By NICK LECO
May 28, 2008

You'll often hear play-by-play announcers and radio talk-show hosts casually compliment accomplished players by saying, "He's a future Hall-of-Famer," or "He'll have a plaque in Cooperstown one day," but while some players are virtual locks for immortalization in the most hallowed of all sports halls of fame by the time their playing days are winding down, the reality is that the process for deciding which players are and are not worthy of inclusion is very subjective and by no means easy to predict. The lack of established guidelines allows baseball fans like us to debate the merits of a given player's Hall worthiness until we are Vida Blue (not in the Hall of Fame) in the face. 

Every year a whole new batch of names is thrown into the great debate as retired players complete their mandatory five-year waiting period for consideration. The list of players eligible for the first time in 2009 is highlighted by Steve Avery, Jay Bell, Mike Bordick, John Burkett, David Cone, Ron Gant, Mark Grace, Rickey Henderson, Todd Hundley, Orlando Merced, Charles Nagy, Denny Neagle, Jesse Orosco, Dean Palmer, Dan Plesac, Rick Reed, Greg Vaughn, Mo Vaughn and Matt Williams. Did I say highlighted? Not that a debate on Orlando Merced or Jay Bell's place in baseball history wouldn't be fun, but while they're probably the best players on their over-40 men's softball teams, Cooperstown won't be calling anytime soon. The one guy on this list who is definitely Hall of Fame-bound is Henderson. The best leadoff hitter in the history of baseball is a shoo-in first-ballot Hall of Famer. No need for debate there.

However, the Class of 2010 will bring some interesting names to the table as Roberto Alomar, Kevin Appier, Andy Ashby, Ellis Burks, Dave Burba, Andres Galarraga, Pat Hentgen, Mike Jackson, Eric Karros, Ray Lankford, Barry Larkin, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff, Mark McLemore, Shane Reynolds, David Segui, Robin Ventura, Fernando Vina and Todd Zeile will all make their debut on the Hall of Fame ballot. Obviously, some of these guys have no chance and a few stick out more than others, most notably Roberto Alomar, Andres Galarraga, Barry Larkin, and Fred McGriff - sit down, David Segui. Over time, we'll be looking at the credentials of these and many other past and present major leaguers to determine whether they have what it takes to get a plaque in Cooperstown. This week, we'll take a look at Roberto Alomar.

ROBERTO ALOMAR'S CAREER STATISTICS

Games: 2,379
At Bats: 9,073
Runs: 1,508
Hits: 2,724
Doubles: 504
Triples: 80
Home Runs: 210
RBI: 1,134
Walks: 1,032
Strikeouts: 1,140
Stolen Bases: 474
Caught Stealing: 114
Batting Average: .300
On-Base Percentage: .371
Slugging Percentage: .443
OPS: .814

PROS: Alomar was a member of two Toronto Blue Jays World Series championship teams and was named MVP of the 1992 American League Championship Series. He was a 12-time All-Star and his 10 Gold Gloves are the most at his position in baseball history. From a statistical standpoint, he matches up well with some of the great second basemen of all time. If grouped with the second basemen already enshrined in the Hall of Fame, Alomar would rank 6th in hits, 5th in home runs, 7th in runs and 4th in stolen bases. Alomar also compares favorably with two recent inductees who played his position, Joe Morgan and Ryne Sandberg. He accumulated more career hits and RBI's than Morgan or Sandberg and had a better career batting average and similar on-base and slugging percentages, although he did hit the fewest career home runs of the trio. Alomar also rates 40th all time in doubles and stolen bases, and 51st in total hits.

CONS: One of the biggest strikes against Alomar actually has very little to to with his baseball skills. He is still remembered for an incident late in the 1996 season in which he spit in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck during a heated argument over a called third strike. He was suspended for five games and although he and Hirschbeck later publicly made peace, the incident will always leave a black mark on his career. Voters will also point to the fact that Alomar was rarely among the league leaders in any major statistical categories during his career, though he did lead the American League with 138 runs in 1999. In "Similar Batters," a Bill James-created comparative measure, he rates closest to Lou Whitaker, a non-Hall of Famer. The fact that Alomar played for seven teams during his Major League career could also hurt his chances, although there are Hall of Famers - most notably Gaylord Perry - who have played for more teams.

THE VERDICT: Count Alomar among those who will someday be enshrined in Cooperstown. There's even a chance he could be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when the 2010 class is announced. The induction of Ozzie Smith showed that defense can still get you into the Hall of Fame, and Alomar rates as one of the best ever at his position defensively. Combine that with the fact that he was one of the better-hitting second basemen in the game's history, and you've got the makings of a sure-fire Hall of Famer.

Is Alomar a first-ballot Hall of Famer, or will he have to wait a few years? Do you think he falls short of Cooperstown-level greatness? Will the writers hold the infamous spitting incident against him when filling out their ballots? Did you get a chance to see him play in his prime? Leave a comment in the field below, and join the conversation.

Nick Leco's Cooperstown Bound? column runs every Wednesday here on National Pastime.

• 
• Comment