The case for — and against — each of the Classic Baseball Era Hall of Fame candidates
New York TimesThe Hall of Fame’s Classic Baseball Era Committee considers players, managers, umpires and executives who made their greatest impact before 1980. Dick Allen 3B/1B/OF, 1963-77, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Chicago, Oakland The case for: For a stretch of 11 seasons, only one player had a better OPS than Allen’s.940 — Hank Aaron, at.941. And while those years specifically highlight Allen’s prime, it’s notable that everyone else in the top 11 in OPS for that era is a Hall of Famer: Aaron, Willie McCovey, Frank Robinson, Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays, Harmon Killebrew, Carl Yastrzemski, Billy Williams and Reggie Jackson. Tommy John LHP, 1963-74, 1976-89, Cleveland, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, California, Oakland The case for: Dr. Frank Jobe saved John’s career with an experimental elbow surgery in 1974. But the choppy nature of Tiant’s career probably works against him; after his astounding 1968 season, he spent the next three seasons with three different teams, going 17-30 with a 3.84 ERA.
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