NSBB HOF Ballot- Albert Belle

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Belle is definitely an interesting option.

 

ALBERT BELLE: 1st year on the ballot… Played 12 seasons…Named Major League Player of the Year by The Sporting News in 1995…Finished in the top 10 in AL MVP voting in 1993 (7th), 1994 (3rd), 1995 (2nd), 1996 (3rd) and 1998 (8th)…Named to five All-Star teams (1993-97)…One season with 50-plus home runs, three seasons with 40-plus home runs, eight seasons with 30-plus home runs and ten seasons with 20-plus home runs…Nine consecutive seasons with 100-plus runs batted in and nine seasons with 30-plus doubles…Four seasons with a .400-plus on-base percentage, four seasons with a .300-plus batting average and four seasons with 100-plus runs scored…Named outfielder on The Sporting News Silver Slugger team five times (1993-96, 1998)…Led AL in RBI three times (1993, 1995-96), total bases three times (1994-95, 1998), slugging percentage twice (1995, 1998), runs once (1995), doubles once (1995) and home runs once (1995)…Hit three home runs in one game three times…Had a 27-game hitting streak in 1997…Hit 13 grand slams…Second most career home runs for the Cleveland Indians (242)…His 103 extra-base hits in 1995 was highest total in the American League since 1937…Career slugging percentage of .564 is ranked 17th best on the all-time list…Two AL Division Series (1995-96): batted .231 with three home runs and nine RBI in 26 LDS at-bats…One AL Championship Series (1995): batted .222 with one home run and one RBI in 18 LCS at-bats…One World Series (1995): batted .235 with two home runs and four RBI in 17 WS at-bats.

[CubinNY]

Belle will likely never get in (See also, Rice, Jim). IMO he is a borderline guy. I voted no, but I wouldn't complain if he did. Also like Dawson injuries probably cost him the HOF. Not a likeable guy, but a wonderful baseball player.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I'll have to admit I'm torn on Albert Belle. I've always disliked him as a player. He's one of the only players that I have a true extreme dislike for. That being said, he was very, very good.

 

He played in 12 seasons (and two of those he played in 9 and 62 games respectively, so essientially 10 seasons) and had his career ended by injury at age 33. While that is surely used in the case against him as his counting stats will fall short of HOF standards, Puckett who also had to retire due to injury played in 12 seasons and that wasn't held against him. The main difference between Belle and Puckett is that Puckett was a fan-favorite and liked by everyone while Belle was a surly bastard liked by almost no one.

 

So...if Puckett could get admitted on a 12-year career, the question remains..was Belle's 12 years HOF standard?

 

Well, first of all the worst line he ever put up in a full season was 260/320/477 in 1992. His carerr 295/369/564 is definitely HOFish.

 

His 162 game average would equal 41 doubles, 130 RBI, and 40 HR. That's pretty damn impressive.

 

Belle led his league in RBI three times and finished in the top ten 8 of his 10 full seasons. He was the 1995 MVP and ranked in the top five three other times ( 2nd once and 3rd twice) meaning in 10 full seasons, he was top three in MVP in four of them. He led the AL in SLG% twice and finished in the top ten in six of his ten full seasons.

 

He also had five all-star appearances to go with those accolades.

 

Belle may have had a short career. That is definitely a knock against him. Maybe it should keep him out for awhile, but short careers haven't prevented players like Puckett from enshrinement provided they had an extended peak of dominance. For the majority of his career, Belle was one of the, if not the most feared hitter in the American League.

 

I'm going to have to vote him in. I don't like it. I do it feeling a little dirty. But he won't be the first ass voted into the HOF and likely won't be the last.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Belle will likely never get in (See also, Rice, Jim). IMO he is a borderline guy. I voted no, but I wouldn't complain if he did. Also like Dawson injuries probably cost him the HOF. Not a likeable guy, but a wonderful baseball player.

 

Why should injures cost Belle the HOF when it didn't Puckett?

[CubinNY]

Belle will likely never get in (See also, Rice, Jim). IMO he is a borderline guy. I voted no, but I wouldn't complain if he did. Also like Dawson injuries probably cost him the HOF. Not a likeable guy, but a wonderful baseball player.

 

Why should injures cost Belle the HOF when it didn't Puckett?

 

I don't disagree with you Vance. The only thing I think the "voters" will look at are the team stats. Puckett has a world Series Ring and was a very big part of the Twins teams that made it. Belle was also a big part of the Indians team that lost to the Braves, though. Man looking back was that Cleveland team stacked or what?

[Mark_R]

I would put him in simply because he was one of the most dominant hitters of the 1990's. Close third behind Ken Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas (and right there with Jeff Bagwell, another HOF'er) I think him being a jag to the media will hurt his chances, though.

 

Incredible numbers for a 7 year span for Joey B.

 

Belle   Avg.   HR	RBI	 OBP	 SLG	Runs

1993	.290	38	129	.370	.552	93
1994	.357	36	101	.438	.714	90
1995	.317	50	126	.401	.690	121
1996	.311	48	148	.410	.623	124
1997	.274	30	116	.332	.491	90
1998	.328	49	152	.399	.655	113
1999	.297	37	117	.400	.541	108

Career	.295	381	1239	.369	.564	974

[rawaction]

Belle is interesting. He did rule the 90s, but his attitude and post-retirement salary make him a no chance HOFer.

