One Thing's for Sure: Davey Concepcion Deserves to Be in the Hall of Fame

Don't get me wrong; I am glad that Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson are going to the Hall of Fame. Both players were class acts and made huge impacts on the game: Rice with his bat, Henderson with his glove. I also think the Baseball Writers Association usually never misses out on the deserving players. I do have to ask, how can anyone in their right mind overlook Dave Concepcion? He was one of the important parts of Cincinnati's Big Red Machine of the 1970s. A nine-time all-star and a five-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop, Concepcion made a mark of his own with the glove and batted .267 for his career. His numbers are actually very comparable to other shortstops in the Hall of Fame, such as Ozzie Smith. His demeanor and style reflected a statesman, doing a fantastic job on the field and being a positive contributor to society, winning the Roberto Clemente Award for humanitarian work in 1977. Concepcion was a finesse player, making difficult plays seem effortless. To take advantage of ... (link)