Johnny Damon, HOF ?

[sportscardtheory]

Even if he gets 3,000 hits that won't change my opinion, that he is not a HOF. The HOF is for GREAT players, not accumulators. Thats what Damon would be if he got to 3,000 hits. I don't think anyone could say that he has been a great player by any stretch of the imagination. Good player, not great.

Yeah, but does it not take a great player to accumulate 3,000 hits? It's only happened a handful of times since baseball became a sport.

 

[Frow]

To me, the Hall of Fame is for the elite. If he gets to 3000, he will probably get in. However, I just don't consider someone with a .289 career AVG, .355 career OBP and only one 200-hit season as elite, especially when you don't have the power numbers to go with it.

Robin Yount frowns upon your shenanigans

aka the only player that doesn't meet your standards. Two other players fail to meet a majority of the requirements in this thread. Both Cal Ripken Jr. and Dave Winfield have a lower BA and OBP than the one listed here. Cal has hit 200 hits only 2 times and Winfield has only hit more than 190 one time. Both Cal and Winfield have the power numbers though as well as other major factors in their enshrinement.


Just FYI
http://www.baseball-reference.com/play- ... areit/qnEm

 

[UMich92]

Voted no. But, 4 years at 150 hits a year clip gets him to the magic 3000+ hits mark and I would change my mind. Though I don't see his body holding up for 4 more years.

My take on the Hall of Fame is that if you accumulate 3000+ hits in a career you have achieved a certain level of baseball fame for your career and you belong in the Hall. Only 27 players have 3000+ hits. Joining this club should continue to warrant entry to the Hall. I would definitely call him an accumulator, but I would also call him a HOFer.

Alex

 

[muskiesfan]

Anyone who gets 3,000 without other issues surrounding them will get in. It still means something. Much more so than 500 HRs.

Why do people believe that? There are 25 members of the 500 HR Club. There are 4 active players with 400+; Delgado, Chipper, Giambi, and Vlad. I'm sorry, but I don't think all of them will make it to 500.

There are 27 members in the 3,000 Hit Club. There are 5 active players with 2,600+; Griffey, Vizquel, Pudge, Sheffield, and Jeter. I would say at least one of them is going to make it.

So even if 3 of the 4 with 400+ career HRs make the 500 Club and only 1 of the 5 make the 3,000 Hut Club, then they would be even with 28 in each. Just because there have been more people reach 500 HRs lately rather than 3,000 hits should not diminish what 500 HRs mean. Less people make the HR Club than the Hit Club.

 

[hofautos]

The 500 HRs stat has been tarnished more than the 3000 hit stat (bonds,arod,palmeiro,sosa,mcgwire,manny)
The steroids issue hasn't tarnished the 3000 hit stat in the same way.

 

[thefasterblade]

Someone please tell me what the difference is between Johnny Damon getting 3,000 hits (if his body holds up and he plays DH) and Jim Thome getting 500 HRs? If Tome is a HOFer for his HR totals, Damon should be for his hit totals.

 

[pujolsthomefan33]

Someone please tell me what the difference is between Johnny Damon getting 3,000 hits (if his body holds up and he plays DH) and Jim Thome getting 500 HRs? If Tome is a HOFer for his HR totals, Damon should be for his hit totals.

Difference....Damon still has over 600 Hits to go....until he does that, no shot. Thome has 500 + HRs, 4th EVER ALL TIME in SLG%, has over 1500 RBIs and 1500 BBs and over 2,000 hits.......really bad comparison..


TK

 

[Frow]

Someone please tell me what the difference is between Johnny Damon getting 3,000 hits (if his body holds up and he plays DH) and Jim Thome getting 500 HRs? If Tome is a HOFer for his HR totals, Damon should be for his hit totals.

I don't think there is one in my opinion. Basing a player's career on the ability to do one thing, get one statt, should not be a way to get the award. Thome on the other hand has other things going for him other than just the one stat mentioned...Damon does not.

 

[leatherman]

Difference....Damon still has over 600 Hits to go....until he does that, no shot. Thome has 500 + HRs, 4th EVER ALL TIME in SLG%, has over 1500 RBIs and 1500 BBs and over 2,000 hits.......really bad comparison..

Maybe I am misunderstanding you, but Thome is 21st all time in slugging: http://www.baseball-reference.com/leade ... reer.shtml

 

[hofautos]

Someone please tell me what the difference is between Johnny Damon getting 3,000 hits (if his body holds up and he plays DH) and Jim Thome getting 500 HRs? If Tome is a HOFer for his HR totals, Damon should be for his hit totals.

