Womack: There might be 50 future Hall of Famers in MLB right now
From SABR member Graham Womack at The Sporting News on July 18, 2017:
Whenever the Hall of Fame or one of its committees neglects to induct anyone, representatives of the institution typically give the same line that fewer than 2 percent of all players in baseball history are Hall of Famers, and that it’s extraordinarily difficult to get into Cooperstown.
This line isn’t fiction. But does it mean that at any given time, just 2 percent of MLB players — or 15 players out of 750, until rosters expand in September — are destined for the Hall of Fame? Not so much.
If history is any guide, there might be at least 50 future Hall of Famers active in the majors right now, at different stages of their careers. Some, such as Ichiro Suzuki, are just shy of retirement. Others, such as Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw, already seem like locks. Still others are first- or second-year players on few fans’ Cooperstown radars. It’d be ridiculous to try to spitball on some of the players in the latter group.
Who would have thought Sandy Koufax a Hall of Famer in 1960 when he was contemplating quitting baseball? Dennis Eckersley when he looked like a washed-up ace in 1986? Pedro Martinez in 1993 when he was getting traded for Delino DeShields?
Read the full article here: http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/news/mlb-future-hall-of-famers-best-active-players-2017-mike-trout-clayton-kershaw/atsvyldln0rf15mduj23dn5cz
Originally published: July 18, 2017. Last Updated: July 18, 2017.