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Pete Rose should've been a first ballot HoF in 1991.
Posted on: May 13, 2025 at 16:38:36 CT
ZouDave KC
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Shoeless Joe...he's honestly borderline. His myth elevates him a lot.
His career was shortened by the ban, but it's not like he didn't already have a career. He played 13 seasons, and his final season in 1920 was when he was 32.
To that point in his career, he'd never won a batting title, never won a MVP, only lead the league in hits twice, doubles once, triples thrice. He only had the best OBP once and SLG once. After age 32, going into the worst part of his career, his stats would've been going up against a surging Babe Ruth (who joined the Yankees in 1920), and Rogers Hornsby, and George Sisler, and many others, so it's not like we can expect Jackson would've suddenly been leading the league in everything since he hadn't done that yet.
Because he didn't have a long career, his cumulative stats are not a big deal. Even at the end of 1920, he wasn't top 10 in any individual category with his best being triples (12th). He was 29th in career doubles by 1920, and everything else he was in the 50s or lower.
Except for rate stats.
In 1920, Jackson was 2nd in career average (he is now 3rd).
He was 4th in OBP, 2nd in SLG, 2nd in OPS.
If you look at his rate stats in 1936 when the first HoF Class was elected, he was 3rd in avg, 10th in OBP and OPS, 16th in SLG.
For anyone to put Shoeless Joe Jackson in the Hall, you're going to have to justify a guy that wasn't yet at the top of the leaderboards for anything despite playing for 13 years in baseball's fledgling days - but the fact that he is STILL 3rd in career batting average will help.
Shoeless Joe's mythology makes him greater than he actually was.
His career was shortened by the ban, but it's not like he didn't already have a career. He played 13 seasons, and his final season in 1920 was when he was 32.
To that point in his career, he'd never won a batting title, never won a MVP, only lead the league in hits twice, doubles once, triples thrice. He only had the best OBP once and SLG once. After age 32, going into the worst part of his career, his stats would've been going up against a surging Babe Ruth (who joined the Yankees in 1920), and Rogers Hornsby, and George Sisler, and many others, so it's not like we can expect Jackson would've suddenly been leading the league in everything since he hadn't done that yet.
Because he didn't have a long career, his cumulative stats are not a big deal. Even at the end of 1920, he wasn't top 10 in any individual category with his best being triples (12th). He was 29th in career doubles by 1920, and everything else he was in the 50s or lower.
Except for rate stats.
In 1920, Jackson was 2nd in career average (he is now 3rd).
He was 4th in OBP, 2nd in SLG, 2nd in OPS.
If you look at his rate stats in 1936 when the first HoF Class was elected, he was 3rd in avg, 10th in OBP and OPS, 16th in SLG.
For anyone to put Shoeless Joe Jackson in the Hall, you're going to have to justify a guy that wasn't yet at the top of the leaderboards for anything despite playing for 13 years in baseball's fledgling days - but the fact that he is STILL 3rd in career batting average will help.
Shoeless Joe's mythology makes him greater than he actually was.
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Pete Rose should've been a first ballot HoF in 1991. - ZouDave KC - 5/13 16:38:36
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