Season 25 Hall of Fame Candidates, Part Three

I'm finishing off our Hall contenders with seven candidates, including a plethora of closers. The closers appear stacked up. Simply put, all of the best closers are candidates.

Solid Candidates

Kane Durocher - Durocher pitched for 17 seasons in the majors, with parts of 9 coming for the Hartford/Rochester Horrorshow and parts of 6 seasons for the Tacoma Travelers/San Diego Pipeline franchise. In 879 games, he went 40-58 with 536 saves, a 3.48 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Durocher was selected for 9 All-Star Games, and won the AL Fireman of the Year Award (with the San Diego Pipeline) in Season 5. Durocher is the all-time leader in saves for the league. Durocher's top votes year was Season 21, with 2 votes.

Javier Gil - Gil pitched in 17 seasons in the majors, spending 5 seasons witht the Santa Fe Express and 6 seasons with the New York Dodgers. In 1081 games, Gil went 97-83 with 479 saves, a 3.25 ERA, and a 1.17 WHIP. Gil was selected for 8 All-Star Games, won the AL Fireman of the Year (with the New York Dodgers) in Season 16, and won a World Series Ring in Season 15 (also with the Dodgers). Gil is 5th all-time in saves. Gil has never exceeded 1 vote for the Hall.

Hersh Maholm - 2B Maholm played 14 seasons in the majors, 11 coming with the Dover Destroyers. Maholm hit .266/.341/.530 with 532 home runs and 273 doubles. Maholm went to 6 All-Star Games, winning the All-Star Game MVP Award in Season 11, and won 5 Silver Slugger Awards. Maholm is 4th all-time in assists by a second baseman with 4,874, 4th all-time in putouts by a second baseman with 3,460, and 5th all-time in double plays by a second baseman with 1,063.

Luther Riggs - Riggs pitched for 17 seasons in the majors, 10 seasons with the Dover Destroyers and parts of 6 seasons with the Pawtucket Paw Sox. In 843 games, Riggs went 41-60 with 518 saves, a 3.07 ERA, and a 1.14 WHIP. Riggs went to 8 All-Star Games, and won the NL Fireman of the Year Award for 4 straight seasons (Seasons 13 and 14 with the Destroyers, and 15 and 16 with the Paw Sox). Riggs is 3rd all-time in saves.

Felipe Sanchez - Sanchez pitched for 20 seasons in the majors, 10 of which went spent with a franchise that went by the names Burlington Black Bears, Rochester Red Wings, Ottawa Canucks, and Augusta Gloops. In 1217 games, Sanchez went 62-79 with 525 saves, a 3.03 ERA, and a 1.10 WHIP. Sanchez went to 8 All-Star Games, was NL Fireman of the Year three consecutive seasons (7 through 9, all with the Gloops), and won a World Series Ring in Season 16 with the Anaheim Angels. Sanchez is 2nd all-time in saves, 2nd all-time in games pitched, and is tied for 4th all-time in WHIP. Sanchez's top Hall votes year was Season 21, with 5 votes.

Raul Tatis - 2B/CF Tatis played 28 seasons in the majors, including parts of 6 seasons with the Nashville Tractor Pulls and 7 seasons with the Boston Patriots. Tatis went .292/.357/.340 with 873 stolen bases and 1734 runs. He went to the All-Star Game 4 times, and won a World Series Ring in Season 6 (with the Tractor Pulls). Tatis leads all-time in at-bats (10,599), infield hits (826, nearly double the next contender), and plate appearances (11,693), is 2nd in hits (with 3,097), 3rd in stolen bases, and 4th in games played (with 2,635) and runs scored. Tati's top Hall vote came with 4 votes in Season 22.

Benito Tejada - Tejada pitched in 16 seasons in the majors, 13 of which were spent with the Oakland Bay City Bullies/Hololulu Pohaku Kekoa/Oakland Knightmare/Arizona Border Patrol franchise. in 916 major league games, he went 50-57 with 447 saves, a 2.51 ERA, and a 1.06 WIP. Tejeda went to 7 All-Star Games, won the AL Fireman of the Year Award 4 times (Seasons 7, 10, 11, and 12, all with the Bay City Bullies), and won a World Series Ring in Season 12 (also with the Bullies). Tejeda is 2nd all-time in ERA and WHIP.

