Orel Hershiser

I refuse to begin this post by speaking in platitudes about "new year, new beginnings" and other such hogwash. Fact is, no extinction level events took place, so we should all be fairly satisfied to just continue on existing.

That said, welcome to the New Year!! We all know what January means: a new class of National Baseball Hall of Fame inductions! This year's potential class has been extensively (exhaustively?) discussed, as holier-than-thou sportswriters continue to condemn and dismiss an entire era of baseball players because of suspected/admitted/proven/magical/forced P.E.D. use. A guy like Mike Piazza, who reigns supreme among catchers, all time, in home runs, is having his credentials questioned because he played in the wrong era and happens to be huge. A huge CATCHER. Because Carlton Fisk and Gary Carter, Hall of Famers who Piazza hit more home runs than, were tiny men. I don't recall ever hearing Piazza confess to anything, and I certainly don't remember his name ever being linked to steroid use. Until now, of course. 

Just look at how Piazza dwarfs the rest of them!! He's hulking! He's enormous! He's... oh wait, he's just about the same size as Carter and Fisk. In fact, the only person in this photo he is considerably bigger than is Yogi Berra, who is shriveled, and 148 years old. 

But I digress...

I am not here to discuss the new ballot entries, which I have already done, at great length. Let me just say that I have recently heard a few voters reconsider their votes, arguing that an entire generation of players should not be excluded. Hmm. Where have I heard THAT before?

No, I am here to prove, to the BBWAA*  and beyond all reasonable doubt, that a Hall of Fame injustice has been done, and must be set right!! Orel Hershiser must be re-instated to the ballot, and inducted post-haste, before the Baseball Hall of Fame becomes as meaningful as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Scoff if you wish, but I ask you: What attributes must a player possess to be not merely considered for, but inducted into, the Hall of Fame? I posit that the following five categories must be carefully weighed:

1. Was the player dominant in the era in which they played?

2. Was the player transcendent in their popularity?

3. Does the player hold any records, and how important or unbreakable are those records?

(Obviously, owning the record for most beanings does NOT qualify a person for consideration)

4. How do the player's career numbers compare to other HOF players?

5. Did the player enjoy any significant post-season success?

I can (and will) argue that Mr. Hershiser possess astounding qualifications in all of the categories mentioned above.

So without further adieu, I present the case for Orel Hershiser's induction into the 2013 Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Class:

Hershiser's career began in 1983 as a September call-up. He didn't even qualify for a decision that season, but in 1984, he finished 3rd in NL ROY balloting after appearing in 45 games, compiling an 11-8 record and tossing 8 complete games, 4 of them shut-outs. In 1985, "Bulldog" (a nickname given to the nerdy Hershiser by his ultra-motivational manager, Tommy Lasorda, to encourage him to be more aggressive on the mound), broke through with a mind-boggling .864 winning percentage, the result of his 19-3 record, minuscule 2.03 ERA and a league-leading .3(!) HR per 9 innings.

In 1988, Hershiser won the NL Cy Young Award, a Gold Glove, and a 2nd consecutive ASG appearance, going 23-8 with a 2.26 ERA, 8 complete game shutouts (15 CG overall), and a WHIP of 1.05. The Dodgers won the World Series that year, Orel himself going 2-0, both complete games, and being named series MVP. This, of course, after being named NLCS MVP. Truly, this adds up to the most ultimately dominant and transcendent season ever, right?

Of course, one (or two) dominant seasons does not a Hall of Famer make.

The man called "Bulldog"

So, let's compare Orel's career numbers to a Hall of Famer's, just to see how they stack up. After all, isn't that a fitting measurement of HOF-worthiness? The best comparison is to fellow Dodger, Don Drysdale (I realize, at this moment, that there are some snarky, Giants-loving types out there who will take the following information and use it as evidence that, perhaps, Drysdale does NOT belong in the Hall):

Hershiser career (1983-2000): 204-150, 3.48, 2,014 SO, 3,130 IP, 68 CG, .576 Win %.

                                                   13-8 in post-season with a 2.59 ERA (4-1 in AL)

                                                   3-time All-Star, 1 Cy Young Award, 1 Gold Glove, 1 Silver Slugger

                                                   Led league in IP 3 consecutive seasons (1987-1989)

                                                   

Drysdale career (1956-1969): 209-166, 2.95, 2,486 SO, 3,342 IP, 167(!) CG, .557 Win %

                                                  3-4 in post-season (although, he DID win 3 rings)

                                                  8-time All-Star, 1 Cy Young Award

                                                   Led league in SO 3 times, games started 4 times

Drysdale clearly holds the advantage in strikeouts and Complete games,while Hershiser is the obvious winner in post-season success numbers. The career win/loss records are virtually deadlocked, Drysdale winning 4 more games, but Hershiser losing 16 less (in 4 more seasons). I'll give Drysdale points for the fact that he CERTAINLY didn't need to be encouraged to aggressive (how many pitches does it take to intentionally walk a guy? One). 

So, that makes THIS the clincher:

Hershiser broke Drysdale's record for consecutive scoreless innings in 1988. Drysdale, the Hall of Famer, was the record-holder. Orel broke his record. I would dare say that Orel's record is one of the unbreakable records in the game today, along with Cal Ripken's and Pete Rose's.

So  we have a guy (Hershiser) with comparable, and in some ways, better, numbers than a Hall of Famer (Drysdale), who's record he broke, yet only one is enshrined? No justice!

Still not convinced? Dude, they let Goose Gossage in. 

Hershiser was, as we have already established, excessively geeky. No one said geeks can't be popular, though:

The most entirely wholesome endorsement EVER.

Think of all the famous people who have made Pizza Hut commercials.

Obviously, Orel Hershiser is (was) a star of the HIGHEST order. This, along with his encyclopedic knowledge of the game of baseball, must be a reason he was asked to commentate MLB games on ESPN. Besides, if he wasn't a star, why would they let him play Celebrity Poker? So we can check the "Fame" box on our list, as well.

This is becoming almost TOO easy. How could the writers NOT vote for a man so accomplished, so great?

In fact, there is only one reason I can think of why Orel should NOT be allowed entry into the Hall of Fame:

ARRRRRGHHHHH! It burns! It burns!! Block it out of your mind, Malone. You are a forgiving man.

So remember, lovely readers, when you watch the Hall of Fame announcement on Wednesday, the whole thing is farcical. They won't let in ANY of the most deserving players, including this man, the most deserving of all. You saw it here first. Cheers.