2065.02 Hall of Fame: The Case for Tom Rudge

[Trebro]

My plan is to do as many as I can tonight and maybe tomorrow to help spark some discussion and votes.

The Case for Tom Rudge

3rdYear on the Ballot.
Last Year Vote Percentage: 51.5%
Have I voted for him? Yes, including last year



Rudge was a mainstay of so many successful Las Vegas Hustler teams. He did a cup of very very poor coffee with Yellow Springs, which possibly did a bit of damage to his reputation. But in 23 seasons, he was a big man on campus. From the tender age of 19 until he (should have)hung them up at the age of 40, Rudge was a force to be reckoned with. His age 41 season really shouldn't be counted against him.

Rudge has the longevity of a Hall member. But so far, he hasn't had the numbers for it. With some of the logjam clearing, will Rudge make it to sit with the legends of the past (and his peers)? Or will he be stuck in the middle ground of close but no cigar?

Let me do what I can to give you a reason to vote for him:

Arguments for Enshrinement:

• 3000 Hits
  Career batting average of .283
  5 of his 23 season were partial, making reaching 3,000 more notable
  73.7 career WAR
  10 seasons of 3 WAR or better, including a 4 WAR year at age 39 (2059)
  555 Steals against just 164 caught stealing
  Career OPS+ of 116
  3 seasons of 200+ hits
  7-time All Star
  4-time member of a Championship Team
  4-time Playoff MVP
  4-time Zimmer Award winner
  3-time Puckett Award winner
  1-time Silk Award winner

Arguments Against Enshrinement:

• Primary achievement is a counting stat
  Only 6 times black ink (league leader), average at position is 23
  Only 93 times grey ink (top player), average at position is 122
  JAWS at 59.8 is a bit off the average at 61
  HOF monitor at 153 is a bit off the average at 163
  Under 100 OPS+ 8 of 23 seasons

My final pitch: Yes, this is primarily a counting stat candidate. But he also had a lot of recognition during his career (7-time all star plus the other voted awards) and he was an essential part of 4 teams that won a Monty. One of the gut checks is "would I do what I needed to do to get this man on my team in his prime?" and he passes that for me. (Heck, I put him on my team past his prime, I just had no idea he'd fallen THAT far.) I think that feeling, plus his achievements, plus his consistency of quality over his career puts this one into Hall territory.

He deserves your time, attention, and vote.

[neugey]

He's on the bubble for me, not sure yet if he makes it. But winning the Silk plus the longevity/3000 hits/Zimmers are tempting me.

[Dington]

He's a winner. Got my vote.

[BaseClogger]

Just feels like a slam dunk. Don’t really need to analyze the numbers (yes, I just said that).

[indiansfan]

Got my vote

[RonCo]

Face of a bigtime franchise. Should be in.

[recte44]

He's a Hall of Famer. That's the case.

That being said, early returns have him on the outside looking in again.

[RonCo]

Rudge is a very interesting. He was not a big name as a kid. Didn't do a lot breaking in, and only got going at age 28. He was also never really very flashy. Not mega-power. He stole bases, but not 70-80. He was a good defender, but in the corner rather than at CF where people would really standup and notice.

Instead, he just hit and won.

He peaked at age 36 and 37. Then had a pretty quick fade-out. He managed all that WAR, but also did it in 22 years.

I like him as a candidate. But, yeah, he's a strange case.

[Trebro]

Rudge is a very interesting. He was not a big name as a kid. Didn't do a lot breaking in, and only got going at age 28. He was also never really very flashy. Not mega-power. He stole bases, but not 70-80. He was a good defender, but in the corner rather than at CF where people would really standup and notice.

Instead, he just hit and won.

He peaked at age 36 and 37. Then had a pretty quick fade-out. He managed all that WAR, but also did it in 22 years.

I like him as a candidate. But, yeah, he's a strange case.

I disagree with some of the above. First, back at that time, OOTP didn't make toddlers peak stars yet, and it wasn't unusual for a player to really ramp up in their late 20s. Additionally, he starts getting over 2 WAR at 26 and he was still at 2.7 WAR at at 40. 69.5 of his WAR was accrued over 15 seasons, which averages out to 4.6 WAR per year for those 15 years. That's really darn good.

[RonCo]

Well...I already said he should be in. But regardless, that career profile is still quite unusual.