Ray’s Ramblings: HOF Vote & OBP

How do the early returns look for the fellas who are hoping to be elected to the HOF this year? Which players have an impressive talent to reach base and which simply are clueless when it comes to reaching base?

HOF DEBATE/TALK

Is Todd Helton a HOFamer? From 2000-04 he averaged .349-37-123-125 with a 1.093 OPS – which is massive levels of production. His OPS was 1.000 each year at least 1.088 in four of five seasons. From 2000-07 his average season was .336/.442/.591 with a 150 OPS+. He had a 1.048 OPS at home and .855 on the road so there was a significant difference, but compare those numbers to his former teammate Larry Walker’s splits: 1.068 OPS at home and .865 on the road. Walker is in the HOF by the way.

Helton’s peak was electric, but maybe it wasn’t long enough for the HOF? Still, his 10-year average from 1998-2007 was still wildly impressive at .332-30-108-109 with a 1.017 OPS (144 OPS+). Is that good enough for induction? Is he Hall of Very Good material? What do the voters think? Check out his vote total below.

Here is @NotMrTibbs (Ryan Thibodaux) report on public HOF ballots this season. Remember, a player needs 75 percent of the vote to make the HOF. The results with under than half the ballots known offer some surprises (just over 40 percent have been made public as of this writeup).

Barry Bonds actually has a shot at election with 79.1 percent of the votes in his last year of eligibility. Given everything, I’m surprised at the early returns. Remember, not even half the votes have been made public.

Roger Clemens actually has a shot at election with 77.8 percent of the votes in his last year of eligibility. Given everything, I’m surprised at the early returns. Maybe people are inspired by the last year on the ballot thing?

Helton has 57.6 percent mark.

Andruw Jones is just over 50 percent.

David Ortiz appears on his way to being elected in his first year of eligibility as he’s sporting a mark of 83.5 percent.

Alex Rodriguez checks in at 42.4 percent in his first season.

Scott Rolen, in his fifth year, is up to a hair over 70 percent.

Curt Schilling, in his last year on the ballot, doesn’t look like he is going to make it at 58.9 percent.

Gary Sheffield is just under half the vote at 48.1 percent.

Billy Wagner is just ahead of Sheffield at 48.7 percent.

WAY BETER THAN YOU THOUGHT

Brandon Nimmo hired a new agency to represent him as he heads into the last year of team control this season before he hits free agency in 2023 (he is arbitration eligible). He’s been under 95 games played three straight years, he did play 55-of-60 games in 2020, but he’s had a hard time staying on the field. He’s never hit 20 homers or stolen 10 bases in a season, and he’s also a .266 career hitter. However, he does one thing extremely well, and it happens to be just about the most important thing an offensive player can do, he avoids making outs. In 3-of-4 seasons he’s posted an OBP of .400, he missed in 2019 with a .375 mark, and the last four years the number is an impressive .398. He’s had 1,400 plate appearances in that time. Where does that rank amongst 151 players who have had at least 1,400 plate appearances the last four years? Here is the leaderboard.

.442 Mike Trout
.432 Juan Soto
.399 Bryce Harper
.398 Freddie Freeman
.398 Brandon Nimmo

Yep, Nimmo is fifth in baseball in OBP. By the way, it is name drop time, he’s also 17^th in wOBA at .373 which is one point behind Vlad Guerrero Jr. and three points ahead of Shohei Ohtani.

Brandon Nimmo is a much better offensive player than the vast majority of the world believes.

By the way, since we are talking OBP and success, it is only natural to go in the other direction, right?

Here are the only men in baseball under .300 in OBP since the start of 2018, with at least 1,400 plate appearances. Provided with comment.

Gary Sanchez (.299) his OBP is awful, but when you note that he’s hit .201 his last 361 games it isn’t that terrible. He’s terrible, just not when you compare his OBP to his batting average.

Freddy Galvis (.299) took his game to Japan.

Hunter Renfroe (.298) is coming off his best season with 31 homers and 96 RBI, and he’s gone deep 30 times each of the last two full big-league seasons. Last season was his first effort in three years above .290 with an OBP of .315, a career best in a season of 50 plate appearances.

Kyle Seager (.298) retired.

Maikel Franco (.294) could only find a minor league deal with the Nationals.

Albert Pujols (.292) has hit .297 for his career. The first 10 years of his career his worst effort in OBP was .394 and he averaged .427. The last 11 years the mark is .317.

Rougned Odor (.291) has a one-year minor league deal with the Orioles. Amazingly, he’s only 27 years old. Per 162 games in his career, he’s averaged .234-27-84-79-10, albeit with a .289 OBP.

Kevin Pillar (.290) is a cheap power/speed option. Alas, he hit 15 homers last season but with only four steals. Has just nine thefts his last 178 games and his career OBP is just .297.

Randal Grichuk (.289) is the least successful man in baseball at getting on base. The last six years his best effort was .312 in the Covid shortened 2020 season. In the five seasons he’s played 120 games his best effort is .301.

THIS AND THAT

The history of the eephus pitch.

The Fielder’s made some kinda history.

Prince Fielder & Cecil Fielder each hit 319 career HR, yes

Did you know they ALSO matched each other with:

– 97 2-out HR
– 49 4th-inning HR
– 29 5th-inning HR
– 18 9th-inning HR

each!https://t.co/u4GUoEqEoc

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) January 10, 2022

Here is every team’s best player.

The best career WAR at every position on the diamond.