Big Hurt: "My Resume Speaks for Itself"

When you think about it, no one getting inducted into the Hall of Fame this week means only one thing...a jam packed group of players on next year's ballot.

One of those players is Frank Thomas.

The boys over at MLB.com's Hot Stove caught up with "The Big Hurt" Thursday to get his reaction to Wednesday's vote and to find out what he thought about his chances for next year.

"I think my resume speaks for itself," the slugger said.  "I'm so proud of my career.  I sleep very well every night knowing I didn't do anything wrong."

But that's not to say he also didn't get a couple of jabs in on those who, some say, did not.  And about his .301 career batting average and 521 home runs?  Thomas says his numbers are "legit" and clean".

You can check out the full interview below.

Looking Ahead to the Class of 2014

Since it appears that the BBWAA is sticking to its guns and not voting in players who have been linked to steroids, the Hall of Fame Class of 2014 looks to be one of most heralded classes ever.

And, yeah, that's with or without all those worthy holdovers from this year's ballot.

Either way, the Hall of Fame Class of 2014 looks to be one of most heralded classes ever.  Ever.  Not since 2001, has Cooperstown welcomed three or more first-timers through its doors. 2014 could (and should if you ask me) add four.

Here are the players that will be appearing on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2014.

IN.

Greg Maddux.
What can be said about Maddux that everyone doesn’t already know? 355 wins compared to 227 losses, a career 3.16 ERA and 3371 strikeouts. Add to that four straight Cy Young Awards, 18 straight Gold Gloves, eight All-Star Games, having his number retired by two teams…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
 

Frank Thomas.

"The Big Hurt” hung up his spikes with a career batting average of .301, 521 home runs, 1704 RBI and close to 2500 base hits. Did you know…the two-time MVP is the only player in baseball history to have seven consecutive seasons of a .300 average, 100 runs, 100 RBI, 20 home runs and at least 100 walks?

Tom Glavine.
Only in a year where Greg Maddux is up for induction would Glavine be the second-best pitcher on the ballot. With a 305-203 record...dude is easily one of the best lefties over the last 25 years. Five years with 20-plus wins and two Cy Young Awards (four other seasons in the top five voting) stack up nicely alongside his ten All-Star appearances and one World Series ring.

Jeff Kent.
The "Survivor" contestant and his lip curtain have a long road ahead of them. Is his legendary prickliness toward the media enough to keep him on the bubble…or do his numbers as one of the best second basemen ever win out? The 2000 National League MVP amassed 2461 hits, 377 home runs and a .290 batting average.


OUT (in random order).

Kenny Rogers.
Since it has been close to 20 years since “The Gambler” tossed his perfect game (July 28, 1994), it is only appropriate he gets brought up as a 2014 Hall candidate. Unfortunately, he’s going to be watching from home like the rest of us. The guy was a wizard on the bump…five Gold Gloves, 219 wins and close to 2000 strikeouts, but what is most impressive is that he is the all-time leader in pickoffs with 93.

Moises Alou.
Alou had a much better career than a lot of people realize, but just because he is underrated...he doesn’t deserve a plaque in Cooperstown. Over his 17-year career, Alou boasted a .303 career batting average, just under 2200 career hits and 332 home runs. Considering he finally got his crack at the bigs at age 25…it’s hard to imagine what kind of numbers he would have had if he broke in five years prior.

Armando Benitez, Sean Casey, Jose Cruz Jr., Ray Durham, Damion Easley, Keith Foulke, Eric Gagne, Scott Hatteberg, Jacque Jones, Todd Jones, Jon Lieber, Esteban Loaiza, Paul Lo Duca, Matt Morris, Trot Nixon, Jay Payton, Richie Sexson, J.T. Snow, Shannon Stewart, Mike Timlin, Steve Trachsel and Jose Vidro.

ON THE BUBBLE.

Mike Mussina.
To me, Mussina is an interesting case. On paper, you see a HUGE winning percentage (.638), a brilliant 270 and 153 record and 2813 Ks. His career ERA is 3.68 and one could argue that had he not toiled for more than half of his career in Baltimore…he would be as much of a Hall candidate as Tom Glavine. However, Glavine had five seasons with more than 20 wins. Mussina, while he’s hit double digits in wins seventeen straight years, only his 20 once. The Cy Young award has eluded Mussina as well. Unfortunately, six top five finishes and no hardware doesn’t make for the best Hall of Fame case.  Although I admit it...I am coming around on "Moose".


