the ugliest pitches, its the poster boy for roids. AND NO I AM NOT SAYING HE HAS EVER BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH ROIDS. Just saying the distance he hits balls an inch off the ground or over his head for HRs is an aeguement he is on something, not a reason to believe he isnt. AND NO I DO NOT BELIEVE HE IS, just pointing out that your logic is backwards.
If I had time i would do some research, but i am guessing you already have? Good point you make, however.... has he ever been considered the best player at his position? Most feared hitter of his time? Does he have the SBs, RBIs or something to make him more then just the Hall of Very good?1 MVP, 1 WS ring isnt enough IMO.I actually threw this out to a couple of my friends who are baseball guys. Dodger fan said yes, 1st ballot1 Angel fan said probably but wasnt difinitive2nd Angel fan said no1 RedSox fan said noSeems pretty mixed. I would say he may get in eventually in a weak class like the last couple that have no clear cut HOFer. And if he gets the 64 more HRs to get to 500, then i would say he is a 1st ballotis Fred McGriff in the HOF? 493 HRs, 2490 Hits, true only a .284 hitter so he doesnt meet the ave requirement you requested, but similar hits and more HRs.
I did some rough research after you came in here with that claim, but I couldn't find one. Most everyone that is over the .315 mark is in the HOF, with the rare exception of some guys with under 2000 hits. (Lefty O'Doul, etc)As far as perception of him being the "best" player at his position, I guess that's in the eye of the beholder. I considered him the best RF in the game from '98 to '07. That's a full decade. Now, that being said, you could clearly make a case for Ichiro (another slam dunk HOF'er) for some of the years from '01 to '07.I think many of his best seasons were lost up in Montreal. No one outside of hardcore fans were watching him on a daily basis.For example, in 2002, Vlad put this line out there: .336BA/.417OBP/.593SLG/107R/39HR/111RBI/40SB .... and that was good for: 4th in the NL MVP vote. If he has this same career line in New York or Boston, they're building a monument for him.
I agree with you on the Montreal years, they are lost on most. But the BBW will remember them and do they percieve Vlad as the best RF of his time? Thats the true question. He has had some monster years, but so have several hall of very good players. It will be an interesting vote, but i do believe he will need to get to 500 hrs to get in.
I would say yes to both these
Well, it's not exactly a fair question given that he played in the same era as Bonds and Pujols. He was always amongst the top 5 feared hitters.I would say yes to both these
Bagwell's stats are not far from Vlad's. Vlad has a better batting average, but Bagwell also had a lower BA his last couple of years in the league. Bagwell also has a higher OBP and their OPS is about the same (Bagwell marginally higher).I think Bagwell should be in (and will probably get in eventually), but he obviously did not get in first time around. Anyway, as I view them as pretty similar, for Vlad to be a shoo-in HOFer, I think he needs a couple of more years to build his case.
