We in the Motor City know that legendary former Detroit Tigers second baseman Lou Whitaker did more than enough during his career to warrant being forever enshrined in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
However, voters of the Modern Era ballot have chosen not to see it that way – most recently with their snub of Whitaker just over a year ago.
Earlier in the week, MLB.com released their list of the best players who haven’t been honored in Cooperstown, with none other than Whitaker listed as their second baseman.
Check out what writer Matt Kelly had to say:
“Jeff Kent famously hit the most homers of any second baseman, thus making his exclusion from the Hall somewhat strange. But most of Kent’s dingers were hit during unprecedented boon times for the long ball, and while defensive metrics get murkier the further back one goes, Whitaker’s more polished all-around game stands out more to this author.”
“As Jaffe noted for FanGraphs in 2019, Whitaker belongs to a select group of players (and is the only second baseman besides Jackie Robinson) who finished their careers at least 200 batting runs, 50 fielding runs and 25 baserunning runs above average. Plus, it just doesn’t feel right that Alan Trammell is in the Hall without his double-play partner.”
Will Sweet Lou eventually earn his rightful spot in the Hall?
– – Quotes via Matt Kelly of MLB.com Link – –
