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Why Bobby Grich isn’t in the Hall of Fame

Dave Farquhar Baseball May 24, 2023March 18, 2023 0 Comment

Here is an underrated Hall of Fame case for you: Bobby Grich. He was one of the best second baseman of his generation, making six all star teams, winning four gold gloves, and one silver slugger. He retired after the 1986 season, and was eliminated from Hall of Fame consideration after just a single vote. Here’s why Bobby Grich isn’t in the Hall of Fame, and why the voters got it wrong in 1992.

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.

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What an error in baseball is

Dave Farquhar Baseball April 12, 2023April 14, 2023

What is an error in baseball? To an extent, it is a judgment call, but generally speaking, it is when a fielder makes a misplay on a routine play that allows an opposing player to reach base when they normally would have been out, in the judgment of the official scorer. The counts of runs, hits, and errors by each team are three standard numbers displayed on the scoreboard throughout the game

Some examples include a tagging error, where a player catches the ball but misses a tag for an out, a dropped fly ball, or a fumble. But when a ball takes an unnatural bounce or is out of reach, it is generally not an error. A player is also not charged with an error if they drop or fail to catch a foul fly, since it doesn’t allow a runner to reach base. Read more

Dave Farquhar

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Why Jeff Kent isn’t in the Hall of Fame

Dave Farquhar Baseball February 20, 2023April 12, 2023

Jeff Kent has an unusual Hall of Fame case. He has a reputation for being surly, not being the best teammate, and then there is that motorcycle incident, but if his career had looked a little bit different, I think everyone would have looked right past all of that.

I argue that Jeff Kent had an inverted career, and that inverted career made it more difficult for him to put up conventional Hall of Fame numbers.

Dave Farquhar

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Why Fernando Valenzuela isn’t in the Hall of Fame

Dave Farquhar Baseball February 6, 2023February 6, 2023

In February 2023, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced they were going to retire Fernando Valenzuela’s uniform number 34. Unofficially, the number has been retired since 1990, because they never issued it to anyone else. But they never made it official, because he wasn’t in Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Here is why Fernando Valenzuela isn’t in the Hall of Fame.

Dave Farquhar

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Why Keith Hernandez isn’t in the Hall of Fame

Dave Farquhar Baseball September 21, 2022May 13, 2023

Keith Hernandez is an interesting Hall of Fame case. Since he’s kept a fairly high profile since retiring, it’s prizes some people that he’s not in the Hall of Fame. I think he has a case, but there are also clear reasons why he wasn’t a slam dunk. I think he has a fair bit in common with two of his contemporaries, Don Mattingly and Dave Parker.

Keith Hernandez has a case for the Hall of Fame, but his Hall of Fame case comes down to being in the right place but not the right time, and probably not long enough.

Dave Farquhar

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What adjusted OPS means

Dave Farquhar Baseball September 14, 2022September 15, 2022

Sometimes you hear the phrase adjusted OPS. Adjusted OPS is sometimes also called OPS+, which may or may not help clarify things. So what does adjusted OPS mean? And what is a good adjusted OPS?

Dave Farquhar

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Why Roger Maris isn’t in the Hall of Fame

Dave Farquhar Baseball September 6, 2022August 20, 2022

Let’s talk about my dad’s favorite Hall of Fame case: Roger Maris. Maris broke babe Ruth’s single season home run record, but then you never hear much else about him. How can someone break a record that stood for 34 years and not be in the Hall of Fame? Let’s take a look at why Roger Maris fell short of the Hall of Fame.

Dad had no reason to like Roger Maris. He played for the team he rooted for as a kid that left Philadelphia and went west. And then right when he got good, The New York Yankees traded for him. And then of course, he had his best years with the Yankees.

But Dad admired a guy who played hurt. Maris played hurt a lot. And I think it bugged him that the Yankees didn’t really appreciate him outside of his magical 1961 season. Read more

Dave Farquhar

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Why Dave Parker isn’t in the Hall of Fame

Dave Farquhar Baseball August 29, 2022September 22, 2022

Dave Parker, the slugging outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates among others, is an interesting Hall of Fame case. During his years of eligibility through conventional means, support for his candidacy was a bit tepid. He is a very good example of a borderline player, someone who fell just short of being a slam dunk case. So here’s why Dave Parker isn’t in the Hall of Fame, and who says he should be in, and why.

Dave Farquhar

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Why Dave Stieb isn’t in the Hall of Fame

Dave Farquhar Baseball August 2, 2022September 15, 2022

When you think of dominance pitchers of the 1980s, Dave Stieb is right up there with Jack Morris. Arguably, the better of the two is not in the Hall of Fame. Why isn’t Dave Stieb in the Hall of Fame?

Dave Farquhar

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Why Dale Murphy isn’t in the Hall of Fame

Dave Farquhar Baseball June 14, 2022August 31, 2022

Dale Murphy was one of the biggest stars of the early to mid-1980s. He was always among league leaders in home runs and was always playing centerfield in the all-star game. So why isn’t Dale Murphy in the Hall of Fame?

Dave Farquhar

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