I remember it vividly from a hotel in Dallas. It was the 2011 Winter Meetings. Little did we know at the time that Albert Pujols would sign with the Angels later that week. What we had just heard, however, was Ron Santo had been selected as a Hall of Famer by the Veteran's Committee.
He had died just a year earlier at the age of 70.
I never got to watch him play, but he was (and still is) my dad's all-time favorite player. I felt a mix of excitement and anger that surely only sports can provide us. It's great that he's rightfully in, but why couldn't it have happened when he was still alive?
In Santo's case, specifically, advanced metrics provided a better Hall of Fame case than some of the traditional metrics did (for example, he was much more an OPS guy than batting average guy), but there's also the tug of the heartstrings once a player passes away. It can put a player over the top.
It isn't just an emotional response, either, I don't believe. When a player dies, we reflect back on his career. Sometimes it calls greater attention to the accomplishments on the field in addition to his impact as a player. Two players in particular come to mind right now and that's why I'm writing about it this year: Fernando Valenzuela and Dick Allen.
Let's start with Valenzuela. He died on Oct. 22 this year and the Dodgers won the World Series just days later. He was celebrated greatly at Dodger Stadium in the two World Series games there. All the while, there were plenty of reminders not only of how great he was, but also the impact he had on the Dodgers fan base.
Knowing what we know now about arm injuries, I also can't help but wonder if we should grant Valenzuela a little leeway in Hall of Fame discussions, given his early workload. From his age-20-26 seasons, he averaged 255 innings and 14 complete games per season. Through his age-25 season, he had a 2.94 career ERA. From age 26 through the rest of his career, he had a 4.23 ERA. Shoulder injuries surfaced in 1987, when he was 26.
Through 1986, Valenzuela was a six-time All-Star with a Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and a World Series ring. He finished in the top five of Cy Young voting four times. He'd never make an All-Star team or get a Cy Young vote again.
In all, though, his career numbers compare somewhat decently with Jack Morris, who made the Hall of Fame via the Modern Baseball Era Committee in 2018. And, again, I think Fernandomania and his impact on Dodgers fans can and should absolutely be part of the discussion. It's a Hall of Fame, not a Hall of only the most elite players who never faltered in their careers.
Valenzuela isn't on the committee ballot this time around, but the Contemporary Baseball Era player ballot will be back in December 2025 for induction in 2026 and I won't be surprised to see him get a shot there. Maybe he even makes it.
As for the Era ballot this year, my mind on this very subject wanders to Dick Allen. He has missed the Hall of Fame on different versions of Veterans Committee ballots now six times, missing by only one vote (players need 12 out of 16 on these ballots) each of the last two chances.
Allen died in 2020 and missed the Hall call in 2022, but the committee that year inducted five players (Minnie Miñoso, Buck O'Neil, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva) and Allen still only missed by one vote.
With those names off the ballot, there's a great chance Allen makes it this time around, particularly since it seems that there's been more movement on his behalf since he passed. I made an impassioned plea on his behalf in 2020 and every point in there still stands. If you want a quick and easy point on his behalf, how about this one:
Allen's prime was 1964-74, a span during which he hit .299/.386/.554, good for a 165 OPS+. In those 11 years, only Hank Aaron had a higher OPS and it was by one point. Those trailing Allen include Willie McCovey, Frank Robinson, Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays, Harmon Killebrew, Carl Yastrzemski and we'll just stop there. You get the idea.
It's four years later, but I think Allen gets the call this time around and I think the extra attention given to his excellent work in the batter's box after his death will have played a role.
Luis Tiant, who died last month, is also on the Era ballot this year. He's been on a committee ballot three times and has yet to receive a vote, so it'll be interesting to see if that changes this time around.
It should also be noted that, yes, Pete Rose died this past year. I don't think this really moves the needle for the purposes of this discussion. Rose's on-the-field Hall of Fame case is not in dispute. His numbers on the field clearly put him in while his permanent ban (yes, it's called a permanent ban, not a "lifetime ban" as some people erroneously state) from baseball keeps him out.
There was, however, a big push after his death from the masses to simply lift the ban and put him in the Hall of Fame.
I don't know that death should change our views on players with regard to the Hall of Fame, but I definitely think it has an impact. Just with the three players mentioned above, I never made a huge push for Allen until after he died. It happens. We're only human, after all.
I'll be keeping an eye on Allen's vote total this time in December, along with Tiant, and then we'll see if there's any movement toward Fernando next December. It's possible.
