The Disgrace of the Kirby Puckett HOF Selection

[He Hate Me]

Someone please look at these numbers and tell me how Kirby Puckett gets in on the first ballotm but Donnie Baseball doesn't or that Jim Rice doesnt for how many years now???

Kirby Puckett
.318 BA, 2,304 Hits, 414 2B, 207 HR, 1,085 RBI, 450 BB, 965 SO, .837 OPS, 3,453 Total bases

Don Mattingly
.307 BA, 2,153 Hits, 442 2B, 222 HR, 1,099 RBI, 588 BB, 444 SO, .829 OPS, 3,301 Total bases

Jim Rice
.298 BA, 2,452 Hits, 373 2B, 382 HR, 1,451 RBI, 670 BB, 1,423 SO, .854 OPS, 4,129 Total bases


Honestly if Mattingly and Rice don't get in based on those stats, the Hall of Fame is a complete joke.

Anyone have any others to compare to Kirby's stats? Rice and Donnie were the first two that I knew of

[yeszir]

Puckett played for 11 years and was consistently good. Mattingly played for 13 and wasn't. Rice played for 15 and was only dominant for something like 6 of them. Basically Puckett did the same, if not more, in less time.

[RedSoxRooter]

None of them deserve to be in if you ask me.

[elsrbueno]

None of them deserve to be in if you ask me.

My opinion exactly. IF you use Puckett as a barometer, the Hall of Fame itself becomes less significant because anyone can get in.

Mattingly and Rice were good players but not HOF worthy. Same with Puckett.

Alexander the Great-- you're exactly right. You shouldn't let someone in the hall based on what they MIGHT have done. The fact is he didn't do it. If Ken Griffey Jr didn't have a series of injuries between 2001 and 2004, we'd probably be talking about his chances to break Hank Aaron's HR record and how he was a sure-fire HOF. Now people are forced to ask: Is Ken Griffey Jr a Hall of Famer? because he was hurt and didn't put up the numbers.

If Puckett makes the hall and Griffey doesn't that's a damn shame.

[Sox Fan on Cape]

My opinion exactly. IF you use Puckett as a barometer, the Hall of Fame itself becomes less significant because anyone can get in.

Mattingly and Rice were good players but not HOF worthy. Same with Puckett.

Alexander the Great-- you're exactly right. You shouldn't let someone in the hall based on what they MIGHT have done. The fact is he didn't do it. If Ken Griffey Jr didn't have a series of injuries between 2001 and 2004, we'd probably be talking about his chances to break Hank Aaron's HR record and how he was a sure-fire HOF. Now people are forced to ask: Is Ken Griffey Jr a Hall of Famer? because he was hurt and didn't put up the numbers.

If Puckett makes the hall and Griffey doesn't that's a damn shame.

If the Puckett logic is valid for the Hall ( ie career cut short due to injury ). Then why the hell wouldn't Tony C. have been elected ???

[He Hate Me]

My opinion exactly. IF you use Puckett as a barometer, the Hall of Fame itself becomes less significant because anyone can get in.

Mattingly and Rice were good players but not HOF worthy. Same with Puckett.

That's exactly my point. I loved Donnie Baseball, but he justw asn't healthy enough to warant a HOF induction IMO. To add insult on top of Kirby's pedestrian stats, he was a first balloter. Total disgrace to the HOF.

[MC Hammer]

Also Puckett's career was ended by an eye problem ... who knows if he would have had better numbers than the two you picked out, but I think it was a special circumstance.

[RedSoxRooter]

Rice's career was ended by an eye problem. Mattingly's was ended by a back problem.

Really, Puckett won a WS and Rice and Mattingly didn't. That's the only diff.

[jsinger121]

puckett put his numbers up as a centerfielder that is also one of the reasons he got in. mattingly's numbers stacked up with other hall of fame firstbaseman don't even compare.

[He Hate Me]

puckett put his numbers up as a centerfielder that is also one of the reasons he got in.

Mickey Mantle?
Willie Mays?
Joe Dimaggio?
Ty Cobb?
Duke Snider?


I'm sure theres more. It's a disgrace for Kirby Puckett to be mentioned with those names.

[ORS]

Puckett doesn't belong in the hall, and he shouldn't be the standard others are compared to either.

[Cityofchampions33]

If you look at those stats they aren't too different besides HRs

[jsinger121]

they are not but mattingly played a position where hall of famers are known for there power while centerfield is traditional not a power position.

[Cityofchampions33]

Yeah, and Mattingly isnt rly afr above Puckett in HRs

[jimmycarter05]

jc, why is redsoxrooter banned?