Luis Gonzalez.
In 2001, “Gonzo” hit .325 with 57 home runs and 142 RBI and led the Diamondbacks to a World Series title. Dude finished up with 354 home runs, 2591 hits and 1439 RBI.  There are only four players that are Hall-eligible (Rafael Palmeiro, Harold Baines, Fred McGriff and Jeff Bagwell) that have more RBI and have yet to be enshrined in Cooperstown. There are no Hall-eligible players with more doubles than “Gonzo” that have yet to get called to the Hall.


Hideo Nomo.
Ask anyone what they think of Nomo and his Hall chances and they’ll likely laugh in your face. However, he is the guy who is credited with paving the way for Japanese players to make their way to the Majors. After a brief, yet successful, career in Japan, Nomo hit the states and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1995. He’s the only Japanese player to have thrown a no-hitter (he threw two…one in each league) and finished his abbreviated MLB career with four seasons with more than 200 strikeouts and a 123-109 record. But…without Nomo, there would be no Ichiro. Let’s not forget how he took the league by storm in 1995 and made it okay for Major League teams to take a chance on Asian players.

Countdown to Cooperstown: Class of 2014

So, let's re-cap.

This weekend, regardless of the crowd size, we're looking at a pretty sub-standard Hall of Fame induction.  Then, in 2013, either the biggest class of first ballot guys gets in...or the most exciting crop of first ballot guys gets snubbed.

Either way, the Hall of Fame Class of 2014 looks to be one of most heralded classes ever.  Ever.  Not since 2001, has Cooperstown welcomed three or more first-timers through its doors. 2014 could (and should) add four.

Here are the players that will be appearing on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2014.

IN.

Greg Maddux.
What can be said about Maddux that everyone doesn’t already know? 355 wins compared to 227 losses, a career 3.16 ERA and 3371 strikeouts. Add to that four straight Cy Young Awards, 18 straight Gold Gloves, eight All-Star Games, having his number retired by two teams…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

Frank Thomas.

"The Big Hurt” hung up his spikes with a career batting average of .301, 521 home runs, 1704 RBI and close to 2500 base hits. Did you know…the two-time MVP is the only player in baseball history to have seven consecutive seasons of a .300 average, 100 runs, 100 RBI, 20 home runs and at least 100 walks? Yup, the guy was Albert Pujols before Albert Pujols was.

Tom Glavine.
Only in a year where Greg Maddux is up for induction would Glavine be the second-best pitcher on the ballot. With a 305-203 record...dude is easily one of the best lefties over the last 25 years. Five years with 20-plus wins and two Cy Young Awards (four other seasons in the top five voting) stack up nicely alongside his ten All-Star appearances and one World Series ring. Not bad for a guy who, alledgedly, is a far better hockey player than a baseball player.

Jeff Kent.
Kent and his lip curtain have a long road ahead of them. Is his legendary prickliness toward the media enough to keep him on the bubble…or do his numbers as one of the best second basemen ever win out? The 2000 National League MVP amassed 2461 hits, 377 home runs and a .290 batting average. Four times a Silver Slugger, five times an All-Star and for six years…playing in that long shadow of Barry Bonds. I put him in, not because of the womb broom…but because he is just THAT much better than Ryne Sandberg and Joe Morgan.

OUT (in random order).

Kenny Rogers.
Since it has been close to 17 years since “The Gambler” tossed his perfect game (July 28, 1994), it is only appropriate he gets brought up as a 2014 Hall candidate. Unfortunately, he’s going to be watching from home like the rest of us. The guy was a wizard on the bump…five Gold Gloves, 219 wins and close to 2000 strikeouts, but what is most impressive is that he is the all-time leader in pickoffs with 93.

Moises Alou.
Alou had a much better career than a lot of people realize, but just because he is underrated...he doesn’t deserve a plaque in Cooperstown. Over his 17-year career, Alou boasted a .303 career batting average, just under 2200 career hits and 332 home runs. Considering he finally got his crack at the bigs at age 25…it’s hard to imagine what kind of numbers he would have had if he broke in five years prior.

Armando Benitez, Sean Casey, Jose Cruz Jr., Ray Durham, Damion Easley, Keith Foulke, Eric Gagne, Scott Hatteberg, Jacque Jones, Todd Jones, Jon Lieber, Esteban Loaiza, Paul Lo Duca, Matt Morris, Trot Nixon, Jay Payton, Richie Sexson, J.T. Snow, Shannon Stewart, Mike Timlin, Steve Trachsel and Jose Vidro.

