Beltre' HOF?

[Doubles]

One of my favorite and in my opinion one of baseball's most unheralded players ever made two fantastic plays at third base last night.    404 career HRs (a rare club at 3rd base), closing in on 2,700 hits, and an elite defender.    Does he make it to the HOF?    Or does he need either those 300 more hits or 96 more taters?

 

 

[rghrbek]

Beltre has not mentioned he is retiring has he?  If not, than I see him getting much closer to 3k hits.  If he plays two more years, he has to be a lock doesn't he?

 

Elite, elite fielder with old school pop.  Really wanted the twins to trade for him when he was on the marked back in mid 2000 (after Koskie)...

[bluechipper]

I think he's a no-doubt HOFer. Probably not 1st ballot, but he definitely should get in.

 

 

[zenser]

When it is all said and done, I think he gets 3000 and gets in.  Like it has been stated, his fielding is top notch and he put up very good offensive numbers in a position where offense is supposed to be coming from.  IMO, he is a HOFer.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

He's got my Vote!

 

I don't actually have one, but if I did, he'd be a guy I would vote for in a heartbeat.

[Jham]

My first thought was still the steroid rumors.  Here's a fantastic article debunking much of that speculation. 

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/adrian-beltres-fluke-2004-happens-again/

 

I think his ability to stay at third and play at a high level in comparison to some others who dabbled and then went to first should get him in.  Who's been a better 3rd baseman over that time period without switching to first?  Cabrera sort of, but way worse defensively?  

[bluechipper]

 

My first thought was still the steroid rumors.  Here's a fantastic article debunking much of that speculation. 

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/adrian-beltres-fluke-2004-happens-again/

 

I think his ability to stay at third and play at a high level in comparison to some others who dabbled and then went to first should get him in.  Who's been a better 3rd baseman over that time period without switching to first?  Cabrera sort of, but way worse defensively?  

I would say Chipper Jones was a bit better over roughly the same time period.

[Seth Stohs]

I think he should absolutely be a Hall of Famer. 

[biggentleben]

He feels like Fred McGriff to me, a guy whose numbers say yes, but for some reason was never viewed as a superstar, so he won't end up making it, or if he does, it will be late in the balloting process.

[drjim]

He gets in easily. He'll get strong support from both analytical and the more traditional camps.

[gopherman23]

He's 36 now and sitting at 80.7 career WAR. The only guys ahead oh him not in the Hall are Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones, Mike Mussina, Albert Pujols, and A-Rod.

 

Jr., Chipper, and Pujols are locks to make it. A-Rod is questionable, but not due to his career numbers. Mussina is the only borderline candidate, but I think he'll eventually get in.

 

I absolutely think he is a HOF'er. He's been the premier defensive 3rd baseman in the league for the last decade plus. How he's only won 4 gold gloves is a mystery. Offensively he is at 2699 hits. He has a very good shot at getting to 3k if he plays 3-4 more years, which will make him a lock.

[James]

I think he's a HOFer for sure.  Especially considering he plays the least represented position in the sport.  He's still playing at a high level, and I bet that he gets to 3,000 hits.  I don't know if he gets to 500 HRs, but I don't think that matters, especially if he gets the hits.  

[Mike Sixel]

I think he makes it. The fact he kept playing defense, and mostly playing it well will really help him. Big fan.

[Bark's Lounge]

If someone asked me this 6 years ago. I would have thought that person was joking around.

 

But after he left the hitter's hell hole Safeco Field almost 6 years ago, his bat came back to life in an elite way and his defense was still an admired skillset.

 

I think he's a shoe in for the HOF.

[Thegrin]

No effin way Beltre should be in the HOF.  I remember his Seattle days when I often had him on my Fantasy team.  No Mother-effin way !!!

[gil4]

 

No effin way Beltre should be in the HOF.  I remember his Seattle days when I often had him on my Fantasy team.  No Mother-effin way !!!

That keeps him out of the fantasy HOF, but I still think he gets in the real one.

[Loosey]

I thought I read somewhere that he said this was his last year.

[TheLeviathan]

I think there is no doubt he gets in.

[diehardtwinsfan]

He belongs in my opinion.

[kab21]

the reason that he won't get in is because the HOF voting is completely screwed up right now.  He won't be eligible for at least 5 more years so maybe they will fix it.  There are way too many deserving names on the ballot and too many deserving candidates are getting their votes split unless they are a no doubter.  Beltre is deserving but he isn't a no doubter.

[biggentleben]

I wonder if he hits a wall like Bagwell, who I believe is on the same "no doubter" level for most, but there's that shred of hint that he might have, at one time, possibly, done a PED. That's suppressed Bagwell's voting, and I could see it holding back Beltre some as well because there were a lot louder accusations thrown his way than Bagwell during their respective careers.

 

Just for comparison's sakes:

 

Bagwell - .297/.408/.540, 149 OPS+, 2150 games, 2314 hits, 449 home runs.

Beltre - .284/.336/.476, 115 OPS+, 2519 games, 2705 hits, 404 home runs

Fred McGriff - .284/.377/.509, 134 OPS+, 2460 games, 2490 hits, 493 home runs

 

Beltre obviously gets a bump for playing 3B at a high level, but is that enough to overcome a 34- and 19-point difference in OPS+ over the other two along with a 45 and 89 home run deficit as well (each doing so in less career games than Beltre)?

[DaveW]

He needs 3,000 hits to get in. Which is stupid, he should be in either way, but the 75-85 year old voters who probably have seen him play like once, still go by these stupid arbitrary numbers.

[biggentleben]

 

He needs 3,000 hits to get in. Which is stupid, he should be in either way, but the 75-85 year old voters who probably have seen him play like once, still go by these stupid arbitrary numbers.

 

Except that after this year's changes to the voting population, those guys won't be voting anymore.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

It's interesting to me that the debate over whether Beltre will be a Hall Of Famer or not is centered more on the voters than on Beltre himself...

 

Also, McGriff and Bagwell are Hall of Famers to me too- they just haven't been inducted yet. McGriff will have a longer wait but how could the veteran's committee ever pass on him? I think Bagwell might get in a few years while still on the writer's ballot.