Wisdom and Links: Buster Posey – Future Hall of Famer

During the first game of the World Series, I made a tweet about how Buster Posey would end up being a Hall of Famer.

And I’m right, too!

Well, probably right. After all, baseball is a cruel game, and poor Buster could end up getting hurt or have a career nosedive. But, hopefully that won’t happen. I mean, I sure hope that doesn’t happen. In fact, I don’t think anybody wants that to happen. Well, except for maybe some angrier Dodgers fans.

But anyway, here’s why I think Buster Posey is destined for Cooperstown’s hallowed halls:

First off, he’s already halfway there. Baseball Reference, our modern-day baseball bible, has five measures Hall of Fame statistics. They are the “black ink” test (created by Bill James, awarding a varied number of points for how many times a player leads the league in certain statistics), the “gray ink” test (similar to “black ink”, but counting appearances in the top 10 instead of leading), the “Hall of Fame Career Monitor Test”, the “Hall of Fame Career Standards Test” and Jay Jaffe’s JAWS system, which deals with comparing players to Hall of Famers at their position. Posey is close to halfway to the number associated with a Hall of Famer in three of those, and the two where he isn’t- the ink tests- are perhaps not as important because he is a catcher, where winning offensive categories isn’t to be expected as often.

Second off, he’s got that championship pedigree. Posey already has won two World Series, he might win his third this year (as of this writing, it’s 2-2 in the World Series). While obviously winning multiple World Series isn’t going to automatically get you into the Hall of Fame, it helps greatly, especially since it means that Posey is constantly on a national stage in October. That visibility helps come voting time in the future. For example, Derek Jeter is guaranteed to be going in on the first ballot, but Craig Biggio (who still is waiting!) and Roberto Alomar weren’t able to, despite also being middle infielders with similar statistics. Why? Because he was always winning or playing for playoff glory!

And third… I dunno, he just has that quality about him. Call it intangibles. Call it a gut feeling. But for some reason, Buster Posey just screams “Hall of Famer” to me.

–

LINKS!

A look at how poorly paid many players in the low minors are. 

Jackie MacMullen on Curt Schilling, his cancer, and tobacco.

The Great World Series Panty Raid of 2014.

SELF-PROMOTION OF THE WEEK: The classic look I did of a 1950s Pulp story about the future of baseball, one of the first big things I did at the Baseball Continuum.

–

Finally, let us not remember Oscar Taveras in how he died. Instead, let us remember how he lived, and what we will never truly be able to see blossom.

–

As always, you can see more of my work over at Baseball Continuum.