ON THE BUBBLE.

Mike Mussina.
To me, Mussina is an interesting case. On paper, you see a HUGE winning percentage (.638), a brilliant 270 and 153 record and 2813 Ks. His career ERA is 3.68 and one could argue that had he not toiled for more than half of his career in Baltimore…he would be as much of a Hall candidate as Tom Glavine. However, Glavine had five seasons with more than 20 wins. Mussina, while he’s hit double digits in wins seventeen straight years, only his 20 once. The Cy Young award has eluded Mussina as well. Unfortunately, six top five finishes and no hardware doesn’t make for the best Hall of Fame case.  Although I admit it...I am coming around on "Moose".


Luis Gonzalez.
In 2001, “Gonzo” hit .325 with 57 home runs and 142 RBI and led the Diamondbacks to a World Series title. Dude finished up with 354 home runs, 2591 hits and 1439 RBI.  There are only four players that are Hall-eligible (Rafael Palmeiro, Harold Baines, Fred McGriff and Jeff Bagwell) that have more RBI and have yet to be enshrined in Cooperstown. There are no Hall-eligible players with more doubles than “Gonzo” that have yet to get called to the Hall.

Hideo Nomo.
Ask anyone what they think of Nomo and his Hall chances and they’ll likely laugh in your face. However, he is the guy who is credited with paving the way for Japanese players to make their way to the Majors. After a brief, yet successful, career in Japan, Nomo hit the states and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1995. He’s the only Japanese player to have thrown a no-hitter (he threw two…one in each league) and finished his abbreviated MLB career with four seasons with more than 200 strikeouts and a 123-109 record. But…without Nomo, there would be no Ichiro. Let’s not forget how he took the league by storm in 1995 and made it okay for Major League teams to take a chance on Asian players.

You can check out re-hashes of the first-timers on the 2013 ballot.  Friday...it's your first look at 2017.

Frank Thomas is Bad at Twitter

Something tells me that when future Hall of Famer Frank Thomas lent his name to Big Hurt Beer...he didn't have the picture below in mind.  Yet, he still went ahead and re-tweeted the thing.

Big Hurt Beer is available at selected locations throughout Chicago and at the end of phalic-shaped straws attached to the lips of yuck-faced bachelorettes.

No further comments are needed.

Frank Thomas Blasts American League MVP

Postseason awards are funny.

Typically, you're going to hear a lot of people saying they don't matter...until they object to who wins one.  Then, of course, they suddenly begin to matter.

Such was the case Monday when Justin Verlander was named the American League Most Valuable Player.

Ask anyone what they thought about the Detroit Tigers pitcher taking home the award and they had an opinion.

Me...I asked Twitter.

Earlier in the day, Dwight Gooden and his clouded memory took center stage.  Late Monday night...it was two-time recipient Frank Thomas sounding off on the merits of the MVP award.

Verlander had a unbelievable season but he was not the league MVP!!

Pitchers do not deserve that award!! 36 starts is not enough to be the league MVP!!

If they want to add a 3rd award for pitchers they should do just that. MVP is measured over a 162 game schedule!!

I've been keeping an eye on "The Big Hurt" since he hit Twitter in June and never have I seen him this vocal...much less all that active.

But, if Thomas is looking to stir the pot a little bit...he did just that.

If dude is looking to troll the waters and help promote Big Hurt Beer (which he conveniently dropped into conversation right before his Verlander takes)...well done.

Big Hurt Beer...a crisp full-flavored lager with All-Star taste and a smooth finish.  Now available at selected locations throughout Chicago and at the Binny's Beverage Depots.

Stock up today!

Countdown to Cooperstown: Class of 2014

So, let's re-cap.

I think we can all agree that no first ballot guys are going into The Hall of Fame a year from now and the cat with the best shot of being enshrined is Barry Larkin.

Then, in 2013, either the biggest class of first ballot guys gets in...or the biggest crop of first ballot guys gets snubbed.

Either way, the Hall of Fame Class of 2014 looks to be one of most heralded classes ever.  Not since 2001, has Cooperstown welcomed three or more first-timers through its doors. 2014 could (and should) add four.

IN.

Greg Maddux.
What can be said about Maddux that everyone doesn’t already know? 355 wins compared to 227 losses, a career 3.16 ERA and 3371 strikeouts. Add to that four straight Cy Young Awards, 18 straight Gold Gloves, eight All-Star Games, having his number retired by two teams…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

Frank Thomas.

