WGOM Half-Baked Hall

WGOM Half-Baked Hall: 1999

32 Comments

In true half-baked fashion, I'm reviving the Half-Baked Hall and completely changing most of the format. I'm sad that it halted, and I just didn't have the energy to keep it going the way it was, and it appeared most of you didn't either. Hats off to NBB who posted a bio for George Kell 18 months ago, the last time this project was going. Coincidentally I'm sure, NBB posted his bio for Kell just a couple weeks before my daughter was born.

To recap, we have held votes for every year from the beginning of baseball through 1956. We finally broke the color barrier, electing Jackie Robinson. Lou Boudreau and Ralph Kiner each landed two-thirds of the vote, joining a bunch of players who are thus far on the outside looking in. We may relitigate some of these older players later, but for now I want to focus on the players that at least some of us watched play.

So now, the new format:

  • One year at a time, chosen by random.org
  • All players with 40 career WAR will be on the ballot, along with some others
  • There will still be time for discussion.
  • No more stats spreadsheet. You all know how to use baseball-reference.
  • Votes will no longer be via a Google form. I'll just post a poll on the site. As thus we won't have public ballots anymore.
  • Votes will now be just Yes or No.
  • 75% needed for election
  • Only one vote per ballot. Players who garner at least 40% of the vote will be tucked away for a later debate. If I recall, when each player got six ballots, we never had a player elected who didn't at least start with 40% of the vote.

Who belongs in the Half-Baked Hall?

  • Wade Boggs (78%, 14 Votes)
  • Jim Abbott (11%, 2 Votes)
  • Darryl Strawberry (11%, 2 Votes)
  • Chili Davis (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Willie McGee (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Tony Phillips (0%, 0 Votes)
  • None of them! (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 14

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32 thoughts on “WGOM Half-Baked Hall: 1999”

      1. Actually, I just looked it up and I think I would vote yes considering like, his entire value was just the first eight years of his career and this were some pretty good years.

  4. Willie McGee was a major part of two of my personal top baseball fandom moments in 1987.

    "McGee goes back....a grand slam!"

  6. Boggs 1983-1988 is beyond ridiculous and he never could get much MVP support, even in the years the Sox made the playoffs. In 86, Rice got more support and in 88 he was behind Mike Greenwell. The voters sure loved their RBI back then.

    3. and, to be fair, there was lots of legit competition during his 1985-88 run (8+ rWAR each year)

      Year Player rWAR MVP rank
      1985 RICKEY! 9.9 3
      1985 Boggs 9.1 4
      1986 Clemens 8.9 1
      1986 Boggs 8.0 7
      1987 Trammell 8.2 2
      1987 Boggs 8.3 9
      1988 Puckett 7.8 3
      1988 Boggs 8.3 6
      1988 Viola 7.7 10

      1. Hilariously (to me, anyway), the one year in his career in which he declared he would focus more on hitting HRs, 1987, he hit 24, led the league in OPS+ and had a legit power-hitter SLG (.588, his only season over .500). And led the league in BA and OBP (finishing 3rd in SLG). And still finished 9th in the MVP voting.

        1. Didn't everyone hit 24 homers in 1987?

          I was fine with Alan Trammell winning that year. Oh, wait.

          1. Yes, in the AL at least.

            Year HR/9
            1990 0.79
            1989 0.76
            1988 0.84
            1987 1.16
            1986 1.01
            1985 0.96

            1994 came close to that level, but SSS. 1999 and 2000 reached that high and 2004 just missed at 1.15. 2016 reached 1.22 and 2017 1.30, but 2018 was "only" 1.19.

            The NL was much lower, but approached the AL's levels in the mid '90s.

  7. Boggs is it for me.

    Phillips was interesting, but comes up a ways short. Strawberry was a legend when I was just starting to get into baseball, but then fell off a cliff for reasons.

    No one else really raises an eyebrow for me.

    1. Part of me wants to throw a vote at Abbott. I saw him pitch in person, and it still amazes me how he was able to pitch and field with just one hand.

      Yeah, Phillips is severely underrated player (look at 1993!), but he never had anything that quite looked like an MVP season. Still having a borderline guy who can field most every position is a great thing. Too bad he languished on those 90's Tigers teams. When he was on those great A's team he hadn't come into his own yet.

  8. I voted for Boggs and Abbott.

    I feel like Jim Abbott is a player I'll remember a lot longer than a lot of borderline guys on stats. That was enough for me.

  9. This article is filled with fun reasons to vote for Wade.

    He’s still angry at former teammate Oil Can Boyd, who called Boggs a bigot.

    “You don’t think Jim Rice or Don Baylor would have beat my ass if I was?” he said.

      1. Definitely a weak defense (though I will fully admit to not knowing any of the backstory). That and his take on steroids (bad, except Roger Clemens), and his use of the term Billyball, were among the reasons I should have put "fun" in quotes.

        Though a petty feud with the Red Sox is truly fun.

  10. I added a "None of the Above" option, since I don't know if you can submit a blank ballot otherwise.

  11. The poll's method for calculating percentages leaves something to be desired for multiple-select polls. Boggs has "71%" with 10/10 votes so far.

    1. Yep, noticed that. Know of any way around it? I don't want to create six separate polls.

      1. I mean, unless we run into several hundred voters, it should be pretty easy to figure things out on the fly.

        I'd really rather not have separate polls for every player.

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