The Veteran Players Ballot

Dick Allen
Bobby Bonds
Ken Boyer
Rocky Colavito
Wes Ferrell
Curt Flood
Joe Gordon
Gil Hodges
Jim Kaat
Mickey Lolich
Sparky Lyle
Marty Marion
Roger Maris
Carl Mays
Minnie Minoso
Thurman Munson
Don Newcome
Lefty O'Doul
Tony Oliva
Al Oliver
Vada Pinson
Ron Santo
Luis Tiant
Joe Torre
Cecil Travis
Mickey Vernon
Maury Wills

I could see Curt Flood eventually going in for contributions or something. He was a great CF for awhile. I expect Torre to get into the Hall as a manager. As as catcher he was a great hitter, but I think he's borderline. I'd have to see park and era adjustments, he like Allen, Boyer, Santo, Pinson, Oliva, and Wills spent much of his career in a pitchers era.

Allen, Boyer and Santo still managed to put up great #'s in a bad era for hitters. If any or all of them had played in the `30's they would have been first ballot HoFers. They've been overlooked for too long.

I said yes to Lefty O'Doul, but he's problematical, cause he only played 11 years in the major leagues and bounced around quite a bit. However, I am biased toward a player's peak years, and Lefty's peak seasons were so impressive that his career OPS is 942. I'd take that.

I said no to Tony Oliva and Al Oliver. They were both outstanding hitters, who didn't walk and as a result had good but not Hall of Fame good career OBP's. Their OPS+'s were 132 and 120 respectively. Oliva's closer, but I don't think he's a Hall of Famer.

Minnie Minoso and Don Newcome were great players who lost years to human stupidity. That's can't take away from their greatness nor should it. They should both be in.

Luis Tiant and Jim Kaat got a lot more done than many Hall of Fame pitchers and should probably be in. They were both good and sometimes great for an awfully long time.

Sparky Lyle pitches a ton of high leverage innings for a long time... I think the bias against relievers is starting to fade, Sparky was one of the great ones.

Gil Hodges and one of my favorites, Thuman Munson, just don't have the offensive production.

Mickey Lolich had a great couple of seasons at the height of the `60's pitchers' era, but then essentially ate his way down to average.

Bonds, Maris, and Colavito also had some great years, but I see them as borderline. Bobby was a great leadoff hitter, but teams just wouldn't leave him there. Maris had back to back MVP seasons but not enough HoF type years around them. Colavito was a very popular player who just didn't have the career.

Carl Mays probably belongs, but he killed a man with a pitch and never seemed to express remorse. I don't think they will ever reward him for that. And I'm not sure they should.

Marty Marion might go in under the Ozzie Smith defensive wunderkind definition, but he was way before my time, so I didn't see him to know.

Mickey Vernon(OPS+116) and Maury Wills (OPS+88!) just didn't do enough.

It's quite a ballot and I hope they start letting some of these guys in.