By Mark Wilson 1/10/14

Let me start by saying I love sabermetrics. I’ve embraced them since they became part of the baseball lexicon. I am NOT a sabermetrics hater.

Far from it.

BUT… (You knew “the but” was coming) for purposes of my argument about closers making the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York… I am tossing sabermetrics out the window.

Bye, bye WAR and PERA and PECOTA and VORP and FIP and any other acronyms that sound like they should be in the latest Hobbit movie.

In fact, is there a sabermetric for SMAUG?

Just for fun, I am going old school on the closer situation with the HOF.

Had to get “HOF” acronym in there.

For this piece I am using Bruce Sutter as my muse. Sutter, the former Cubs and Cardinals closer who made the Hall of Fame in 2006 on his 13th try, went into Cooperstown without much fanfare. Being a long-suffering Cubs’ fan, it was nice to see Sutter get his due and wear that insanely awful hat and jersey they hand out.
Sutter’s credentials for the Hall are what make me most fascinated by this topic.

He saved exactly 300 games in his 12 years which also included a quick stop in Atlanta. His lifetime earned run average was a slick 2.83. Hell, in this day and age I would say it’s downright terrific.

Big Bruce won a Cy Young Award in 1979, made six all-star appearances and won a World Series with the 1982 St. Louis team.

Yet, for 12 years on the ballot, he was NOT worthy of induction by the baseball writers. It was beginning to look like Sutter would have to wait for the evil Veteran’s Committee if he ever dreamed of wearing that incredibly ugly hat and jersey.

Seriously, find a graphic designer to make a better hat and jersey for the HOF inductees.

So, as I mentioned, on the 13 go-round, Sutter got in.

Cool. It happens.

The inexact science of the baseball place of honor is what separates it from the idiocy of other halls.

It seems like EVERYONE gets in the Basketball Hall of Fame; men, women, aliens, etc. Hockey allows pretty close to everyone and the NFL/football has a hall of fame without any kind of standard whatsoever.

The Bowling Hall of Fame in St. Louis kind of gets it right. They put actual BOWLERS in their edifice of enshrinement. Plus, it’s St. Louis. Beer and bowling. You know where I am going with that.

We hold Cooperstown to a different, higher level.

Not too many places in the United States of America are more typically American than… the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Unless you are a former closer in the majors with 300 or more saves. Then you think the HOF is a communist organization that won’t help little old ladies cross the street.

Lee Smith saved 478 games in his 18 year career. He can’t get into the Hall of Fame.

Here’s where I leave sabermetrics at Billy Beane’s “Moneyball” door.

To me, the measure of a GREAT closer is a guy who goes into a baseball game and… closes it for victory. That seems to be the requirement. The team takes a lead, holds into the 8th or 9th inning and then the manager decides to use his ace in the hole to finish off the VICTORY.

End of story.
I don’t care if they walk the bases full, give up a run or two, allow a dramatic late home run, or physically put the ball on a tee for someone to bash. As long as they walk off the mound shaking teammates’ hands— I am good to go!

Shake hands, chest bump, do those funky motions like Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder enjoyed doing in the two seasons Prince spent in Detroit.

Kiss babies, eat nachos, jump over the baselines, point to the sky, kiss the fingers, pound the heart… whatever. As long as the guy got the other guys out without giving up a lead then THEY HAVE DONE THEIR JOB.

End of story part 2.

They can even BLOW a save once in a while.

Hey, no one is perfect. Even the awesome Mariano Rivera blows saves. I have no doubt he will go into the Hall of Fame when his time comes five years from now. But, we don’t have to bring him up in this conversation… yet.

Lee Smith. 478 saves. 3.03 ERA.

He can’t get in.

Not only can’t Smith get in, he DROPPED in the voting this past month.

Unlike Sutter, who crossed paths with Smith at Wrigley Field, Smith will NOT get in next year which will be his 13th try like Sutter had when he GOT IN.

Smith hit a peak a few years ago when he garnered over 50% of the vote. 75% is needed for induction. This time around, he fell to 29.9%.

Why?

Did he make a comeback in 2013 and pull a “Valverde?” Did I miss a memo? Was Lee Smith closing for the Houston Astros?

Nope. He was at home waiting to be disappointed again.

His numbers didn’t change.

He still has those 478 saves, a major league RECORD when he left the game since surpassed by Rivera and Trevor Hoffman. He still has those 1,251 strikeouts in 1,289 innings; just about one per inning in his long career. He still has those seven all-star appearances.

