Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Why Keith Hernandez Deserves to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame

For the next several weeks, I will be publishing articles on this blog to showcase and highlight baseball players not in the Hall of Fame that deserve to be.

The perspectives will be from first hand accounts of baseball experts who have watched these players play the game at an elite level and seen then thrive in their era.



For our first piece, we will be looking at first baseman Keith Hernandez.

Chris Bodig of Cooperstown Cred was kind enough to share his views on Hernandez and what made him so special to the game of baseball.

1. When did you first see him play and what, if anything, do you remember?

I first saw him play in the 1982 World Series with the Cardinals. It seemed like he was "on" everything (as a hitter) in the last couple of games of the series. The first time I saw him play in person was in September of 1984 at Shea Stadium. I don't remember anything Keith did, but I do remember starting pitcher Dwight Gooden pitching a one-hitter (only hit on a Mitch Moreland grounder that Ray Knight should have fielded at third).

2. What stands out about his talent?

What stands out about his talent was his glove work. I attended nearly 200 Mets games between 1985-1988, many of them with a bird's eye view behind home plate. Hernandez was a maestro at first base. He had cat-like reflexes, allowing him to stop ground balls others would miss. He was especially adept at going to his right, making a play and fluidly throwing to the shortstop with the speed required for the shortstop to finish a 3-6-1 double play. On bunt plays, he was fearless. Keith would charge uncomfortably close to the plate. On bunt plays with runners on second, he was so aggressive that he could field bunts down the third base line and fire to third to get the lead runner.

3. What made you a life long fan?

I became a life-long fan because of his brilliance defensively.

4. What is the reason(s) he deserves to be remembered forever?

He deserves to be remembered forever as arguably the greatest fielding first baseman in the history of baseball and that he was also an excellent hitter with a keen eye.

5. Why do you think that aren't in the Hall of Fame?

I'm convinced he's not in the Hall because he was a first baseman who didn't hit for power and because injuries ended his career prematurely, with only 2,182 hits.

6. Is there someone already in the Hall of Fame at the same position you would argue he's better than? If so, explain.

Hernandez is better than many first basemen in the Hall (most of whom played prior to 1950). I also believe that he was a better hitter than Tony Perez, even though the "Big Dog" had 550 more hits, 217 more home runs, and 581 more runs batted in. Perez also had 2,308 more plate appearances, which is the equivalent to about 4 seasons. Perez had the volume but Keith was a more pure hitter, with a batting average 17 points higher and an on base percentage 43 points higher. Therefore, his OPS+ is higher (128 to 122). Perez also struck out 855 times more and hit into 107 more double plays. But the #1 reason that Hernandez is a better overall player is because of his defense.

7. Do metrics like Wins Above Replacement, OPS+, ERA+ etc... need to play a larger role in determining Hall of Fame credentials over traditional numbers like hits, home runs and wins? Why or why not?

Metrics like WAR, OPS+ and ERA+ (specifically these three) definitely need to play a larger role in determining Hall of Fame credentials because they measure a player's overall worth. A lesser hitter can get to 3,000 hits while the superior hitter doesn't because they either managed to stick around long enough in late-career mediocrity or because they didn't draw walks. The milestone numbers are still important but they should represent only one track to the Hall of Fame. Players with hidden skills that are revealed by WAR or OPS+ should also have a track.

8. If you had to choose just one factor, what is the thing that should carry the most weight for Hall of Fame induction? Explain.

I'll answer this question is in regards to a borderline Hall of Fame candidate. If a player has a WAR over 70 or reaches a traditional milestone, that should be honored. When it's a player without one of those, I ask myself about the player's relevance in the history of baseball. When it comes to Keith Hernandez, his relevance is as the greatest fielding first basemen ever or at least of the last 50 years and that he was a key member of two teams that won the World Series.

If you would like to read more about why Chris believes Hernandez is a Hall of Famer, check out his article on Keith at Cooperstown Cred