Baseball History Comes Alive Now Ranked #2 by Feedspot Among All Internet Baseball History Websites and Blogs!
Guest Submissions from Our Readers Always Welcome!
Subscribe to Baseball History Comes Alive! for automatic updates (sign-up block found in right side-bar)
As a Free Bonus for subscribing, you’ll get instant access to my two Special Reports: Memorable World Series Moments and Gary’s Handy Dandy World Series Reference Guide!
“Albert Belle and Other HOF Worthy Players” Photo Gallery
Click on any image below to see photos in full size and to start Photo Gallery:
Today we welcome the first guest post from Daniel McNamara. Daniel makes an interesting case that the surly slugger, Albert Belle, is Hall-of-Fame worthy based on his performance between the white lines. I don’t expect everyone to agree, after all Belle was a controversial character, but it makes for an interesting discussion. I hope you’ll take a couple minutes to read Daniel’s post. And be sure to check out the photo gallery for a few other players who have a case for Hall consideration. Feel free to add some of your own.
ALBERT BELLE FOR THE HALL OF FAME
Of all the cases of current Hall of fame exclusions, maybe none is more glaring than the case for Albert Belle. It’s well known that Belle was no favorite among writers, teammates, or management. According to accounts from writers and teammates, he was outspoken, rude, and even nasty at times. With that said, for the twelve seasons in which he played, few hitters in major league history have been as dominant as Albert Belle.
Starting in 1992, Belle posted eight consecutive 30 home runs, 100 RBI seasons. From 1992-1999, Belle averaged 40 home runs and 125 RBI, with very impressive averages of .302 for batting and .586 for slugging, and a jaw-dropping .969 OPS. Belle was not just a home run hitter either. He averaged 173 hits over those eight seasons with 103 runs scored, and an impressive .382 on-base percentage.
As a way of comparison, during that same eight-year stretch, with all three hitters in their prime, Albert Belle averaged more home runs and RBI than Frank Thomas, a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, and Barry Bonds. Bonds averaged 38 home runs with 106 RBI, while Thomas averaged 33 home runs and 113 RBI. In 1994, albeit a strike-shortened season, Belle posted an unbelievable .357 batting average with an even more unbelievable .714 slugging average, plus 36 home runs and 35 doubles in slightly over 400 at-bats.
The following year, 1995, was a truly historic season for Belle, as he posted the only 50/50 season in major league history: 52 doubles with 50 home runs. Throw in a triple, and Belle’s 1995 is one of only 15 seasons in baseball history of 100 extra-base hits. His total of 103 extra-base hits is good for sixth all-time on the single-season list. He almost reached 100 extra-base hits again in 1998, finishing with a total of 99. To put this accomplishment in a bit of context, none of the greatest sluggers in the game, including Ruth, Gehrig, Williams, and Hornsby, ever had a 50 double/50 home run season. Belle stands alone.
ALBERT BELLE’S CAREER TOTALS
Belle played twelve seasons in the majors with 5,853 at-bats, a short career compared to most Hall-of-Famers. However, there are current members who played for similar lengths of time, including Ralph Kiner, Joe DiMaggio, and Hank Greenberg. When comparing Belle’s career totals to these players, it’s easy to see that his performance is right there with these all-time greats.
AB HR Total EBH RBI BA/SLG
Belle 5853 381 791 1239 .295/.564
DiMaggio 6821 361 881 1537 .325/.579
Kiner 5205 369 624 1015 . 279/.548
Greenberg 5193 331 781 1274 313/.605
Overall, Albert Belle appeared in twelve seasons, playing ten full seasons (meaning, ten seasons of 100 games or more). In 1989 he played in only 62 games and in 1990 only nine games. That means all of his power hitting was compiled in only ten full seasons: 381 home runs, 389 doubles, eight consecutive seasons of 30 home runs and 100 RBI, and nine seasons of 28 or more home runs. Belle won two slugging titles, and one OPS title. He had seven seasons of .540 or higher slugging, with the career high .714 in 1994, as mentioned above. Over his full seasons, Belle tops out at an unbelievable .690 slugging in his historic 50/50 season in 1995.
Considering some of the questionable Hall-of-Fame inductions in recent years, Larry Walker, Harold Baines, among only a few others, it seems for the most part the writers get it right. One wonders why it is that Belle has yet to be voted in. His offensive performance was clearly at a Hall-of-Fame level.
