Womack: Jim Kaat’s cynicism on his Hall of Fame chances

From SABR member Graham Womack at The Sporting News on January 19, 2016:

On the surface, Jim Kaat would seem like the sort of candidate Hall of Fame committees love: 283 wins, 16 Gold Gloves and a staggering 25 seasons in the majors from 1959 to 1983. He’s one of 27 pitchers with at least 4,500 innings, and 22 of them are in Cooperstown. Kaat’s resume is less impressive by sabermetric standards, falling short of Cooperstown by JAWS and Hall Rating. But Hall of Fame committees, comprised of older players, executives, media, and historians, don’t seem to rely on such metrics.

In fact, Kaat’s done well since becoming eligible with the Veterans Committee for the 2005 election. He topped 50 percent of the vote once and 60 percent twice before the committee split into three in 2010. Since then, Kaat has topped 60 percent of the vote in two Golden Era Committee elections, with 75 percent needed for induction. Of the four players who’ve gotten more votes than Kaat with the committees, Ron Santo has been enshrined, and Gil Hodges, Dick Allen and Tony Oliva all could be.

Read the full article here: http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb-news/4691800-jim-kaat-on-the-hall-of-fame-i-get-a-little-cynical-about-it



Originally published: January 25, 2016. Last Updated: January 25, 2016.