"The Big Hurt” hung up his spikes with a career batting average of .301, 521 home runs, 1704 RBI and close to 2500 base hits. Did you know…the two-time American League MVP is the only player in baseball history to have seven consecutive seasons of a .300 average, 100 runs, 100 RBI, 20 home runs and at least 100 walks? Yup, the guy was Albert Pujols before Albert Pujols was.

Tom Glavine.
Only in a year where Greg Maddux is up for induction would Glavine be the second-best pitcher on the ballot. With a 305-203 record...dude is easily one of the best lefties over the last 25 years. Five years with 20-plus wins and two Cy Young Awards (four other seasons in the top five voting) stack up nicely alongside his ten All-Star appearances and one World Series ring. Not bad for a guy who, alledgedly, is a far better hockey player than a baseball player.

Jeff Kent.
Kent and his lip curtain have a long road ahead of them. Is his legendary prickliness toward the media enough to keep him on the bubble…or do his numbers as one of the best second basemen ever win out? The 2000 National League MVP amassed 2461 hits, 377 home runs and a .290 batting average. Four times a Silver Slugger, five times an All-Star and for six years…playing in that long shadow of Barry Bonds. I put him in, not because of the womb broom…but because he is just THAT much better than Ryne Sandberg and Joe Morgan.

OUT (in random order).

Kenny Rogers.
Since it has been close to 17 years since “The Gambler” tossed his perfect game (July 28, 1994), it is only appropriate he gets brought up as a 2014 Hall candidate. Unfortunately, he’s going to be watching from home like the rest of us. The guy was a wizard on the bump…five Gold Gloves, 219 wins and close to 2000 strikeouts, but what is most impressive is that he is the all-time leader in pickoffs with 93.

Moises Alou.
Alou had a much better career than a lot of people realize, but just because he is underrated...he doesn’t deserve a plaque in Cooperstown. Over his 17-year career, Alou boasted a .303 career batting average, just under 2200 career hits and 332 home runs. Considering he finally got his crack at the bigs at age 25…it’s hard to imagine what kind of numbers he would have had if he broke in five years prior.

Armando Benitez, Sean Casey, Jose Cruz Jr., Ray Durham, Damion Easley, Keith Foulke, Eric Gagne, Scott Hatteberg, Jacque Jones, Todd Jones, Jon Lieber, Esteban Loaiza, Paul Lo Duca, Matt Morris, Trot Nixon, Jay Payton, Richie Sexson, J.T. Snow, Shannon Stewart, Mike Timlin, Steve Trachsel and Jose Vidro.

ON THE BUBBLE.

Mike Mussina.
To me, “Moose” is an interesting case. On paper, you see a HUGE winning percentage (.638), a brilliant 270 and 153 record and 2813 Ks. His career ERA is 3.68 and one could argue that had he not toiled for more than half of his career in Baltimore…he would be as much of a Hall candidate as Tom Glavine. However, Glavine had five seasons with more than 20 wins. Mussina, while he’s hit double digits in wins seventeen straight years, only his 20 once. The Cy Young award has eluded Mussina as well. Unfortunately, six top five finishes and no hardware doesn’t make for the best Hall of Fame case.

Luis Gonzalez.
In 2001, “Gonzo” hit .325 with 57 home runs and 142 RBI and led the Diamondbacks to a World Series title. Dude finished up with 354 home runs, 2591 hits and 1439 RBI.  There are only four players that are Hall-eligible (Rafael Palmeiro, Harold Baines, Fred McGriff and Jeff Bagwell) that have more RBI and have yet to be enshrined in Cooperstown. There are no Hall-eligible players with more doubles than “Gonzo” that have yet to get called to the Hall.

Hideo Nomo.
Ask anyone what they think of Nomo and his Hall chances and they’ll likely laugh in your face. However, he is the guy who is credited with paving the way for Japanese players to make their way to the Majors. After a brief, yet successful, career in Japan, Nomo hit the states and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1995. He’s the only Japanese player to have thrown a no-hitter (he threw two…one in each league) and finished his abbreviated MLB career with four seasons with more than 200 strikeouts and a 123-109 record. But…without Nomo, there would be no Ichiro. Let’s not forget how he took the league by storm in 1995 and made it okay for Major League teams to take a chance on Asian players.

You can check out re-hashes of the first-timers on the 2012 and 2013 ballots.  Tomorrow brings you 015 and Friday...your first look at 2016.

The Season That Was...August

As long as guys like Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols are swinging a bat...the baseball world stands a good chance at seeing some milestones broken.

