I agree with you, but please don’t use Batting Average and Gold Gloves as measures of offensive and defensive skill. It just makes you look like an idiot.

In the history of baseball, how many players with FOUR world series championships are NOT in the HOF? …any position, any team?

I’ll bet there’s not many, especially the caliber of posada.

But when you consider that Pudge’s stats were piled up in the explosively hitter-friendly Texas atmosphere, I strongly believe that if you match up Posada’s best seasons with Pudge’s, Jorge comes out ahead. If Pudge gets into the Hall and Jorge does not, it’ll have to be based on defense and longevity (assuming Posada doesn’t turn into the next coming of Carlton Fisk).

As Yankee fans, we’ve been utterly spoiled by having the best offensive catcher in the league behind the plate for us, practically unnoticed.

I-Rod buries Posada defensively thus was a better all-around player. I-Rod is a career .303 hitter.

Piazza buried Posada offensively.

B.t.w. what has Posada done in the postseason besides a key double in the 2000 World Series and one vs. Pedro in Game 7 of the 2003 A.L.C.S? Nothing really stands out.

Jorge is the Ted Simmons of the modern era -very good, but not good enough for the Hall. The ONLY chance he has is a Gold Glove, an A.L.M.V.P., and a batting title, realistically done in any 2 years after this one, and even that might not be enough to get him in.

I’m not sure I like the fact that people need to accumulate big career stats to get in the HOF, but that does seem to be the way the voting goes. If Santana were to have a bunch of mediocre 14 win seasons that got him to 300 wins, he’d have a much better chance than if he won 1 or 2 more Cy Youngs but then his arm fell off and he was out of baseball.

There’s a lot of other things we could debate, but I think it’s safe to say that Posada needs to pad his career stats some more before he’s in the running (a couple more big years as a number of people have said here). Mussina and Pettitte are nowhere near HOF criteria based on career stats of pitchers who recently did and didn’t get in.

1. He’s never won a Gold Glove whereas Ivan Rodiriguez has won a dozen in both leagues (I’m guessing he’ll win a 13th this year). His defense has improved the past few years, but too late at 34-35.

2. Barring a complete offensive collapse, this year will mark the first time Posada has finished with a season BA over .300. His previous high was .287 in his first full season (2000), one of only two seasons he’s smacked > 25 HR. He’s hit only 30 HR & driven in 100 runs once in the same year (2003, the only time he’s finished in the top 10 in A.L.M.V.P. voting to I-Rods 4X finishing in the top 10 in that, hits, and BA).

3. Lifetime .277 BA. Good for a catcher, but other catchers have higher ones.

4. Only 8 solid seasons. Mattingly had 6 (1984-89) with an A.L.M.V.P., A.L.M.V.P. runnerup season he would’ve been A.L.M.V.P. in if not for Roger Clemens, 9 Gold Gloves, .307 lifetime BA despite his 1990 on career, 7 straight games with a homerun and 6 grandslams in 1987, captain of the team.

5. I-Rod buries him defensively and Mike Piazza was a much better hitter.

6. Posada couldn’t touch prime Piazza who as a Met was head-and-shoulders better than Posada. Piazza not Pedro changed the culture of the Mets from losers to winners and led the Mets charge to the World Series. Even him making the last out of the World Series was scary. How can Posada be a H.O.F. when the guy across town was better than him 1998-2002?

6. If you admit Posada to the H.O.F., you have to admit Bernie Williams.

7. Not enough full seasons even if he plays 2 more for a decade’s worth.

8. Never won an M.V.P. award whereas I-Rod was the 1999 A.L.M.V.P. and the 2003 N.L.C.S.M.V.P.

Just because Posada has been the only catcher worth a sh it besides I-Rod (Joe Mauer hasn’t played enough yet but he’s off to a great start) the last 5 or so years after Piazza’a decline doesn’t mean he should gain entry into the Hall Of Fame.

Posada is the Bernie Williams or Don Mattingly of catchers:
very good but not good enough for the H.O.F.

AGreed — not a HOF guy… but definitely a Yankee name that fans will remember for a long time. He defines gamer and playoff reliable. And he’s certainly one of the Faces of the Yankee Dynasty with Jeter, Mo, Bernie, & Jorge.