Not good enough for most BBWA voters for Lee Smith to take his place in Cooperstown.

My broadcast partner Rob Parker, a voting member, has ALWAYS cast a ballot for Smith. This isn’t a situation where steroids come into play. That’s an entirely different argument for another day.
Other guys don’t cast a ballot for Smith. I almost hate how remedial this is.

In the history of major league baseball there have been 25 pitchers to record 300 or more saves in a career. It has become one of those numbers like 500 home runs, 3,000 hits or 300 pitching triumphs by starters.

Guess how many guys have hit 500 or more homers.

Go ahead… guess.

Time’s up. 25.

Guess how many guys have 300 or more pitching wins.

Go ahead… guess.

Time’s up again. 24.

Guess how many guys have 3,000 or more hits?

Go ahead… guess.

Yeah, time’s up already. 28.

The numbers are eerily similar.

Of the 28 players with 3,000 or more hits, only FOUR are not in the Hall of Fame. Rafael Palmiero because he was STUPID enough to have tested positive for steroids AFTER baseball had a policy and he lied about it. Craig Biggio because, misguidedly, he is LINKED to the PED era. Pete Rose, the all-time hits leader, because he is banned from the game for gambling and Derek Jeter because… he is still playing.

Biggio missed out by two lousy votes this year so, most likely, he will get his just desserts next voting cycle.

Of the 24 pitchers with 300 or more victories, only TWO are not in. Randy Johnson because he is not eligible yet and Roger Clemens because he can’t shake his inclusion into the steroid club despite not having a positive test on baseball’s ledgers.

Of the 25 batters with 500 or more homers, only nine aren’t in but this one gets a bit dicey.

Technically, ex-Tiger Gary Sheffield isn’t eligible until next year. He isn’t expected to come close because of his association with the steroid era. Ditto Manny Ramirez. He has a ways to go before he can be snubbed.

That leaves seven more.

Four have steroids ties; Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Palmiero. Once again, Bonds, Sosa and McGwire don’t have official positive tests on baseball’s ledger. Palmiero… is still an idiot.

But, those guys, led by Bonds, are held out by writers who absolutely want no part of putting players into the Hall who even “sniffed” a performance enhancing drug.

Pardon the pun.

That leaves Jim Thome, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Alex Rodriguez.

Thome and Griffey should both get in on first ballots when they’re time comes. A-Rod is a whole different issue as we see how his battle with MLB plays out. He is the only one of the “500 Club” that is still active.

Of the 25 CLOSERS who have 300 or more saves a robust total of 21 are NOT in the Hall of Fame.

Two are still active, Joe Nathan of the Tigers and free agent, Francisco Rodriguez.

Rivera, Hoffman and Billy Wagner are not yet eligible for induction. I take Rivera out of the mix because he has a full five years to wait even though we all know HE will not have a problem getting in.

Other names are destined to remain in baseball’s dead letter or purgatory file.

Francisco Cordero, Rick Aguilera, Robb Nen, Tom Henke, Jeff Montgomery and Jason Isringhausen read like a “Who’s Who” in all-time closers.
They never had a shot to be anything more than a spectator in Cooperstown.

BUT… (There’s that but again!) what about some others?

Remember, point of reference; ONLY Sutter, Goose Gossage and Rollie Fingers are IN as “classic closers.” Dennis Eckersley is in too as a starter and closer. Eck won 197 games and even threw a no-hitter as a starter. He also had a 20-win season starting for the Red Sox in 1978.

So, fine. FOUR closers are in the Hall of Fame from the 300 save club.

Next to Lee Smith there is John Franco.

The crafty lefthander of the Mets and others, posted 424 saves and a sweet 2.89 ERA in his 21 seasons and allowed only 81 homers TOTAL for his career. In 15 post-season games with the Mets, his ERA was 1.88 and he made more than $50 million closing games over two decades.

That is a lot of dedication and trust by managers to let Franco finish up victories.

However, it seems to count for NOTHING amongst Hall voters. In 2011, Franco got 4.6% of the vote. It fell just short of the five percent needed just to STAY on the ballot!

424 saves and he couldn’t even stay for a second year??

Sutter is IN with 300 saves.

At least Lee Smith STAYS on the ballot for a couple more tries.

