3 Worthy Candidates Define Dignity In Upcoming Baseball Hall Of Fame Election

The Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee will convene this weekend in San Diego at the outset of the Baseball Winter Meetings. In what has become a common occurrence in recent years, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Board of Directors has restructured its Era Committee elections and this time there is a strong emphasis on relevance and fan engagement. Thanks to three new committees, a clear line of demarcation exists as the Classic Baseball Era committee will focus on achievements prior to 1980 which includes the Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues. Candidates who have made significant contributions since 1980 will now be considered by two Contemporary Baseball Era committees who will examine players and non-players.

The Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee has a blockbuster ballot of eight candidates who represent a dichotomy between saints and sinners. Over the past decade, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) had struggled with the candidacies of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Curt Schilling until they ran out of eligibility. Adding Albert Belle and Rafael Palmeiro to the ballot is like throwing gallons of gasoline on a towering inferno. Achieving resolution on matters pertaining to performance enhancing substances, cantankerous personalities, and threatening social media diatribes fall squarely on the shoulders of 16 Hall of Fame Board-appointed electorates. Now, it’s their turn to be the moral authority and guardians of integrity, sportsmanship, and character when it comes to the greatest honor bestowed upon a baseball player.

Hall of Fame historians Jay Jaffe and Bill James have chronicled how cronyism has opened the gates to baseball immortality for several highly questionable candidates through various iterations of the Veterans Committees. Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, and Dale Murphy are legitimate borderline Hall of Fame candidates who need a gentle push in the right direction. Mattingly and Murphy’s vast accomplishments stand firmly on their own as longevity is a formidable adversary. High octane offensive exploits by pharmaceutically enhanced contemporaries might have overshadowed McGriff’s exemplary career, but quiet consistency and admiration from teammates have defined a man who is affectionately known as the “Crime Dog.” Election of the trio to the Hall of Fame would not be viewed as an egregious error, but a joyous occasion that says dignity, statistical excellence, and perspective are still the bedrock upon which the Baseball Hall of Fame has stood for over eight decades.

The candidacies of Mattingly, McGriff, and Murphy deserve thoughtful attention as the electorates cannot get caught in the performance enhancing substances vortex. Mattingly and Murphy conjure sentimental feelings as beloved icons to fans of the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves, but each have fared poorly in 15 BBWAA elections. According to Baseball-Reference, Mattingly’s best performance had occurred in his first year of eligibility in 2001 where had received support on 145 out of a possible 515 ballots (28.2 percent). Murphy’s best showing had occurred in his second year of eligibility in 2000 when he had received support on 116 out of a possible 499 ballots (23.2 percent).

Mattingly and Murphy made their post-BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot debuts in the 2018 Modern Baseball Era election. Both had received fewer than seven votes as 12 were needed for election. Their names had appeared once again on the 2020 Modern Baseball Era ballot, but this time Mattingly and Murphy only received three or fewer votes with 12 still needed for election.

Mattingly’s candidacy has been plagued by a debilitating back injury that decimated the final six seasons of his career. A sense of melancholy exists when it comes to Mattingly as condensed dominance eloquently describes his age 23-28 seasons (1984-1989). BBWAA voters have focused on the brevity instead of appreciating Mattingly as one of the most prolific ball players of his generation and someone who played with grace under intense and often chaotic circumstances for parts of 14 seasons (1982-1995) in the Bronx.

A 1985 American League Most Valuable Player Award winner, Mattingly was an anomaly as he could hit for power and average while rarely striking out. Let’s also not forget that Mattingly had won nine Gold Gloves, six All-Star Game appearances, three Silver Sluggers, and an American League batting title. Just for good measure, throw in a 2020 National League Manager of the Year Award. According to Baseball-Reference, Mattingly never struck out more than 45 times in a season and had 144 more base on balls (588) than strikeouts (444) over 1,785 ball games.

In parts of 15 seasons with the Braves (1976-1990), Murphy was the heartbeat of the franchise during a downtrodden period for baseball in Atlanta. Including stops with the Philadelphia Phillies (1990-1992) and Colorado Rockies (1993), he played on ball clubs with winning records three times (1980, 1982, and 1983) and only appeared in the postseason once (1982) like Mattingly (1995). His age 26-31 seasons (1982-1987) were the epitome of excellence as he won five Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers, and the 1982 and 1983 National League Most Valuable Player Awards. Murphy was an All-Star on six consecutive occasions during this period and seven overall.

McGriff’s best performance on the BBWAA ballot had occurred in his tenth and final year of eligibility in which he had received support on 169 out of a possible 425 ballots (39.8 percent) according to Baseball-Reference. A five-time All-Star who won three Silver Slugger Awards, McGriff was overshadowed in an era where deception created a false reality. A fearsome hitter, the beauty of McGriff is captured in his age 25-30 seasons (1989-1994) as he stood shoulder to shoulder with Barry Bonds.

However, McGriff’s candidacy on the BBWAA ballot did come with shortcomings. While 493 career home runs and 2,490 hits are impressive over parts of 19 major league seasons (1986-2004), McGriff had played for six ball clubs and finished only once in the top five of Most Valuable Player Award voting. In terms of black-ink statistics, he led his league in home runs twice and once in On-Base Plus Slugging (OPS) and Adjusted On-Base Plus Slugging (OPS+). The magic that had once surrounded 500 home runs disappeared as the achievement has been diminished both in its exclusivity and relevance. McGriff had lost the opportunity to play in 66 ball games over the 1994-1995 seasons due to Major League Baseball’s strike and many believe he would have surpassed 500 career home runs and 2,500 hits.

Instead of rationalizing deplorable behavior, the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee must use fortitude to carry three borderline Hall of Fame candidates over the threshold and reward them for being the embodiment of integrity, sportsmanship, and character. Imagine for a moment the exuberance of a summer afternoon in late July if Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, and Dale Murphy are sitting on a dais anxiously awaiting to address the thousands in attendance at Induction Weekend. Besides preserving history and honoring excellence, the distinguished trio would also be helping the Baseball Hall of Fame make new connections with generations of fans through relevance, meaningful engagement, and dignity.