-
jsc1973 Tim Raines is a Hall of Fame caliber player. We wouldn't even be discussing this if one of two things were true:
1. He hadn't played his career at a time when he was being compared with another player (Henderson) who was just slightly better; or
2. He hadn't had his best seasons in the MLB backwater known as the Montreal Expos, where he didn't get the ink he deserved.
They're about to elect Jim Rice, and Rice was good, but I wouldn't have traded Raines for two Jim Rices.
-
brat0029 I think one of my main problems for the Raines for HOF idea is that his canidacy is based mostly on his longevity, he really didn't have that many HOF seasons. And his supporters don't seem to want to knock him for a lot of missed playing time the last 12 years of his career, after he left Montreal. He averaged 91 games a season in that span.
It wasn't like he didn't get a lot of attention for what he did in Montreal. He was a seven time all-star and recieved MVP votes seven times. He played on some pretty good teams with some pretty good teammates. -
jsc1973 Your criteria isn't really fair to Raines. He was a durable, everyday player, and still playing well, throughout his five years with the White Sox after leaving Montreal. He appears to have missed time because of the 1994-95 strike, but if you adjust for that, he averaged about 141 out of every 162 games played.
At the time he left Chicago, his career stats were 296/386/428, 2295 hits, 1374 runs scored and 777 stolen bases. Players have been put in the Hall of Fame for having done less than Raines had done by the time he stopped being an everyday player.
He had injury troubles in 1996-97, with the Yankees, and after 1998 he came off the bench. But those seasons really have nothing to do with the issue. He had already built up a strong HOF resume before he started putting on bulk numbers. Raines isn't Rusty Staub or Harold Baines.
THT: Tango: Tim Raines’ case for the Hall of Fame
BBTF's Baseball Primer Newsblog —
THT: Tango: Tim Raines’ case for the Hall of Fame Tired of reading things like...” Tim Raines? Sounds intriguing, but like the Hawk (Andre Dawson), I just can’t quite pull my finger on Rock.”? Well, here’s Tango. The difference between comparing to groups, as opposed to one-on-one comparisons, is that we are no longer fascinated by milestones like 3000 hits, or .300 batting average. Immortality is not about achieving some arbitrary rounded-number milestone. This is especially true in this case, since baseball is not about getting hits, but about generating runs. It’s ...
Raines for the Hall
THE BOOK--Playing The Percentages In Baseball —
My annual plea, which I hope will end soon.
Thursday Applesauce
Amazin' Avenue —
... At The Hardball Times, Tom Tango makes the Hall of Fame case for Tim Raines. Raines will have a tough row to hoe this year, with Rickey Henderson -- a better version of Raines -- a certainty to be voted in on his first shot. Raines is an underappreciated player, a great player for a long time, who will hopefully have is day in Cooperstown sooner rather than later. ...
12/4 Link Dump
South Side Sox —
... off the table last year at this time and he seems ready to do the same with Martinez. With the Mets connected to numerous reports involving White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye and closer Bobby Jenks, it was not surprising to see Baseball Prospectus suggest that Minaya was discussing a "blockbuster" deal that could bring both to Flushing for a package centered on Martinez. But a person familiar with the situation said yesterday there was "nothing there."
Tango pens his annual case for Tim Raines for the HOF.
Shawn Hoffman pinch hits at ...
Thursday Reading: Hall of Fame edition
umpbump.com —
... chastises Rickey Henderson for not knowing when to hang up his cleats, saying, “From the Mets to the Mariners to the Padres to the Red Sox and Dodgers, Henderson put on an uncharacteristic performance. The last three years he struck out more than he walked for the first three times in two decades. His hit a paltry .228. He stole a total of only 72 bases, a figure he had surpassed in seven single seasons.” Why you gotta focus on the negative, Tracy? The Hardball Times’ Tom Tango makes his case for Tim Raines induction by comparing him to the best leadoff hitters already in the ...
Thursday Night Bits
Bluebird Banter —
... And Hardball Times makes the Hall of Fame case for one of my favorite all time players Tim Raines. Clearly he should be in the Hall, but won't happen this year I'm sure. It is too bad, there would be some poetry to having Ricky Henderson and Tim Raines going in at the same time. ...
