Ivan Rodriguez to Retire Monday

[Oriology]

Hall of Fame?

http://espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/story/_/id/7830099/ivan-rodriguez-retire-texas-ranger-monday-source-says

[Austin]

2,800+ hits, 300+ homers, the all-time leader in games played at catcher and quite possibly the best defensive backstop of all time? I think he's a slam-dunk.

[Moose Milligan]

No doubt a Hall of Famer.

I hate how he Joe Morgan'd at the end of his career, though.

[Icterus galbula]

Indubitably.

[CA-ORIOLE]

yep, clearly a HOFer imo.

[crissfan172]

Does he deserve to get in? Yes.

Will he? Probably not.

[ShaneDawg85]

I fail to understand how he's not a Hall of Famer. He held on too long and did play during the steroid era, but that aside, there is no way he is not a Hall of Famer and one of the top 5 catchers of all-time.

[waroriole]

I fail to understand how he's not a Hall of Famer. He held on too long and did play during the steroid era, but that aside, there is no way he is not a Hall of Famer and one of the top 5 catchers of all-time.

Besides Bench, who's better.......ok and other than Wieters too.

[Skeletor]

Besides Bench, who's better.......ok and other than Wieters too.

Berra.

[waroriole]

Berra.

I'll take Pudge, but its close.

[SammyBirdland]

Aww, retiring as a Ranger. The Nationals almost had their first cap in Cooperstown.

[Oriology]

I think he's a no-doubter as well, but I remember some rumors surfacing about steroid use at one point. Never proven, though.

[Skeletor]

I think he's a no-doubter as well, but I remember some rumors surfacing about steroid use at one point. Never proven, though.

Like Bagwell. I anticipate a similar voter response.

[srock]

I think he's a no-doubter as well, but I remember some rumors surfacing about steroid use at one point. Never proven, though.

He will get a few less votes then he should, but I'll be shocked if he isn't 1st ballot. Players who get in heavy on defense won't get the same steroid treatment, IMHO. It's the power hitters that will get knocked back a ballot or 2.

[Skeletor]

I'll take Pudge, but its close.

I really don't think it's that close. Berra was a much, much better hitter than Rodriguez. Rodriguez makes up some of that with the glove (I'll grant that he was better, but not by enough). Only if you think that catcher defense can be accurately measured 60 years after the fact and if you have a ton of faith in modern catcher defense metrics can you believe that Rodriguez was as good as Berra.