This writer is left to surmise that Belle’s exclusion is rooted in the personal feelings that some writers have for Belle, as the result of his virulent behavior over the course of his career. Judging only from his career totals, performance only, Belle was clearly a Hall-of-Fame hitter. Hopefully, the writers, sooner rather than later, will put aside their personal feelings and vote this man into the Hall where he belongs.
Shop MLB.com. The Official Online Shop of Major League Baseball.
Daniel McNamara
Photo Credits: All from Google search
Vote In Our New Poll: How Do you Feel About the baseball Season Starting up?https://wp.me/p7a04E-7tr
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Click here to view Amazon’s privacy policy
I’m from Baltimore, so, no.
Mr. McNamara presents a solid case for Albert Belle’s inclusion in the Hall of Fame, but tiptoes around the issue of steroids. I know, I know, there’s no proof Belle used them but doesn’t the aroma of PEDs just sort of follow Albert around? The odd bulking up, the volatile, violent outbursts . . . .
We’ll leave aside the corked bats for now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big Cleveland Indians fan and there was no one I was happier to see coming to the plate, with the game on the line in the ’90s than Albert Belle.
Yes, a compelling case, Daniel. Those Belle stats are bulging. But could be bulging right alongside his biceps, juiced with steroids–as suggested by Mr. Hine. The suspicion of that, plus surly, adds up to no HOF.
Also, if you look at his dWAR, every year is a minus- suggesting he was a bad fielder. Kiner and Baines were no great shakes either but it’s part of the game. No, I don’t buy into that stat totally but still…
Then again, if Bill Maz gets in on the basis of one huge home run, then the voting is unfortunately always suspect.
Kiner was an all time great. 7 consecutive HR titles, 6 of them major league leading. 369 HR in only 10 seasons. Kiner was a HOF HR hitter, not a questionable or weak HOF election. As far as Belle and PED, as mentioned, no failed tests. No Mitchell report. Most importantly, no sudden change in physical appearance, no sudden spike in power offense, the two tell tale signs of PED use for many players. His power was consistent for the 12 years that he played. His guilt can’t be presumed because of the sins of others. Belle was an all time great, dominant power hitter.
You are absolutely correct about Albert Belle. Most of the negative comments are purely speculative and simply based on dislike. Personally, I liked the guy. At the beginning stages of his major league career, he was an alcoholic. He was in a 30-day rehab program at the Cleveland Clinic. A friend of mine had a son attending that same program. Albert also had distrust and anger issues stemming from his youth that negatively affected his personality. Most teams were hesitant to draft the guy. His offensive skills were extraordinary, but he also insisted on playing the outfield rather than be a dh. He even had a few more doubles than home runs. A power hitter in today’s game probably strikes out 50% more than he did. He also stole some bases and was successful in 68% of his attempts. Unfortunately, he left Cleveland through free agency after the 1996 season. On a different note, while in Cleveland, he made a guest appearance at a large chocolate manufacturing warehouse with a retail component. My daughter made a nice, large frameable sketch of Albert holding a bat that she wanted to give to him. We were running late but drove up to the event as he was leaving. I wrote her name, address and phone number on the backside. I asked his driver to stop, and I gave him the artwork which he handed to Albert sitting in the backseat. Albert looked up at me and he seemed surprised, but pleased. He never sent anything to my daughter, but, then again, that was Albert.
Some players were so disliked by others that they weren’t voted into the MLB HOF until after they died.( Santo and Durocher are examples). I would think if Albert Belle is ever voted into the HOF he won’t live to see it.
Daniel,
I was referring to Kiner’s mediocre fielding, not his home run hitting prowess. The statement was made in conjunction with the poor fielding metric for Belle. Not saying that necessarily influenced the voting in Albert’s case, probably not. But you don’t want a guy driving in three runs and giving back two with his glove, either.
Albert Belle’s behavior was decidedly “violent and volatile” as stated in a previous post. That is typical of steroid induced behavior. But, as you say, he may have been clean as a whistle. In that case, he should be in The Hall.
Also, let’s give Johnny Mize credit for tying Kiner for the home run crown in ’47 and ’48. And if Mize had returned from the service sooner in 1946, he would have edged Kiner that year. “Big Jawn” had 125 less official at bats than Ralph that year and only lost the home run derby by 23-22.