When I asked Rob Parker why Franco didn’t get more (or basically ANY) consideration he said, “I have no idea but he’s not a Hall of Famer.”

And Rob grew up… a METS fan.

Franco didn’t pass the “gut test.”

That’s why I tossed sabermetrics out the back door for this piece because when it comes to baseball’s late inning specialists, they seem to have to pass the gut test only.

Jeff Reardon saved 367 games in his 16 MLB seasons with seven teams. His ERA was a slim 3.16. He had six more saves in 18 post-season games.

No one cares.

In 2000, Reardon got 4.8% of the Hall vote and he was finished.

One and done. So long Mr. Reardon we have some lovely parting gifts including those AWESOME looking hats and jerseys from the Hall of Fame.

Shhh! Maybe he won’t open the box.
Randy Myers saved 347 games in his 14 MLB seasons with a coifed ERA of 3.19. He made four all-star teams and had a 2.35 ERA with eight more saves in a hefty 29 post-season games in four cities.

Myers got ZERO votes in 2004.

Can’t blame steroids for THAT. Myers had a body by Burger King.

John Wetteland had 330 saves and a 2.93 ERA in 12 MLB campaigns and struck out 804 in just 765 innings. He even played in New York where everyone gets more attention than they usually deserve. He was a dominant closer for a good six years.

In 2006, the same year SUTTER went IN… Wetteland got FOUR votes. He had 30 MORE saves than Sutter and a comparable ERA. I’m not saying he should have made it but… he got FOUR votes and off the ballot for ever more.

Recap!

Sutter IN the Hall of Fame. Wettleland, Franco, Myers and Reardon and their combined 1,468 saves don’t even get a SECOND look?

Parker says Sutter had a hook with his Cy Young Award, like Eckersley and Fingers, and his acclaim as the “inventor” of the split-fingered fastball.

Big Whoop about the split-fingered fastball.

I asked Rob who it was that lowered the pitching mound in 1969 and he had no idea.

Well, that was a pretty significant move for pitching and we don’t even know who did it. I don’t want to hear about “innovators” if we can’t even name the person credited with shaving five inches of dirt off the pitching mound that completely CHANGED THE GAME!

Roberto Hernandez had 326 saves and a respectable 3.45 ERA tossing for TEN teams in his two decades of closing and he got ZERO votes in 2013.

Doug Jones saved 303 games with a 3.30 ERA, finished in the top ten in saves eight times and went to the All-Star Game five times and got TWO votes in 2006.

Todd Jones registered 319 saves and a lousy 3.97 ERA pitching for eight teams; a few of them more than once including the Tigers. In 1,072 innings of work, “Jonesy” allowed 1,072 hits.

To his credit? He ASKED voters NOT to give him even one sympathy vote.

They obliged.

The late, great Ernie Harwell dubbed Jones, “The Rollercoaster” for his up and down daily display of the closers role. However, for 16 seasons, managers thought enough of T.J. to roll him out there with the game on the line and more often than not… he came through. You don’t do that for 16 seasons and not have some semblance of skill.

Now, don’t get me wrong.

I was NOT making a case for Doug Jones, Todd Jones, Me and Mrs. Jones or any of those others like Wetteland or Myers to join the likes of Eckersley, Fingers or even Hoyt Wilhelm in baseball’s grand Mecca.

Franco? Smith? Those two are different.

Obviously there is nothing I can do about Franco until the newfangled Veteran’s Committee handles his name but Smith is sitting there LOSING votes. Too bad.

And what of the incoming crop?

Next year, Lansing’s John Smoltz gets a chance to join his Braves buddies Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. Those two easily got in with their 300 career victories. Smoltzie only had 213 in his injury riddled 21 campaigns. He’ll need help and he’ll get it with his 154 saves and 3.33 ERA.

Smoltz is the only pitcher in MLB history to record 200 or more wins AND 150 saves. He also had 3,084 strikeouts, the 1996 Cy Young Award and a stellar post-season stat sheet with a 15-and-4 record and 2.67 ERA.
Johnny is one of the best EVER to pitch post-season baseball.

Rob Parker has long said that he believes Smoltz is a Hall of Famer; 20-game winner as a starter and NL record holder with 55 saves in 2002. He committed to giving John his vote when he was eligible. That time happens in 2015.

Also next year is another former Tiger, Troy Percival.

You look at that name and laugh.

Percival finished with 358 saves and a 3.17 earned run average. In 708 big league innings, Percival allowed ONLY a MEAGER 479 hits.

