Torre on Hall of Fame election list
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Sep 16, 2008 
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This release from the Hall of Fame:
Ten former major league players, whose careers began in 1943 or later, will be considered for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009 by the Veterans Committee, with results to be announced December 8 at baseball’s Winter Meetings, it was announced today.
Dick Allen, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva, Al Oliver, Vada Pinson, Ron Santo, Luis Tiant, Joe Torre and Maury Wills will be considered for election by the Veterans Committee for enshrinement in 2009, with votes to be cast by Hall of Fame members this fall. Any candidate to receive 75% of the vote on all ballots cast will earn election to the Hall of Fame and will be enshrined on July 26, 2009. There are 64 living Hall of Famers.
The ballot for the 2009 Veterans Committee election of players whose careers began in 1943 or later was devised by Hall of Fame members, who served as the Screening Committee in narrowing the list from 21 to 10 names during the month of August. Earlier this year, the Historical Overview Committee of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, comprised of 11 veteran baseball writers and historians, selected 20 finalists from a list of all eligible players, those whose careers spanned at least 10 major league seasons and started in 1943 or later. Concurrently, a screening committee comprised of six Hall of Famers selected five names for the ballot, and the two lists were merged for a total of 21 candidates.
The 21 candidates considered by the Screening Committee: Allen, Ken Boyer, Bert Campaneris, Rocky Colavito, Mike Cuellar, Steve Garvey, Hodges, Kaat, Ted Kluszewski, Mickey Lolich, Roger Maris, Lee May, Minnie Minoso, Thurman Munson, Oliva, Oliver, Pinson, Santo, Tiant, Torre and Wills.
Also in December, a 12-member voting committee will consider the candidacies of 10 former major league players whose careers began in 1942 or earlier: Bill Dahlen, Wes Ferrell, Joe Gordon, Sherry Magee, Carl Mays, Allie Reynolds, Vern Stephens, Mickey Vernon, Bucky Walters and Deacon White. Any candidate to earn votes of 75% of ballots cast will earn election to the Hall of Fame, with enshrinement on July 26, 2009.
The 12 members of the voting committee who are scheduled to meet on December 7 at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas to consider the pre-1943 candidates include: seven Hall of Fame members (Bobby Doerr, Ralph Kiner, Phil Niekro, Robin Roberts, Duke Snider, Don Sutton and Dick Williams), along with five historians (Furman Bisher, Roland Hemond, Steve Hirdt, Bill Madden and Claire Smith).
The 10 former major leaguers whose careers began in 1942 or earlier were screened by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) appointed Historical Overview Committee, comprised of 11 veteran members: Dave Van Dyck (Chicago Tribune); Bob Elliott (Toronto Sun); Rick Hummel (St. Louis Post-Dispatch); Steve Hirdt (Elias Sports Bureau); Moss Klein (formerly Newark Star-Ledger); Bill Madden (New York Daily News); Ken Nigro, (formerly Baltimore Sun); Jack O’Connell (MLB.com); Nick Peters (Sacramento Bee); Tracy Ringolsby (Rocky Mountain News); and Mark Whicker (Orange County Register). This committee also served as the Overview Committee for the post-1943 ballot, screening names to 20 from the universe of eligible candidates.
The process to consider players whose careers began in 1942 or earlier occurs every five years, next in 2013 for election in 2014. The committee to consider players whose careers began in 1943 or later will consider candidates every other year, next in 2010 for 2011 election.
The Veterans Committee process also features ballots for Managers/Umpires and for Executives, with both of those committees meeting every other year for even-year election, next meeting in 2009 for election in 2010.
Torre Hall of Fame player – I say NO
Torre Hall of Fame manager – OF COURSE
I’ll give Torre a thumbs up.
PS Allie Reynolds should be in there already as far as I am concerned if he doesnt make it yet another mark on the Hall
Glad to hear Allie Reynolds will be considered — hope he makes it this time … if not it will be five years before he can be considered again. A great Yankee pitcher whose career was shortened by injury.
I would say yes to Torre as a Manager as well. The only concern I have in terms of the voting is whether or not he will receive the 75% needed. I believe he should be in but should it come while he is still serving as an active manager?
Gayle, there are other oversights that make no sense..including Kaat, T. John, Santo, Ken Boyer and vada Pinson. Others like Carl Mays, Ferrell, Reynolds and Gordon.
There are also a number that don’t belong like Puckett, Maravville and Ross Youngs, among others.
Mike if I understand this process correctly what he is being considered for is his PLAYING career not his career as a manager that would come under a sperate veterans committee as far as I am aware with the new rules
The last person that should be on any election panel for the HOF is Furman Bisher. Charley Steiner did an interview a few years ago on XM and he said that he’d never vote for a reliever to be inducted because he doesn’t think it’s a valid position. Bisher also stated in the interview that non-members of the BBWAA, specifically radio broadcasters, shouldn’t be allowed to vote for people to be inducted, citing that they get paid by the team so they’d be biased in their votes. When Steiner had asked him who he voted for, Bisher said he voted for Dale Murphy. When asked why, he replied b/c he was an Atlanta Brave. Burman writes for the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Steiner kind of busted him on it but the segment was over so Burman didn’t have to try and explain his hypocritical view. It’s going to be guys like Bisher that keep guys like Mariano out of the HOF on the first ballot.
