Joe Posnanski: Hall of Fame Comps

I think I’m going to start writing Bill Poz in every year for the Spink Award.

Maybe OPS+ is not for you either. Maybe you like those simple traditional Hall of Famer markers like 500 home runs or 3,000 hits (neither player reached those markers). Or maybe you don’t like any kind of statistical guideline or analyst’s voice. The one thing that so many Hall of Fame voters believe about the Hall of Fame is that it is about feel, about aura, about character. Dawson’s Hall of Fame case was bolstered by this sense of dignity he brought to baseball — everyone respected him and his all-around game. Rice’s Hall of Fame case was bolstered by this sense of intimidation he brought to baseball — you would hear that no player was more feared.

But using nebulous standards like aura makes comparisons EVEN MORE tempting … Dale Murphy also played with great dignity and brought honor to baseball. So did Dwight Evans. Few players were more respected in their day than Reggie Smith. Fred McGriff was classy enough to be the voice behind a training video for kids. Joe Carter was the very essence of class and he hit one of the most famous home runs in baseball history. Who was ever classier or more beloved than Gil Hodges?

As for intimidation, Rice certainly was no more feared than Dick Allen or Frank Howard or Albert Belle or George Foster or Dave Parker. Or Jose Canseco, for that matter.