That’s an incredible number.

He also had a World Series in Anaheim ‘02 in which he was a star. Percival saved seven playoff games including THREE in the series championship over Bonds and the Giants.

Sutter is IN but we’re going to laugh about Percival?

It makes no sense.

Billy Wagner and Hoffman are up for election in 2016.

Wagner saved 422 games with a sparkling 2.31 ERA allowing only 601 hits in 903 MLB innings. Billy the Kid struck out 1,196. He made seven all-star appearances.

He was a machine!

Will his 10.03 ERA in post-season play between the Astros, Red Sox, Mets and Braves be his albatross?

Maybe.

He gets to be on the exact same ballot as Hoffman.

All Trevor did was pop for 601 saves, joining Mariano as the only guys in MLB history to even do 500 saves. Granted, he did most of his work in San Diego where you can get lost amongst the zoo animals, ocean and palm trees.

I digress. 601 saves. Sutter had 300.

Hoffman MUST go into the Hall. Wagner too!

Rivera? Puh-leeze! 652 saves for the Yankees. Mariano is SO automatic they might as well waive the five-year wait requirement.

But some of those others… well, it’s just baffling.

There really is no bottom line reason why there is such a lack of love for the closer in the Hall of Fame. The “save” statistic didn’t become an OFFICIAL major league stat until the 1969 season. Bill Singer of the Dodgers (naturally, a starter who just mopped up for Don Drysdale on opening day) is credited with recording the first official save on the MLB books. Previous numbers had to be collected from thousands of box scores since the late 1800’s.

Its recent inclusion as a true “stat” could be a factor.

More likely it’s the old cliché Rodney Dangerfield effect.

There is still a lack of respect for the closer in the game.

Rivera and Hoffman did a lot to change that. Eckersley’s proficiency had some clout. Bobby Thigpen’s AL record setting year, like Smoltz’s in the NL, made the save kind of… sexy.

Teams know they can no longer compete for the big prize unless they have a classic closer.

Ask the Tigers.

When their closer Jose Valverde went south, the team went south. When Valverde left and came back, he started with a bang… and went south again.

Quickly, manager Jim Leyland and GM Dave Dombrowski recognized that “Papa Grande” was just “Papa Lardo” and dumped Valverde a second time. In his place came set-up man, Joaquin Benoit. The Tigers even added Houston’s closer Jose Veras in a trade.

When it came to crunch time in the ALCS, Benoit and Veras BOTH failed, firing devastating grand slam homers to Boston allowing the Sox to win the ALCS and ultimately, their third World Series in a decade.

A quality closer might have been the difference.

Important stuff for sure. But, we know that already.

That’s why I believe much more consideration has to be given to the dudes that can clean up and close victories at a 300 career clip. It needs to be next to an automatic number for induction. Just because the names aren’t Kardashian-like, doesn’t make them any less significant.

300-300-500-3,000.

Of the thousands of players to don major league uniforms only 102 have broken those numeric barriers. NOW you can toss in all the sabermetrics you like to make informed and conscious decisions.

This means YOU Dan Le Batard. This means YOU Ken Gurnick.

Le Batard is the Miami writer and radio talk show host that decided to give his Hall of Fame ballot to the online site, “Deadspin” so the readers could fill it out. Gurnick decided to ONLY vote for ex-Tiger Jack Morris since Morris remained close and wasn’t around in the supposed steroids “era.” “Just Jack,” said Gurnick. Ugh!

News flash! Steroids have been around for a while. Read Tom House’s comments in the May 3, 2005 USA Today through the San Francisco Chronicle and make your own judgments. I’ve been shouting it on my radio shows for years. It was a one-time story with NO follow up that has been dusted under the rug by MLB. Yes, it’s online.

It has all created a mess as to whom, how and why votes are cast for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

But that shouldn’t take away the role of closer in the game. They need more push. Someone has to wave the flag for the high priced talent of those back innings.

Bruce Sutter is IN with 300 saves.

Le Batard and Gurnick basically throw their votes in the garbage. Other writers make stands that are totally ridiculous. Some didn’t think MADDUX and his 355 wins was worthy of a first-ballot selection.

Oh, it makes me mad. It makes me want to go to Cooperstown and just shut the joint down. THAT would show ‘em!

Maybe I’ll rip Sutter’s plaque from the wall on the way out.