Womack: Albert Belle’s case for the Hall of Fame
From SABR member Graham Womack at The Sporting News on November 21, 2016:
It might not have been that surprising when Albert Belle fell off the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot for the Hall of Fame in 2007, receiving just 3.5 percent of the vote.
Belle ranks as perhaps the best power hitter of the 1990s, depending on one’s view of Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr. or Mark McGwire. But the former Cleveland Indians slugger also might have been MLB’s most temperamental star, exploding at fans and media members such as Hannah Storm, chasing teenagers in his car one Halloween, and once inspiring a Sports Illustrated cover that read “Tick… tick… tick.”
Belle also walked away from baseball early, with an arthritic hip ending his career in spring training in 2001, a few months before his 35th birthday. With 500 home runs, it would have been hard for writers to justify leaving Belle off their Hall of Fame ballots. With 381, it was an easy snub.
Read the full article here: http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/news/albert-belle-hall-of-fame-chances-stats-career-interview/1dhub7e1j0q0r1xxo3r74lz5pa
Originally published: November 21, 2016. Last Updated: November 21, 2016.