Over the past decade Roy Halladay has been considered to be one of the best pitchers in baseball. Going back to last season and into this one it has been obvious that Halladay has not been the pitcher he used to be. Shoulder inflammation has recently forced him to the disabled list and there has been some talk that his career may be coming to an end. I have a feeling Doc will pitch again but what if hes thrown his last pitch? If Halladay were to retire tomorrow would he end up in the Hall of Fame?
Over the next few years we will see some great pitchers go in the HOF. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Randy Johnson are slam dunk first ballot hall of famers. Pedro Martinez will likely get in. Mike Mussina has a chance. Roger Clemens should already be in. When I think of Halladay I dont put him quite on the same level as these great pitchers. Maybe I should. Ive known for years how good Halladay is but for whatever reason I never gave much thought about him as a hall of famer. Maybe hes not as good as some of the names I mentioned above but he doesnt have to be to get in the hall. Jim Rice wasnt as good as Hank Aaron but their both hall of famers.
The common definition of a hall of famer is someone that dominated their position during their career. Halladay has done that. Doc is an eight time all star. He has finished in the top five in Cy Young voting seven times, winning the award twice. He has also finished in the top five in earned run average seven times. His 67 complete games and 20 shutouts pale in comparison to pitchers from the past but during the days of pitch counts and specialized relief pitchers Halladay has been a modern day iron man when healthy. Unfortunately this isnt the first time Halladay has dealt with injuries. After his first Cy Young season in 2003 Halladay went on to start only a combined 40 games over the next two seasons. Once healthy again during the second half of 2005 Doc picked up where he left off and had six more great seasons before starting to decline as injuries took their toll again last year. It would be nice if Halladay had complete 2004 and 2005 seasons to help his cause but injuries happen in this game and guys arent rewarded for what could have been.
I dont want to make an excuse for Halladay but I think the standards by which pitchers are judged to get in the HOF need to change soon. The game is simply not the same as it once was. We will likely never see another 300 game winner. For as great as Halladay has been he only has 201 wins. Pitchers just arent given the opportunity to win as many games these days, and its not for lack of talent. The wins stat doesnt carry nearly as much weight as it used to. So despite the not so impressive by HOF standards 201 wins (although more impressive when you consider he has only 104 losses) I think Halladay has done enough during his career to warrant induction. Its a new era for pitching and Halladay could be the first of this new generation to open the doors to the hall for others that will have their wins taken away by pitch counts and specialty relievers.
I honestly could see three different answers here. I wouldnt be surprised to see someone say he is an obvious hall of famer, the next guy say hes borderline, and the next say no way. So what do you think? Pretend Doc announces his retirement tomorrow. Is he in Cooperstown in 2019?
Over the next few years we will see some great pitchers go in the HOF. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Randy Johnson are slam dunk first ballot hall of famers. Pedro Martinez will likely get in. Mike Mussina has a chance. Roger Clemens should already be in. When I think of Halladay I dont put him quite on the same level as these great pitchers. Maybe I should. Ive known for years how good Halladay is but for whatever reason I never gave much thought about him as a hall of famer. Maybe hes not as good as some of the names I mentioned above but he doesnt have to be to get in the hall. Jim Rice wasnt as good as Hank Aaron but their both hall of famers.
The common definition of a hall of famer is someone that dominated their position during their career. Halladay has done that. Doc is an eight time all star. He has finished in the top five in Cy Young voting seven times, winning the award twice. He has also finished in the top five in earned run average seven times. His 67 complete games and 20 shutouts pale in comparison to pitchers from the past but during the days of pitch counts and specialized relief pitchers Halladay has been a modern day iron man when healthy. Unfortunately this isnt the first time Halladay has dealt with injuries. After his first Cy Young season in 2003 Halladay went on to start only a combined 40 games over the next two seasons. Once healthy again during the second half of 2005 Doc picked up where he left off and had six more great seasons before starting to decline as injuries took their toll again last year. It would be nice if Halladay had complete 2004 and 2005 seasons to help his cause but injuries happen in this game and guys arent rewarded for what could have been.
I dont want to make an excuse for Halladay but I think the standards by which pitchers are judged to get in the HOF need to change soon. The game is simply not the same as it once was. We will likely never see another 300 game winner. For as great as Halladay has been he only has 201 wins. Pitchers just arent given the opportunity to win as many games these days, and its not for lack of talent. The wins stat doesnt carry nearly as much weight as it used to. So despite the not so impressive by HOF standards 201 wins (although more impressive when you consider he has only 104 losses) I think Halladay has done enough during his career to warrant induction. Its a new era for pitching and Halladay could be the first of this new generation to open the doors to the hall for others that will have their wins taken away by pitch counts and specialty relievers.
I honestly could see three different answers here. I wouldnt be surprised to see someone say he is an obvious hall of famer, the next guy say hes borderline, and the next say no way. So what do you think? Pretend Doc announces his retirement tomorrow. Is he in Cooperstown in 2019?