Allie Reynolds resume looks light by HOF standards. More like a Hall of Very Good candidate to me. Less than 200 wins, a putrid K/BB ratio and WHIP and really only had two truly outstanding seasons. Nice postseason resume, but it doesn’t balance out the rest.
If Torre had gotten all his offensive numbers as a catcher, he’s a mortal lock. But as the majority of his AB’s came as a corner infielder, he’s not going to come off as favorably and will fall short.
“There are also a number that don’t belong like Puckett, Maravville and Ross Youngs, among others.”
Jim Hunter
I would guess that Torre will go in as manager so he won’t get elected as a player. I hope Kaat gets in.
Wow! All of those players are right on the cusp of being HOFers. Roger Maris, Superchief (best nickname ever btw), Kaat, Torre, Ron Santo. A cas could be made either way for most of these players
Would Allie Reynolds be the first Native American in the Hall? (Reynolds was 1/4 native american)
I believe Torre is up for it as a player right now, I don’t think he is being considered as a manager…correct me if I’m wrong. Obviously he’s a HOF manager, as for his playing career, his numbers are borderline, probably not good enough. He is a 9 time all-star, finished runner up for rookie of the year, and won an MVP, but not good enough in my opinion as a player. As a manager, certainly.
I’d also love to see Kaat make it.
“Dick Allen, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva, Al Oliver, Vada Pinson, Ron Santo, Luis Tiant, Joe Torre and Maury Wills”
Kaat and Santo to me are the two most obvious.
Wills should have been in, and possibly would be, except for the drug issues. He changed the way baseball was played in the 60′s and later.
For a 5 year period, Jim Hunter was the 3 best of his era (early ’70s). He was dominant during those years. Much more viable than was Dizzy Dean. Very similar to Bob Lemon.
Superchief was a Creek, though the Yankees identified him as a Cherokee in their publicity stuff.
Some said that was because (this during the era of segregated baseball) the Creek were supposed to have taken in runaway slaves as members and intermarried with them. Others said it was just because the name Cherokee was better known and more identified with the ‘romance’ of the American Indian of legend.
“For a 5 year period, Jim Hunter was the 3 best of his era (early ’70s).”
I’ll buy Top 5. Definitely beind Seaver, Palmer and Carlton and I still don’t see the difference between him and Luis Tiant.
Too me, if the 5 years in question aren’t Koufaxian then it ain’t good enough.
When is Girardi’s turn?
Perhaps because Hunter’s (age 33) career, like Koufax’ was over years too early because of injuries. Tiant hung around past forty when he was no longer effective.
Side note: Another less-remembered connotation to the Superchief nickname was that this was the name of the most glamorous form of transportation of the day, the expensive, powerful, fast and celebrity-favored signature passenger train of the Santa Fe line, with its luxurious cars sporting Indian names from all sorts of tribes. The Concorde of its time, but more successful for longer.
Even if Torre’s career left him a little short(I’m not sure on that) his managing pushes him over the top. I do believe the two together should be considered.
Hodges not being in yet is a joke.
I think there should be a category called “Honor Roll” to recognize players who were very good but just don’t quite add up to the Hall of Fame, and I’d put alot of the players on this list (considering them as players only) in that category. One I think belongs in the HOF is Tony Oliva. I remember him well and he always used to scare me far more than Killebrew because he always hit line drives, whereas Killebrew might hit a homer but struck out and hit into DP’s alot. Tony O’s career was cut short by injury, but if you put him up against Yastrzemski for the years they both played you wouldn’t trade him even up for Yaz.
I can’t opine on Reynolds as he was before my time, but he pitched alot of relief in his latter years and that probably hurt his stats.
Cheers. Paul.
Okay with Allie Reynolds and Joe Torre..when is two MVP Roger Maris going to make it? Also a case can still be made that he is the “true” season HR record champ. It took the Roids almost 40 yeasr to break it. Thurman should be given the nod as well as the dominant AL catcher of the 1970s.
I hope those of you questioning Hunter don’t feel Mike Mussina should be in the Hall. Because if that is true, it is embarrassing. Mussina has NEVER been dominant. He should not be in the Hall.
Allie Reynolds.
I wish the statement refering to him was formed better, but still, it has to be considered hilarious how he and “Hall of Fame” were used in the same sentence.
Nice try. Not the winner though.
If Moose gets to 300 wins he’ll be in. And if you think he wasn’t ever dominant, you obviously weren’t watching baseball in the late 90s. So, welcome bandwagoner, glad you could make yourself known.