That said...welcome to August!

Right out of the gate, on August 4th, "A-Rod" joined Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Sammy Sosa and Ken Griffey Jr. as the one of the only players to slug 600 or more home runs for their career...and he did it exactly three years to the day after he slugged number 500.

Rodriguez also became the youngest player to hit 600, at 35 years and eight days old...a year and 188 days younger than "The Bambino" was when he swatted 600. "A-Rod" was also the fourth quickest to the mark in terms of at-bats, hitting number 600 in his 8,689th at-bat. Ruth did it in 6,921.

Less than a week later, Rodriguez made history again when he stole his 300th base. Only Barry (762-514) and Bobby Bonds (332-461), Willie Mays (660-338), Andre Dawson (438-314), Reggie Sanders (305-304) and Steve Finley (304-320) have achieved 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases.

Billy Williams Gets Bronzed in Chicago

With some of his former Chicago Cubs teammates at his side, Billy Williams was all smiles as a statue of his likeness was unveiled outside of Wrigley Field on Tuesday.

To say that the statue is overdue would be an understatement as the Hall of Famer has spent 52 years with the Cubs organization as a player, coach and executive.

For his career, "Sweet Swinging Billy" batted .290 with 2711 hits, 426 home runs and 1475 RBI. The six-time National League All-Star hit 20 or more home runs 14 times, had 90-plus RBI 10 times and batted at least .300 five times.

At one point in his career, Williams played in a then-National League record 1117 consecutive games from 1963-1970. His 392 home runs as a Cub are third-highest in franchise history behind Ernie Banks (512) and Sammy Sosa (545).

Across, town, the Chicago White Sox have announced plans to unveil a statue of Frank Thomas next season.

The former Sox slugger recently had his number retired and that led me to pose the question...who should be next for the southsiders?

Overwhelmingly, 39% you suggested that "Shoeless" Joe Jackson should get the same treatment as "The Big Hurt".

Who else?

27% of you said "no one". Jim Thome (12%), Paul Konerko (10%), Ozzie Guillen (8%) and Mark Buehrle (2%) also received votes.

Frank Thomas Gets His Number Retired

"I'm from a small town in Georgia and there you can only dream about something like this," future Hall of Famer Frank Thomas told the crowd prior to the White Sox-Yankees game Sunday, "but I've always dreamed."

And with that (and U.S. Cellular's trademark celebratory fireworks), the smiling visage and Number 35 of the the Southside's most productive player was unveiled alongside the nine other former numbers retired by the Sox.

Thomas retired this past February after a 19-year career that saw the two-time American League MVP hit .301 with 521 homers and 1704 RBI.

After making his Major League debut in 1990, "The Big Hurt" went on to set White Sox team records in homers (448) and RBIs (1,465) before splitting his final three seasons with Toronto and Oakland.

He is one of four players to have a .300 average, 500 home runs, 1500 RBIs, 1000 runs and 1500 walks during their career.

Who are the other three? Mel Ott, Ted Williams and Babe Ruth…not too shabby.

Matter of fact, Thomas has a handful of goofball records like that…records that no one really knows how to put into context. You can find some of them HERE.

Lastly, it appears that the White Sox won't just end the overdue Thomas love affair with his number being retired.

In a release sent out just after the start of Sunday’s game, the team announced that a life-size bronze sculpture of "The Big Hurt" will be unveiled in 2011.

He'll become the eighth member of the franchise to get the bronze treatment. The others...Luis Aparicio, Harold Baines, Charles A. Comiskey, Nellie Fox, Carlton Fisk, Minnie Minoso and Billy Pierce.

After that, expect to see Thomas show up next during Hall of Fame Induction Weekend as a member of the jam-packed Class of 2014.

So who should have their number retired by the Chicago White Sox next? What are you waiting for...go vote!

The Hall of Fame Class of 2014

Provided the BBWAA is still sticking to their guns and not voting in players who have been linked to steroids, the Hall of Fame Class of 2014 looks to be one of most heralded classes ever.

Not since 2001, has Cooperstown welcomed three or more first-timers through its doors. 2014 could (and should) add four.

IN.

Greg Maddux.
What can be said about Maddux that everyone doesn’t already know? 355 wins compared to 227 losses, a career 3.16 ERA and 3371 strikeouts. Add to that four straight Cy Young Awards, 18 straight Gold Gloves, eight All-Star Games, having his number retired by two teams…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

Frank Thomas.