I don't think there is one in my opinion. Basing a player's career on the ability to do one thing, get one statt, should not be a way to get the award. Thome on the other hand has other things going for him other than just the one stat mentioned...Damon does not.

Damon will get another ring this year :lol:

 

[thefasterblade]

I really don't see it being a bad comparison at all. Thome would not have been a HOFer had he not gotten 500 HRs. The DH position lengthen his career allowing him to achieve this HR feat and also to win a WS. Thome's playing career likely would have been over if not for the DH in the American League.

Should Damon continue his career and likely play at the DH position to further his career, they are in the exact same boat. He helped Boston win their first ring in almost a century, he is a 3 Time Gold Glove winner and has had some amazing seasons himself.

This argument was for people who were saying Damon should not be in the HOF even if he does indeed collect 3,000 hits. Jim Thome was often a very good player and a very good power hitter, but at the same time almost every year that he played in the game I would say there were 5 other 1B in the game that I would choose over him.

 

[thefasterblade]

Keep in mind, should Damon last to 3,000 hits, he will likely find himself going well over the 1,000 RBI Mark (981 career), 400 SB mark (370 career), 1,500 run mark (1,457 career) and 250 HR mark (205 career). While some of those don't sound overly impressive, when you add into the fact that he will have them along with 3,000 hits, it becomes impressive.

 

[JEA2880]

Needs more time but I think he's got a shot. He has 2,387 hits, so I say he gets to 3,000 if he plays just 4 more seasons. Given that alone, you can't write him off, unless you want him to be the first guy with 3,000 (aside from Rose) to not make it.

4th (1 hasn't qualified yet)

Pete Rose
Rafael Palmero
Craig Biggio

Yeah but Biggio is a lock (as is Rose ultimately) while Palmeiro has become a poster child for 'roids (and even with that I still think he'll get in eventually). He'd be the one asterisk-less 3,000 hit club member not in (assuming you believe he was clean - I do). When all is said and done, he could conceivably have 3,000+ hits, 1,200 RBI, 250 HRs, a batting average of around .290 (what it currently is), 400+ stolen bases, and at least one World Series title, as a leader of the first Red Sox team to win in a century. Say what you want but that's a pretty impressive resume if you ask me.

Edit - I didn't read past what was quoted above; it looks like my argument was made in the post above!

 

[andyduke86]

Just a reminder, it is the Hall of Fame, not Hall of Stats. Damon was a good, not great player his whole career. I don't think he should be a HOFer regardless of what his stats end up being. The HOF is supposed to be about greatness, not longevity or accumulated stats.

 

[hofautos]

The poll isn't if you think he deserves to get in, but if you think he will get in.

 

[predatorkj]

For everyone saying there are too many people approaching milestones of homeruns or hits...I ask you this: What do we do when there are more than 50 players in each category?Set the bar a little higher?And higher?And higher still?

 

[markakis8]

Have you SEEN the HOF roster in the past 10 years? Trust me, whether you think it isn't the Hall of Stats or not, if Damon gets to 3,000 hits, he's going in. Hell, he might make it at 2,750...Bernie Williams is going to get in...so will Damon.

Just to clarify, I'm not a Damon homer. I don't like the guy. It is just how the HOF is today.

And these guys will be in the HOF at some point too, whether you like it or not:

Barry Bonds
Sammy Sosa
Rafael Palmeiro
Mark McGwire
Roger Clemens
Alex Rodriguez
Manny Ramirez

All it is going to take is one person to get in and the floodgates open. You really think they are going to keep Bonds out of the HOF? LOL. :lol: I despise the guy just as much as any Bonds-hater. Once he gets in though...everyone is in.

Just a reminder, it is the Hall of Fame, not Hall of Stats. Damon was a good, not great player his whole career. I don't think he should be a HOFer regardless of what his stats end up being. The HOF is supposed to be about greatness, not longevity or accumulated stats.

 

[andyduke86]

I don't have a problem with alleged steroid users being in the Hall of Fame, but that's just me.

 

[markakis8]

I actually don't either. The only ones that stand out are the ones that actually achieved milestones and greatness. People don't realize that 95% of the MLB was on steroids during this era. That means about 90% of the MLB was on steroids and still couldn't achieve greatness.

It takes more than steroids to play baseball at their level and get into the HOF. I can honestly say, there isn't one guy on the "HOF candidates" that are linked to steroids that wouldn't be in a HOF discussion without them.

I don't have a problem with alleged steroid users being in the Hall of Fame, but that's just me.

 

[carlitoson]

I'm pretty sure Bonds went on record saying he'd boycott the Hall as long as this was on display (so he'd have to change his mind or they'd have to remove it):

As for the OP's question, I think Damon has a shot eventually, especially if he wins another ring or two.