Gammons said Damon feels 3,000 hits will make him a lock for the Hall of Fame, and history agrees. Except for Rose, all of the 27 players with 3,000 or more hits are in the Hall of Fame. Not only that, all of the players that reached 3,000 hits after 1962 have been inducted on the first ballot.
When all is said and done Damon will probably end up with about a .284 lifetime ba, 3,000 hits, 260 home runs, and 400 stolen bases. Certainly a very impressive resume. He has been a valuable piece to every team he has played on. He will also be remembered for some playoff heroics.The downside to Damon is he has made the All-Star team just twice in his career. He has never been a top tier player in the league (his highest finish in MVP voting is 13th). He hasn't won a gold glove and has been a below average fielder for some time now. His lifetime OPS stands at just .794 (low for an outfielder) and is likely to drop by the time he collects his 3,000th hit.
As for the playoff heroics, the reality is his stats in the playoffs (.279 ba, 9 hr, 244 ab, .783 OPS) are nearly identical to how he hit throughout his career.
So the poll question is (top right), if Damon eventually reaches the magical 3,000 hit mark, do you think he will make the Hall of Fame?
I don't think he will. I think Bernie Williams should have a better chance at the hall of fame but I'm not sure that even he will make it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Damon will make the Hall he was never a superstar always a nice guy who was slightly above average and on good teams.
ReplyDeleteIf Damon gets to 3,000 hits, I think I'd have to respect that achievement enough to say he should be in the Hall of Fame.
ReplyDeleteHe's not really a guy who jumps to mind when I think of Hall of Famers, though.
It's funny, I never once thought about Damon ever making the Hall of Fame until Gammons mentioned Damon's plan to get 3,000 hits.
ReplyDeleteHis baseball cards are in my semi-star boxes.
Damon really has no business being in the HOF conversation. He's never been one of the top handfull of guys in the league. The fact that he's been above average at the top of productive line-ups long enough to get 3000 hits doesn't make him elite (See also: Jeter, Derek)
ReplyDeleteWhile Damon is defitely an intimidating leadoff hitter and may get his 3000 hits, I just don't see him being a sure-thing HOF. He has had plenty of memorable moments, but always seems to get lost in the shuffle. Pass.
ReplyDelete