ESPN Creates Own Version of "Hall of Fame"

[skanar]

Link

Meant to be a response to real HOF steroid controversy; their committee rated players solely on on-field performance.

It's a ranked list of 125. The top 25 aren't out yet, but so far:

#89 Jim Palmer

#65 Eddie Murray

#43 Brooks Robinson

#31 Cal Ripken Jr.

Players ranked in between Brooks and Cal include Pedro Martinez, Carl Yastrzemski, Derek Jeter, Pete Rose, and Ken Griffey Jr.

I think George Sisler got a raw deal, as usual, ranking at 114 when Koufax is in the 40s. Also, Shoeless Joe probably should have cracked the top 100.

[isestrex]

If you're going to have an all performance hall, Joe Jackson and Pete Rose are top 10 players.

I'm very pleased to see Palmer in the top 100. I think he gets a little overlooked in general pitchers rankings.

[Can_of_corn]

The best part of the list is Old Hoss Radbourn giving player by player opinions on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/OldHossRadbourn

[Icterus galbula]

If you're going to have an all performance hall, Joe Jackson and Pete Rose are top 10 players.

I'm very pleased to see Palmer in the top 100. I think he gets a little overlooked in general pitchers rankings.

Totally disagree about Jackson being top 10. Totally. Baseball reference's elo-rater agrees with me. (#96 of hitters.)

http://www.baseball-reference.com/friv/ratings.cgi

[Number5]

Totally disagree about Jackson being top 10. Totally. Baseball reference's elo-rater agrees with me. (#96 of hitters.)

http://www.baseball-reference.com/friv/ratings.cgi

Say it ain't so.

[isestrex]

Other notable players:

122 - Edgar Martinez (good to see him here)

108 - Palmeiro (his accumulative numbers indicate he should probably be higher)

102 - Joe Jackson (Should be much much higher. He's basically a small notch below Ty Cobb in the same era)

95/94 - Sosa and Thome (two players we got right at the end of their productivity)

73 - Robbie Alomar (like with Palmeiro, I think he should be much higher as the greatest 2B to ever play the game).

After looking at the list, I was very impressed to see Brooks and Cal that high up. They're ahead of some really really great players

[Can_of_corn]

As is normally the case for ESPN the list seems heavy with players who played in the lifetime of the folks making the list. Lost of folks that played in the 80's and later.

[srock]

Edgar Martinez at 122. Highest praise yet for a DH.

Palmeiro at 108!

Wow Biggio is rated over Thome, 1 spot behind Palmer at 90.

A part time Orioles at 79, Robin Roberts.

#32:

Bob Gibson, RHP

Career: 1959-75, Cardinals

Fun fact: Played for the Harlem Globetrotters in 1957-58

Some Marylanders from the Eastern Shore (Harold Baines wasn't the 1st):

#28 is Jimmie Foxx (Sudlersville). I wonder is Homerun Baker (Trappe) will make the top 25, but I doubt it. Surprised he wasn't lower on the list.

[eb45]

As is normally the case for ESPN the list seems heavy with players who played in the lifetime of the folks making the list. Lost of folks that played in the 80's and later.

yep, this will always be the case.

of note though is that post-expansion baseball got a lot bigger and so did the number of stars and Hall-worthy players. you can't really expect a list like this to equally represent each era because that's just not how baseball worked from the 60s onwards.

Jackson and Rose are nowhere near the top 10 regardless.

[Can_of_corn]

yep, this will always be the case.

of note though is that post-expansion baseball got a lot bigger and so did the number of stars and Hall-worthy players. you can't really expect a list like this to equally represent each era because that's just not how baseball worked from the 60s onwards.

Jackson and Rose are nowhere near the top 10 regardless.

I think eliminating the color barrier and allowing for international players are more responsible then expansion. If Baseball were to expand by 10 teams how many more truly elite players would we see?

[Camden_yardbird]

The only reason they are doing this is because Rose and Bonds will be top 5, and that will not only garner some hits on the website, it will also give their radio personalities something to talk about.

[Can_of_corn]

Oh my....

Old Hoss Radbourn ‏@OldHossRadbourn

What. RT @alan_keiper @OldHossRadbourn Opened up the magazine and they mentioned you're at #160. A ripoff!

Oh, the gloves are coming off now.

160, eh? Oh really.

Please allow me to interrupt my commentary to provide a list of quality television networks.

Fictional Twitter account outrage or not I most certainly agree that 160 is insultingly low for Radbourn

[srock]

The only reason they are doo.g this is because Rose and Bonds will be top 5, and that will not only garner some hits on the website, it will also give their radio personalities something to talk about.

Pete Rose came in 1 spot ahead of Jeter at 37.

There is a good chance Bonds is #1, purely by the numbers.

[eb45]

I think eliminating the color barrier and allowing for international players are more responsible then expansion. If Baseball were to expand by 10 teams how many more truly elite players would we see?

Well yeah, those would push the skill bar higher and make more truly elite players, but having more teams pushes the skill bar lower and allows more players to put up elite stats. The players wouldn't get better necessarily, but we'd perceive them as such, and we wouldn't really be wrong to do so if we can all agree that domination of a league is what makes a player great (which we should).

[Can_of_corn]

Pete Rose came in 1 spot ahead of Jeter at 37.

There is a good chance Bonds is #1, purely by the numbers.

Ruth is Ruth, even though in Ruth's day it was Cobb.