Jaffe: Analyzing the Hall of Fame cases for Mattingly, Garvey, and more
From SABR member Jay Jaffe at Sports Illustrated on November 13, 2017:
A remarkably consistent and durable player during the prime of his 19-year career (1969–1987), [Steve] Garvey was the most heralded member of the Dodgers’ Longest Running Infield, earning All-Star honors every year from 1974–1981 and again in 1984 and ’85, his second and third seasons with the Padres after departing Los Angeles via free agency. Stuck in a difficult hitters’ park at Dodger Stadium, he did things that typically impress Hall of Fame voters, topping a .300 batting average seven times, 200 hits six times and 100 RBIs five times during that initial eight-year run. He won Gold Gloves in the first four of those years, all while maintaining perfectly coiffed hair.
Additionally, Garvey was great in the postseason (.338/.361/.550 with 11 homers in 232 PA) and helped lead his teams to five World Series appearances and one title (1981 with the Dodgers). He also won plenty of hardware (1974 MVP, two-time All-Star Game MVP), played in 10 All-Star games and set the National League record for consecutive games played with 1,207 from Sept. 3, 1975, to July 29, 1983; that streak still ranks as the fourth-longest behind those of Cal Ripken, Lou Gehrig and Everett Scott.
Read the full article here: https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/11/13/hall-fame-cases-steve-garvey-don-mattingly-dale-murphy-dave-parker
Originally published: November 15, 2017. Last Updated: November 15, 2017.