Circle me into Cooperstown

It's about friggin' time. That was the sentiment around Minnesota early Tuesday afternoon after news that Bert Blyleven had finally been inducted into the Hall of Fame on his 14th try. Better late than never, Blyleven's hall eligibility was running out. If he didn't make it in this year, the next year was his last shot. Although the forgiving Veteran's Committee would have likely voted him in, that would have taken another 10 years or more. In fact most Veteran's Committee choices are posthumous, a bittersweet induction for the player's families. Fortunately, for Blyleven, he didn't have to wait until after the grave to get in, he even got to share it with his mother, who is still alive, and of whom brought him over to the states after Bert's birth in Holland.

Now that the debate of whether Bert is a hall of famer or not is over. I suppose there will be those naysayers that will still debate him, just now they'll change their discussion to whether he was deserving or not. Well he is deserving of this high honor and he shouldn't have waited this long to get in. It's funny how someone can only get 17% of the vote in his first year of eligibility, not throw a pitch in 14 years, and then somehow miraculously become a hall of famer. The question becomes what changed the minds of those voters?


Bert's biggest accomplishment's could not outweigh his negatives, or so it seemed. He had 287 wins, but also 250 losses, just a .534 win percentage. He had a career 3,701 strikeouts, but many we're quick to point out his 430 home runs allowed, both statistics are in the top 5. Let's compare another HOF's statistics as it relates to Blyleven's case. Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson hit 563 home runs, good for 13th. Jackson also finished with 2,597 strikeouts, of which places Jackson as the most prolific strikeout artist ever. However, most people wouldn't bring this up, or even know of it in the first place. Was it because Jackson played for the Yankees and predominantly winning ballclubs?

If Blyleven had won just 13 more games and got to that 300 mark, there's no doubt in my mind it would have taken Bert just 2 or 3 tries to get into Cooperstown, especially in the 90's voter's minds, before steroids ballooned and muddied statistics. After all, every member of the 300 win club is a hall of famer, except these 4: Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavine, who have yet to claim eligibility but will all gain entrance upon eligibility (yes even steroid popper Clemens eventually). Yeah Bert had 250 losses, but you know who else had 250 or more. These guys, all Hall of Famers: Eppa Rixey (251), Don Sutton (256), Gaylord Perry (265), Phil Niekro (274), Walter Johnson (279), Nolan Ryan (292), Pud Galvin (310), Cy Young (316). These numbers essentially disappear from public knowledge after enshrinement.

Everyone remembers Bert's curveball and the ability to strikeout opponents. His 3,701 strikeouts are still good for 5th all time, only being passed up after retirement by Randy Johnson & Roger Clemens. This ultimately is the statistic that puts Bert in the hall and was the biggest headscratcher as to why he wasn't in. Of the 16 pitchers with 3,000 strikeouts or more, every Hall of Fame eligible player is in Cooperstown. The others will join them shortly: Johnson, Clemens, Maddux, Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, and John Smoltz.


No one has benefited more by baseball's increasing scrutinized statistics than Bert Blyleven. In the 80's and 90's wins, losses, and ERA defined a pitchers greatness. Today, with the advent of sabermetrics, Blyleven's statistics kept looking better and better when compared among the greats. His win's above replacement (WAR), used to show how many more wins a player would give a team as opposed to a "replacement level" or minor league/bench player at that position, was a career 90.1, good for 13th all time among pitchers, that's better than the 2 strikeout kings ahead of Blyleven at his retirement Nolan Ryan (16th) and Steve Carlton (17th). And I bet it wouldn't surprise you that every pitcher above him that's eligible, is in the Hall of Fame, would it?

Yes, Bert gave up the long ball often, 430 times to be exact, 8th on the all time list. But did you know that Robin Roberts, Fergie Jenkins, Phil Niekro, Don Sutton, and Warren Spahn all gave up more? Oh and they're all hall of famers. Yeah, he gave up a lot of long balls, but he also shut down teams just as good. Blyleven's 60 shutouts are 9th all time. Blyleven had 3 or more shutouts in a season 10 times with as high as 9 in 1973, everyone above him, Hall of Famers, in fact the next 13 players below Blyleven in shutouts are also Hall of Famers. See a pattern here? In order to really appreciate this, I took a former team of Blyleven's the Texas Rangers, his shortest stint with any team, and found that from 2003 to 2010, the Rangers have 59 shutouts...as a team. That's 8 seasons, 1,296 games, and pitchers that get loads more rest than Blyleven ever did. Bert's 60 shutouts, took him 685 games.

I think there's no question that Blyleven was never a 1st ballot Hall of Famer. He didn't dominate his era like most HOF players did. His 2 all star nods, 250 losses via too many bad teams, 3 plus ERA and penchant for giving up the long ball definitely cost Blyleven. But to take 14 years to do so, had to be torture, especially when after his 9th try, Bert's Dad passed away. I may be a homer for this article, but the facts are laid out above and you can write your own arguments. But for now, Bert can forever live in peace, for he has officially been circled.

As far as the broadcaster hall of fame, I would say don't get your hopes up!

bsv
the courtesy wave