Barry Lewis. 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. (Age 38-142d) WebHall call remains elusive for Tigers legend 8/06/2022 at 7:28 PM 8/06/2022 at 7:28 PM Sweet Lou's No. Then after Bowers got hurt, Cordero headed back to Texas to join the Yankees taxi squad. Lou Whitaker had a .276 average over his career. WebShop COMC's extensive selection of lou whitaker rookie related hall of fame baseball cards from 1988. Lou Whitaker deserved more consideration for the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Hall of Fame Era Committees (formerly known as the Veterans Committee) but with the Instead, Whitaker was a well-rounded ballplayer. Whitaker was Rookie of the Year in his 1977 season, and he never really slowed down after that. 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. 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. MORE: Vets committees should review players separately. Now, lets take a look at them in more detail, starting from the bottom of the list and moving up to the greatest player who has yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Whitaker was a great defender too. Like French language skills for a fry cook in Tulsa; Everyone back in the 70s and 80s would agree that catching everything hit your way, effortlessly turning double plays and making strong steady throws all the dang time defined great second base defense, but for some reason the guys who were considered the best defensive players back then were always the guys who dove for stuff or made whatever passed for highlight reel plays of the day. 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. That should make it a prime year for some of the "eventually" guys from the previous two years and any other longtime holdovers on the cusp to finally get over the hump. Third baseman Scott Rolen was announced Tuesday night as the only player to receive the necessary 75 percent of the vote from the BBWAA to earn induction. MORE: 17 predictions for the 2017 MLB season. Modern Baseball Era ballot Whitaker had stats and accomplishments over his 19-year career that not only stood the test of time, but seemed strengthened by it. We played, we won.. It is nearly impossible to narrow down players that deserve to be in the Hall of Fame but are not on the shortlist. Like I said, none of that constitutes an argument against Whitakers induction as much as it explains why he was not inducted. Who he is: Hall of Fame committees seemingly exist for candidates like Lou Whitaker. About page. WebAn annual Hall of Fame Induction souvenir for over thirty years, this Photocard is like a jumbo baseball card! If he had a few 8 WAR years and fewer 3 WAR years, he'd be in., Sports Illustrated writer Jay Jaffe isnt optimistic about Whitakers chances. Since A-Rod only retired recently, his name has only been eligible for Hall of Fame ballots twice thus far. Facebook. to do something fancy as opposed to making it look effortless. I might be 99 and walking with a cane saying, Finally, what took you so long?' There will be a contemporary-era committee vote for managers, executives and umpires in December 2023 and a classic baseball-era vote in December 2024. When Trammell made his big league debut on September 9, 1977, he became the first Kearny High School graduate positional player to reach the majors. Three players from the University of Tulsas baseball glory days are in this years McLain Athletic Hall of Fame class. and Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Also on the committee was Dave Dombrowski, who became familiar with Whitakers cause during Dombrowskis 14-year tenure as Tigers president and general manager. Lou Whitaker is the only player on this list whose lack of Hall of Fame induction is not associated with any scandals. His snubbing has to do more with attitude than anything on the field. (thus, truly capturing a players peak seasons) and making similar adjustments for catchers and relief pitchers. In or Out: Voting on the Next 5 MLB Hall of Fame Classes MLB Power Rankings: The biggest Hall of Fame snub for every team By extension, he could have better odds with the Modern Baseball Committee. He finished his career with a line of .276/.363/.426, which translates to a 117 OPS+, which was outstanding for a second baseman of his era. Michael Berkowitz. Detroit Tigers Lou Whitaker stretches during a game against the New York Yankees Zimmerman rather quietly tallied 284 home runs and 1,061 RBI in 16 seasons with the Washington Nationals. Another surefire bet for the Hall of Fame, if not for steroid usage, is left fielder Barry Bonds. Tigers' Lou Whitaker snubbed by Baseball Hall of Fame vet ballot All rights reserved. Whitaker was also remarkably consistent. When Lou Whitaker will FINALLY get into the Baseball Hall of Fame Lou Whitaker He said he spurned an offer from the New York Yankees shortly after walking away from the game in 1995. Bonds was a home run king for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants from 1989-2007. Lou Whitaker Alan Trammell Hall of Fame - MLB Hall of Fame He was a two-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger winner, and his 40.1 WAR is good for 38th all-time among third basemen, ahead of guys like Tim Wallach (38.5), Eric Chavez (38.2) and Troy Glaus (38.1). That's not my job. Whitaker was overlooked through most of his career, possibly because he didnt do any one thing at a Hall of Fame level. Free shipping for many products! Emoni Bates draft stock update: Can he play his way back into the lottery? Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. Ichiro Strikes Out 16, Goes 3-for-4 in A Sandlot Game - MLB | NBC Sports Marvin Miller, the longtime director of the MLB Players Association who negotiated the first collective bargaining agreement in the sport, joined him with 12 votes. On Sunday, December 8, the Modern Baseball Era committee of the Baseball Hall of Fame, which includes candidates whose primary contributions to baseball came between 1970-87, will vote on candidates for the 2020 induction class. A late-bloomer with an impressive peak, Bautista should be able to stick around on the ballot for at least a few seasons. Despite that late start to his big league career, he still piled up 3,089 hits while tallying 10 All-Star selections, 10 Gold Glove Awards, two batting titles and 2001 AL MVP honors. The Cooperstown Hall of Fame, based in Cooperstown, New York, is the official museum in which the greatest Major League Baseball players are honored. Lou Whitaker - Baseball Fever The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. For those reasons, I think Lou Whitaker has got a really good chance. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973 in a special election that waived the mandatory five-year waiting period. After these adjustments, the 43.0 WAA becomes 43.3 adjWAA. How Many Baseballs Can You Hold In One Hand? I ultimately slotted him in the No. Should I say I belong in the Hall of Fame? With 3,166 hits, five Gold Glove Awards and a 93.5 career WAR total that ranks third all-time among third basemen behind only Mike Schmidt (106.8) and Eddie Sandberg was a 10-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glove winner, seven-time Silver Slugger winner, won the 1984 NL MVP, and was inducted into the Hall in the Class of 2005 on his third ballot. Hall of Fame He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973 in a special election that waived the mandatory five-year waiting period. Hall of Fame Lou Whitaker Rookie Related Hall of Fame Baseball Cards from 1988 Whitaker has 77 TZ in his career (0 is league average, just like with DRS) so he averaged just over 4 TZ per season. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Like former Tigers teammate Alan Trammell and Jack Morris two years ago, Whitaker was hoping to find his long-awaited respect among a panel that included several of his peers and opponents from the 1980s, including George Brett, Rod Carew, Dennis Eckersley, Eddie Murray, Ozzie Smith and Robin Yount. Why Do Base Runners Round The Bases In Baseball? The Detroit Tigers need their own Hall of Fame All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. 3, linked together forever," Trammell said. LOU WHITAKER career stats: WAR: 75.1 Batting Avg: .276 AB: 8570 hits: 2369 HR: 244 RBI: 1084 Almost identical numbers. Oh, and it didnt help that there were six future Hall of Famers on the 2001 ballot off of which Whitaker fell: Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett were elected that year and Gary Carter, Jim Rice, Bruce Sutter, Rich Gossage, Jack Morris and Bert Blyleven would make it in subsequently. Here, we're taking a closer look at the next five years of Hall of Fame ballot newcomers. Whitaker was a career-long Detroit Tiger, playing second base from 1977-1995. Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. from the SABR BioProject, More Lou Whitaker Pages at Baseball Reference. 1 retirement, 3 MLB teams that could repeat Cincinnati Bengals feat, 10 questions with former Tigers, Angels, Giants pitcher Shane Loux, Former Minnesota Twins All-Star Francisco Liriano announces retirement, Sandberg: 16 seasons, .285/.344/.452, 114 OPS+, 60 career TZ (3.75 TZ/season), 67.9 rWAR, Whitaker: 19 seasons, .276/.363/.426, 117 OPS+, 77 career TZ (4.05 TZ/season), 75.1 rWAR. Buy from many sellers and get your cards all in one shipment! However, it was with the Diamondbacks when Schilling peaked. Examining the Hall of Fame case for Detroit Tigers legend Lou Cant wait til you guys get there. Its time for Lou Whitaker to be in the Hall of Fame. With his 756th career home run, Barry Bonds surpasses Hank Aaron to become Major League Baseball's all-time home run leader. The Hall of Stats was built by Baseball Hall of Fame Do you have a blog? Trammell hopeful Sweet Lou joins him in Hall. Lou Whitaker All data is also open and Whitaker However, he's behind Lou Whitaker (75.1) and Willie Randolph (65.9), both of whom are not enshrined. Web5. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Most impressively, he holds the all-time MLB hit record, at 4,256 career hits.This statistic alone would surely guarantee him Cooperstown status if not for a betting scandal he was engrossed in during his years as Cincinnatis manager. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. A day earlier, he landed awkwardly on his right side when trying to steal third base at Minnesota on his 31st birthday. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. @baseballhall Lou Whitaker should be in the Hall of Fame. or (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images), Manny Ramirez was a pure hitter only left out of Cooperstown because of alleged PED use. Whitaker also had an adjusted OPS of 116 over his career with only one team. The Arizona Diamondbacks havent been around long and yet they have a very worthy Hall of Fame snub. 1978 Topps 3 CARD ROOKIE LOT .JACK MORRIS(2) LOU Hes never going to get into the Hall of Fame. But that day will come.". Most writers look for 8-10 Hall of Fame seasons and if you use All-Star selections as a barometer for it, Whitaker only had five selections. 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. Rose primarily played first base for the Cincinnati Reds from 1963-1986. Sandberg got 49.2 percent on his first ballot in 2003 but two years earlier, Whitaker got less than three percent. 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. Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onAll MLB and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. Whitaker might have gotten to 3,000 hits if hed stuck around baseball beyond age 38. Lou Whitaker was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 5th round of the 1975 MLB June Amateur Draft from Martinsville HS (Martinsville, VA). Since then history, while better for his inclusion, has felt imbalanced. Whitaker So, when will Lou finally get into the Hall of Fame? It still wasnt enough on a ballot that included Dwight Evans, Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Don Mattingly, Miller, Thurman Munson, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker and Simmons. RP Steve CishekUT Brock HoltC Yadier Molina1B Albert PujolsC Kurt SuzukiC Stephen Vogt. making him a member of the Hall of Stats. OF Jos Bautista3B Adrin BeltrRP Santiago CasillaSP Bartolo ColnSP Doug FisterSP Yovani Gallardo1B Adrin Gonzlez3B Chase HeadleyOF Matt HollidaySP Phil HughesRP Jim JohnsonRP Ryan MadsonC/DH Victor MartnezC Joe MauerRP Brandon Morrow2B Brandon PhillipsSS Jos ReyesSP James ShieldsOF Denard SpanSP Chris Tillman2B Chase Utley3B David WrightRP Brad Ziegler. LOU WHITAKER MORE: The 25 best players not in the Hall of Fame. It's up to the Modern Baseball Committee to make sense of Whitaker's case, and there aren't great odds of that this year perhaps in 20 years when more sabermetricallyinclined people are on the committee. The others are Rogers Hornsby, Joe My God, man, hes overqualified. Among position players eligible for induction, only Barry Bonds and Bill Dahlen had a higher WAR. @baseballhall Lou Whitaker should be in the Hall of Fame. His 64.5 WAR ranks 14th all-time among second basemen, right in between Craig Biggio (65.5) and Jackie Robinson (63.8). Lou Whitaker has not been elected into the Hall of Fame. I think a lot of folks on that committee will look at him differently than previous voters did, both as far as looking at his whole game the way I outlined above and by looking at all that has been said about his being overlooked in the past. He collected 244 career home runs and 1,084 career RBIs.He and teammate Alan Trammell were known for consistently turning double plays. 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. What Is The Fastest Possible Baseball Pitch? The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. 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. By the numbers: Lou Whitaker's Hall of Fame candidacy Outfielder Franchy Cordero traveled from Texas to Worcester, Massachusetts, after he was optioned to Triple-A Scranton. Kenny Pickett gets a big vote of confidence from one of his key receivers. Rose has appealed for his ban to be lifted, but thus far, his pleas have been denied. Respected baseball historian, statistician and executive Bill James has also supported Whitakers cause, noting him and Dahlen as the best players not currently in the Hall. WebAlan Trammell Stats by Baseball Almanac. 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! Dive deeper into the news and sports stories that matter most with our exclusive podcasts, featuring analysis and reporting from our team of experts. Or any era. Can A Batter Decline An Intentional Walk In Baseball? What good is it for me to go to people and be whining or crying or saying, I deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Outside of the committee, Whitaker had a vocal supporter in Trammell, his double-play partner for 19 seasons. Dick Groat Passes Away - MLB Trade Rumors 76.6 adjWAR. Pete Rose is nearly inarguably the best baseball player not enshrined in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame case for Lou Whitaker. Here's what we found, Trammell renewed his call for Whitakers induction in August, when the Tigers retired the infielders No. . Baseball researcher and Cooperstown enthusiast Adam Darowski made note of this in an email and also offered a theory for Trammell and Whitakers differing popularity. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. At the time of the reworking of the process, it was thought that Whitaker had a shot at being included on this Decembers ballot. Sixteen years since his snubbing, Whitaker expounded about it in a recent phone interview from his North Carolinahome. Read about his career at MLB Trade Rumors. Why havent the 1984 Detroit Tigers, who won 104 games and the World Series, had a single Hall of Famer? Lou Whitaker. High School: Martinsville HS (Martinsville, VA), Debut: Instead, Whitaker will have to wait until at least December 2025 he'll be 68 when the post-1980 committee is scheduled to meet again. There are no slam dunk Hall of Famers on the ballot for the first time in 2026. He retired as a lifetime .286/.330/.366 batter with 2138 hits, 39 home runs, 352 doubles, 67 triples, 829 runs scored and 707 runs batted in. Lou Whitaker's HoF case by Joe Posnanski In other injury news, outfielder Jake Bauers and the team are awaiting MRI results. Lou Whitaker He should come close to 100 percent of the vote. Whitaker produced 75.1 Fittingly, those meetings will take place in San Diego, where Lou Whitaker led off the 1984 World Series with a double in the gap and scored a moment later on a single by Alan Trammell. To me, hes one of the best shortstops to ever play the game, Whitaker said. Lou Whitaker And they dang well should get that third player in Lou Whitaker. Detroit Tigers hail Lou Whitaker; he's ready for Baseball Hall of Fame OF Ryan BraunOF Shin-Soo Choo1B Chris DavisDH Edwin EncarnacinSP Gio GonzlezOF Alex GordonSP Cole HamelsRP Kelvin HerreraOF Matt Kemp2B Howie Kendrick2B Jason KipnisOF Nick Markakis2B Daniel MurphyOF Hunter PenceSP Rick PorcelloSP Jeff SamardzijaSP Edinson Vlquez2B Neil WalkerC Matt Wieters. Detroit Tigers fans will scream forever about how Lou Whitaker belongs in the Hall of Fame. In fact, he never got higher than 41.6% of the vote which happened on the first try. But Lou, I didnt get, I didnt even get daylight.. The 78 AL Rookie of the Year Award winner compiled 2,369 hits, 244 homers and 1,197 walks while earning five AL All-Star team nods, four AL Silver Slugger Awards and three AL Gold Glove Awards at second base -- the position that he manned in every game in which he appeared in the field (he also logged 32 career games as a designated hitter). Lou Whitaker is the only player on this list whose lack of Hall of Fame induction is not associated with any scandals. (More Thanks). Clemente, Roberto | Baseball Hall of Fame Buy from many sellers and get your cards all in one shipment! To appear on the ballot, players need to spend 10 years in the majors and be five years removed from retirement. Ted Simmons, a Michigan native who played at at Southfield High School, was inducted with 13 votes. Only seven times in MLB history has a catcher won the batting title, and three of those belong to Mauer. Mandatory Credit: Harry How /Allsport. 13,959th in major league history) Eddie Yost (15 over 150) Also already discussed. Despite his 12 All-Star selections, a World Series MVP for the 2004 Boston Red Sox, and being the Albert Pujols of his generation, Ramirez is the biggest snub coming from the Cleveland Guardians organization. Lou Whitaker - Baseball-Reference.com 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! He began his 19-year Major League Baseball(MLB) career with the 1961 Chicago Cubsbut spent most of it as a left fielderfor the St. Louis Cardinals. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1990 Score #75 Lou Whitaker Detroit Tigers at the best online prices at eBay! Yall wrong., He added, If you deserve something, they always say if you deserve it, youll get it.. MLB Power Rankings: The worst-case scenario for all 30 MLB teams this season, Johnny Cueto Insisted on Making a Grand Entrance to Miami, MLB Power Rankings: Biggest 2022-23 free-agent miss for all 30 MLB teams, MLB Power Rankings: 1 New Years Resolution for all 30 teams, 3 surprise Rafael Devers trade destinations for the Red Sox slugger. The Detroit Tigers selected Whitaker in the fifth round, with the 99th overall selection, of the 1975 Major League Baseball draft. 1 in a pregame ceremony, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. People love good stories. Just ask Trammell, Dwight Evansor Bobby Grich. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1978 Topps 3 CARD ROOKIE LOT .JACK MORRIS(2) LOU WHITAKER..HALL OF FAMERS TIGERS at the best online prices at eBay! Contemporary Baseball Era Committee in 2023, Modern Baseball Era Ballot Reaction with Graham Womack: An Audio Conversation. Of those 268, 20 were primarily second basemen, and Whitaker's WAR total sits seventh among theirs, behind only Charlie Gehringer (84.8), Rod Carew (81.2), Joe Morgan (100.4), Nap Lajoie (106.9), Eddie Collins (124.4) and Rogers Hornsby (127.3).