 

I voted no, but it was close. I tend to give more consideration to dominating the game for a short period of time over career-long consistency with similar numbers.

[RynoRules]

Who cares how surly he was. He had seven Koufax-like years. "Yes".

[Mike Aller]

I vote yes. But I have a sort of bias where I actually got to see him play all the time and judge him more on that. Plus, I kind of liked his attitude...until he left for Chicago.

[Tim]

I would put him in simply because he was one of the most dominant hitters of the 1990's. Close third behind Ken Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas (and right there with Jeff Bagwell, another HOF'er) I think him being a jag to the media will hurt his chances, though.

I think you are forgetting someone...

 

I hated the inclusion of Puckett, who didn't belong, because it opened up so many arguments for guys like this. Belle simply didn't last long enough in my eyes to be included.

[rawaction]

I would put him in simply because he was one of the most dominant hitters of the 1990's. Close third behind Ken Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas (and right there with Jeff Bagwell, another HOF'er) I think him being a jag to the media will hurt his chances, though.

I think you are forgetting someone...

 

???????

[Chris]

I would put him in simply because he was one of the most dominant hitters of the 1990's. Close third behind Ken Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas (and right there with Jeff Bagwell, another HOF'er) I think him being a jag to the media will hurt his chances, though.

I think you are forgetting someone...

 

???????

 

Didn't Mark Grace lead MLB in hits in the 90s?

[CardsFanInChiTown]

I would put him in simply because he was one of the most dominant hitters of the 1990's. Close third behind Ken Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas (and right there with Jeff Bagwell, another HOF'er) I think him being a jag to the media will hurt his chances, though.

I think you are forgetting someone...

 

???????

 

Didn't Mark Grace lead MLB in hits in the 90s?

 

Barry Bonds was the player left out.

[Chris]

I would put him in simply because he was one of the most dominant hitters of the 1990's. Close third behind Ken Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas (and right there with Jeff Bagwell, another HOF'er) I think him being a jag to the media will hurt his chances, though.

I think you are forgetting someone...

 

???????

 

Didn't Mark Grace lead MLB in hits in the 90s?

 

Barry Bonds was the player left out.

 

him too

[rawaction]

I forget Bonds ruled in the 90s too, because of what he's done this decade.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I would put him in simply because he was one of the most dominant hitters of the 1990's. Close third behind Ken Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas (and right there with Jeff Bagwell, another HOF'er) I think him being a jag to the media will hurt his chances, though.

I think you are forgetting someone...

 

I hated the inclusion of Puckett, who didn't belong, because it opened up so many arguments for guys like this. Belle simply didn't last long enough in my eyes to be included.

 

10 full seasons isn't long enough? I like him for the hall, I wonder how that 147 career OPS+ stacks up.

[rawaction]

I've been debating this all day, and I think I would change my vote to get Belle in. 6-7 dominant seasons makes a very strong case.

 

Obviously, Sosa has better all around power numbers, but I would vote him if he only played from 1996-2003, and had nothing else, not even including the pure historic nature of his big HR numbers of 98-01.

[Tim]

I would put him in simply because he was one of the most dominant hitters of the 1990's. Close third behind Ken Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas (and right there with Jeff Bagwell, another HOF'er) I think him being a jag to the media will hurt his chances, though.

I think you are forgetting someone...

 

I hated the inclusion of Puckett, who didn't belong, because it opened up so many arguments for guys like this. Belle simply didn't last long enough in my eyes to be included.

 

10 full seasons isn't long enough? I like him for the hall, I wonder how that 147 career OPS+ stacks up.

It isn't for me. But I'm pretty darned stingy on who I let into the hall.

 

I would vote for Frank Thomas. The biggest difference between Frank and Albert is that at least Frank has had a decline period to his career where he continued to influence the game.

[bhogg]

I hated him when he played, but always realized he was an awesome player.

 

I gave him a resounding YES vote.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Had he stayed healthy and put up decent numbers for another 2-3 years, I would definitely say yes. I think he falls just short. (Of course, I thought that about Kirby too, but ...)

[Mark_R]

Belle has well over 100 points on Puckett in career OPS:

 

Kirby: .833

Belle: .963

 

That is a huge discrepancy. Kirby got in cuz he was such a media darling. Belle will be held out because he wasn't one.

[CuseCubFan69]

When you compare Puckett and Belle you have to think about defense too.

I wonder if the writers are going to be swayed by the steroid/cork allegations that Belle had swirling around him.

[CardsFanInChiTown]

Puckett should not have been a HOFer, let's stop using him as an example.

[CuseCubFan69]

Puckett should not have been a HOFer, let's stop using him as an example.

 

 

But he was and that can't be changed. Pandora's Box is now open.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I would put him in simply because he was one of the most dominant hitters of the 1990's. Close third behind Ken Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas (and right there with Jeff Bagwell, another HOF'er) I think him being a jag to the media will hurt his chances, though.

I think you are forgetting someone...

 

I hated the inclusion of Puckett, who didn't belong, because it opened up so many arguments for guys like this. Belle simply didn't last long enough in my eyes to be included.

 

10 full seasons isn't long enough? I like him for the hall, I wonder how that 147 career OPS+ stacks up.

 

So, I guess you don't think Koufax belongs either. He only had ten full seasons as well.