The Future

It is important that we start clearing the backlog of Hall candidates (if that is what we intend to do) becuase there are a number of stellar candidates nearing the end of their careers, including pitchers Magglio Escobar, Scooter Lee, Steven Petersen, and Greg Price.

Season 25 Hall of Fame Candidates, Part Two

Yet another installation of my Hall of Fame posting.

Solid Candidates

Benito Aquino - Catcher Aquino spent 14 of his 17 major leagues behind the Anaheim Angels dish, hiting .276/.341/.485 with 443 HRs and 347 doubles. Aquino went to the All-Star Game four times, winning the All-Star Game MVP Award in Season 15 and the Home Run Derby crown in Season 16, plus won the Gold Glove once, won the Silver Slugger once, and won World Series Rings in Seasons 16 and 18 (both with the Angels, both with Jake Benson). Aquino received a high of 2 Hall votes in Season 24.

Jake Benson - CF Jake Benson split his 16 seasons primarily between the Oakland Bay City Bullies, the Toronto Elite Thunder Bolts, and the Anaheim Angels. Benson hit .277/.371/456 with 288 home runs, 521 doubles, and 1086 stolen bases (while caught just 60 times). He played in 9 All-Star Games, won the AL Rookie of the Year in Season 5, won Silver Sluggers 7 times, and won World Series Rings in Seasons 16 and 18 (both with the Angels, both with Benito Aquino). Benson is 5th all-time in doubles, 3rd in runs (with 1,784; both ahead of Benson are in the Hall), and 1st in stolen bases (with 1,086, nearly 200 above anyone else). Benson received a high of 6 votes in Season 23.

William DeJean - Starting Pitcher DeJean spent 18 seasons in the majors, split between the Cleveland Grey Sox Senators, the Oakland Bay City Bullies, and Monterrey EXPRESS, among others. DeJean in 550 games (all but 3 were starts) went 228-155 with a 3.64 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. He went to 2 All-Star Games, won the AL Cy Young Award in Season 14 with the Oakland Knightmare, and won World Series Rings in Seasons 9 and 12 (both with the Oakland Bay City Bullies).

Anthony Dickens - RF Dickens spent 10 of his 16 season with the Toledo Mud Hens. He hit .293/.401/.481 with 332 home runs and 436 doubles. He played in 7 All-Start Games, winning the All-Star Game MVP Award in Season 5, won the AL MVP Award in Season 6 (with the Mud Hens), won 4 Silver Sluggers, and won a World Series Ring in Season 5 (Mud Hens again).

Hopefully, tomorrow and Par 3 will close out this Series.

Season 25 Hall of Fame Candidates, Part One

Yet again, the time for Hall of Fame voting is upon us. Yet again, there are a plethora of legitimate Hall candidates. In light of that, here is a 2-part primer on some of the top candidates.

The Consensus Candidates

Every season, a number of us try to encourage voting for a group of consensus candidates. Look, there are a number of really good options. If we knock off a few every season, we'll get through your preference eventually.

Einar Cabrera - Cabrera spent 20 seasons pitching in the major leagues, primarily with the Cleveland Grey Sox Senators/Toronto Elite Thunder Bolts franchise. In 713 pitching appearances (541 starts) he put up a 257-137 record, with a 3.65 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP (and 9 saves). He went to the All-Star Game 6 times, and won a Gold Glove once. Cabrera's 257 wins are fifth all-time in the league, and the three eligible pitchers are already enshrined in the Hall. He also sits fourth all-time in strikeouts with 2,797.

Benito Flores - Flores pitched for seven franchises in his 18 years in the majors. In 584 appearances (550 starts), Flores went 239-156 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. He went to the All-Star Game 6 times, and hurled a no-hitter next long after a trade to the Texas Coyotes in Season 17.

Weldon Hughes - Hughes pitched 15 seasons in the majors, with all but 14 of his 495 games pitched in the uniform of the Pawtucket Paw Sox. Hughes went 225-108 with a 3.42 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He went to 7 All-Star Games and won World Series Rings in Seasons 8 and 13. In Season 8, Hughes won the NL Cy Young Award after going 24-5 with a 2.73 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP, allowing just a .203 average to opposing batters. He won a second NL Cy Young Award for a Season 11 with a 25-3 record, 2.62 ERA and 0.98 WHIP, and a .205 opposing average.

In Part Two, I'll cover other top candidates.