Womack: Is Bartolo Colon, or anyone else from the 2015 World Series, a Hall of Famer?
From SABR member Graham Womack at The Sporting News on November 3, 2015:
In some alternate reality, 2005 is only the beginning for Bartolo Colon. In this universe, Colon parlays a 21-win Cy Young season into a late career renaissance that gets him close to 300 wins and the Hall of Fame. There is no series of injuries that costs him most of five seasons and maybe 60 wins if we look at his averages the rest of his career. Colon doesn’t ever have to emerge from the scrap heap, pitch effectively into his 40s, and become a lovable caricature. That’s part of Colon’s charm, granted, but it’s also a consolation prize for what might have been.
Baseball history is filled with players like Colon, ones who might have been Hall of Famers without a significant injury or if they’d played in eras more conducive to their skill sets or if something else hadn’t gone wrong for them. They’re the Nomar Garciaparras, Jim Wynns and Dwight Goodens of baseball, and if the Hall of Fame dealt more in hypotheticals, they might have a shot at enshrinement. The best thing that can be said for Colon is that he hasn’t fully joined this group yet. He’s still playing and can still add to his Hall of Fame bid.
Colon will turn 43 next spring. His chances for Cooperstown hinge on how much longer he remains serviceable. At this point, he’s given no indication he’ll retire. If he doesn’t pitch for the New York Mets next season, he could be in a starting rotation somewhere else.
Read the full article here: http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb-news/4660099-world-series-2015-bartolo-colon-baseball-hall-of-fame
Originally published: November 3, 2015. Last Updated: November 3, 2015.