"The Big Hurt” finally hung up his spikes with a career batting average of .301, 521 home runs, 1704 RBI and close to 2500 base hits. Did you know…the two-time American League MVP is the only player in baseball history to have seven consecutive seasons of a .300 average, 100 runs, 100 RBI, 20 home runs and at least 100 walks? Yup, the guy was Albert Pujols before Albert Pujols was.

Tom Glavine.

Only in a year where Greg Maddux is up for induction will Glavine be the second-best pitcher on the ballot. With a 305-203 record...dude is easily one of the best lefties over the last 25 years. Five years with 20-plus wins and two Cy Young Awards (four other seasons in the top five voting) stack up nicely alongside his ten All-Star appearances and one World Series ring. Not bad for a guy who, alledgedly, is a far better hockey player than a baseball player.

Jeff Kent.
Kent and his lip curtain have a long road ahead of them. Is his legendary prickliness toward the media enough to keep him on the bubble…or do his numbers as one of the best second basemen ever win out? The 2000 National League MVP amassed 2461 hits, 377 home runs and a .290 batting average. Four times a Silver Slugger, five times an All-Star and for six years…playing in that long shadow of Barry Bonds. I put him in, not because of the womb broom…but because he is just THAT much better than Ryne Sandberg and Joe Morgan.

OUT (in random order).

Kenny Rogers.
“The Gambler” tossed his perfect game 15 years ago NEXT Tuesday (July 28, 1994), so it is only appropriate he gets brought up as a 2014 Hall candidate. Unfortunately, he’s going to be watching from home like the rest of us. The guy was a wizard on the bump…five Gold Gloves, 219 wins and close to 2000 strikeouts, but what is most impressive is that he is the all-time leader in pickoffs with 93.

Moises Alou.
Alou had a much better career than a lot of people realize, but just because he is underrated...he doesn’t deserve a plaque in Cooperstown. Over his 17 year career, Alou boasted a .303 career batting average, just under 2200 career hits and 332 home runs. Considering he finally got his crack at the bigs at age 25…it’s hard to imagine what kind of numbers he would have had if he broke in five years prior.

Armando Benitez, Sean Casey, Jose Cruz Jr., Ray Durham, Damion Easley, Keith Foulke, Eric Gagne, Scott Hatteberg, Jacque Jones, Todd Jones, Jon Lieber, Esteban Loaiza, Paul Lo Duca, Matt Morris, Trot Nixon, Jay Payton, Richie Sexson, J.T. Snow, Shannon Stewart, Mike Timlin, Steve Trachsel and Jose Vidro.

ON THE BUBBLE.

Mike Mussina.
To me, “Moose” is an interesting case. On paper, you see a HUGE winning percentage (.638), a brilliant 270 and 153 record and 2813 Ks. His career ERA is 3.68 and one could argue that had he not toiled for more than half of his career in Baltimore…he would be as much of a Hall candidate as Tom Glavine. However, Glavine had five seasons with more than 20 wins. Mussina, while he’s hit double digits in wins seventeen straight years, only his 20 once. The Cy Young award has eluded Mussina as well. Unfortunately, six top five finishes and no hardware doesn’t make for the best Hall of Fame case.

Luis Gonzalez.
In 2001, “Gonzo” hit .325 with 57 home runs and 142 RBI and led the Diamondbacks to a World Series title. Still serviceable last season at 41, Gonzalez was an every day player for the Marlins and is still looking for work. With 354 home runs, it isn’t likely that Gonzalez will get to 400. That being said, he is nine hits from 2600 and 61 RBI from 1500. Only one player that is Hall eligible (Harold Baines) has more than 1500 RBI and has yet to be enshrined in Cooperstown. There are no Hall eligible players with more doubles than “Gonzo” that have yet to get called to the Hall. If he never plays again…Gonzalez is a tough call.

Hideo Nomo.
Ask anyone what they think of Nomo and his Hall chances and they’ll likely laugh in your face. However, he is the guy who is credited with paving the way for Japanese players to make their way to the Majors. After a brief, yet successful, career in Japan, Nomo hit the states and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1995. He’s the only Japanese player to have thrown a no-hitter (he threw two…one in each league) and finished his abbreviated MLB career with four seasons with more than 200 strikeouts and a 123-109 record. But…without Nomo, there would be no Ichiro. Let’s not forget how he took the league by storm in 1995 and made it okay for Major League teams to take a chance on Asian players.

So there you have it...the re-hashes. Tomorrow brings a fresh look at the Class of 2015.

Monday: 2011

Tuesday: 2012

Wednesday: 2013