Some of those overlooked sluggers from the ’40s and ’50s are notable also for their astonishingly low strikeout totals. I can’t give figures on Mize (The Big Cat, yes?) or Kiner, but I do recall that Ted Kuzewski hit more than 40 homers a year for three consecutive seasons (early ’50s) and never struck out more than 40 times in any of those years.
Guys like Nellie Fix (different breed of hitter, of course) might strike out 12 or 15 times a year. Growing up in Cleveland I recall a sports page headline about a game with the White Sox and the subhead was “Tribe hurlers fan Fox twice.”
From the beginning of the modern era straight through to the end of Gwynn’s and Bogg’s careers, great hitters took pride in not striking out. If we look over individual statistics from the first half of the 20th century, we’ll find that almost all of the HOF hitters retired with far more walks than strikeouts. Further, we’ll find that even the everyday guys, guys not as well known, regularly posted more walks than strikeouts. Ted Williams with 500 HR, an unbelievable 6 batting titles, and had 3 times as many walks as strikeouts. Today, for the big HR hitters, it’s almost the opposite in most cases, 2 or 3 times as many strikeouts as walks. There is no excuse for a professional baseball player to strikeout 200 times in a season. The incessant strikeouts one of the worst aspects of the modern game.
Yes, right on with both comments. No reason Peter Alonso has to whiff 180 plus times. We’ll take fewer home runs with more balls in play.
You’re memory serves, Thomas. Nellie Fox averaged just 15 strikeouts per year. Mize 45 per, with only 42 when he hit 51 homers in 1947. Yogi Berra struck out only 12 times in 1950 with 28 home runs and 124 RBI.
Ted Kluszewski was the only player in history to hit 35 home runs for four consecutive years (’53-’56) and each year have fewer strikeouts. He clubbed 171 homers and whiffed only 140 times during that stretch. Only three players ever accomplished that feat even twice: Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mize.
By the way “Big Klu” also led the National League in fielding percentage five straight years at first base. Quite a player. But was plagued with multiple injuries at age 32 to short circuit a possible HOF career.
Launch Angle, baby!…😁
I would say no. Belle’s record and playing ability were very good but he was terrible in the other criteria.
Under BBWAA Election Rules.
5. Voting: Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.
Hate the launch angle nonsense, Paul. Square it up and drive in the run, right?
Just for the record, “The Big Cat” suffered a broken toe in 1946, that’s why he played only 100 games and possibly missed out on a home run crown.
Mize was also the only player in history to hit 50 homers and strike out less than 50 times in a season (51 and 42 in 1947).
Here are the specific home run totals for Ted Kluszewski’s impressive four year run with only 140 total strikeouts: 40 (’53), 49(’54), 47(’55) and 35 in 1956.
Talk about a controlled swing! He was considered the strongest man in baseball at the time.
Bob,
Good job in pointing out the BBWAA Election Rules.
However, Ty Cobb also failed the last four criteria. In 1912, he went into the stands at Hilltop Park and beat on a handicapped heckler. He was fined and originally suspended indefinitely. It is considered by many as the most reprehensible act in the history of baseball. Should he be in the Hall?
Bill Mazeroski passes the last four tests with flying colors, but fails decidedly in the first two, by Hall of Fame standards. It seems his induction was based almost entirely on a home run he hit on October 13, 1960. Does he belong?
And how about Pete Rose? Charlie Hustle gambled but didn’t beat up on a handicapped person–and he broke Ty Cobb’s total hits record. Many think he deserves to be inducted.
What do you think?
i think rose and joe jackson deserve to finally be inducted … they’ve waited long enough, and if steroid and p.e.d. abusers can be considered (or already in), then the gambling thing, while THE cardinal sin for so long, could be waived for two quite significant players in history … as for cobb, i think accurate facts would deem him not so much the monster he’s reputed to be … .367, 12 batting titles, all the stolen bases, all the runs scored and r.b.i.’s; he’s still on my all-time team … and, finally, the hall of fame is not for the very good … there are a number of players who probably shouldn’t be in there … the mark of greatness is consistency of high standards, such as that of ruth, aaron, mays, musial, players who were and are FAMOUS, not merely very good or even just great