The trials and tribulations of being a Cubs fan...

 
The Hall of Fame voting results will be announced soon...I'm sure you'll all know when it happens.

The Cubs are well-represented on the ballot with several interesting candidates. Among them Andre Dawson, Lee Arthur Smith, Bruce Sutter, Rich Gossage (ok, maybe he doesn't really count), and, as much as it pains me to type it, Danny Jackson. The three relievers I'd vote for. Same with Dawson, but that would be purely sentimental, although there are worse enshrinees.

Ron Santo better get in this year. Ironically, he's the best example of just how much the baseball writers don't know about the game.

Here may be the second best example:

How this guy can even type Bill James's name into that column is beyond me.

Statistically speaking, Ryne Sandberg deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. And now.

Bill James, in his Historical Baseball Abstract, rates Sandberg as the 7th best 2B of all time (probably 8th by now thanks to Roberto Alomar). That would rate him ahead of Charlie Gehringer, Rod Carew, Frankie Frisch, Billy Herman, Nellie Fox, Bobby Doerr, and Tony Lazzeri...all Hall of Famers.

According to baseball-reference.com, Ryne Sandberg's most similar batters include Roberto Alomar, Alan Trammell, Craig Biggio, and Barry Larkin...all of whom should be considered for the Hall someday, and, in Trammell's case, now. The most similar players by age include Pie Traynor, Paul Molitor, and Bobby Doerr. The Hall of Fame monitor rates Sandberg as a Hall of Famer.

As a 2B he finished in the top-10 in HRs 5 times. This was in the pre-juiced ball era. Oh yeah, he also finished in the top-10 in triples 4 times. He played fewer than 150 games only once between 1982 and 1993. Maybe I'm reaching. So, here's some: 10 All-Star teams, 9 Gold Gloves.

Compare him to Joe Morgan... Morgan 819 OPS, Ryno 795. Morgan .271-268 HR-1133 RBI-1650 R, Ryno .285-282-1061-1318...in about 500 fewer games.
posted by Oleg at 10:17 PM