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I’m talking about the voters for the Baseball Hall of Fame. There will be more to say about this group in a few days; For now, I just want to talk about the great Billy Wagner. This is the last year of Wagner’s eligibility to be selected by the designated voters. The results will be announced Tuesday. If Billy is not elected, it will continue a travesty that has existed since he was first eligible; If he is elected , I will merely say it’s about time!
Want proof? Billy Wagner ranks #1 among all left-handed pitchers since 1920 in ERA, strikeout rate and opponent batting average.WHIP is the measure for walks and hits allowed per innings pitched. Wagner’s WHIP is .998, good for the third best of all time. He averaged 11.9 strikeouts for every 9 innings pitched and fanned over 33% of every batter he faced!
If Billy Wagner returned to the majors today and gave up 100 consecutive hits, he would have the same career opponent batting average as Mariano Rivera (.211) . If he gave up 200 consecutive hits the average would still be lower than Lee Smith’s .237 .
I’ve only heard two feeble arguments against his inclusion. The first was that he didn’t have a good record in the playoffs. Neither did Ernie Banks or Ken Griffey Jr. ! The second was that he only pitched 900 innings in his 16 year career. That was his job description - he was a closer!
He retired at a relatively young age to spend time with his family. In his final season Wagner was 7-2 with a 1.43 ERA and struck out 104 in 69 innings - a classic example of an athlete who went out on top. There is no worse oversight in the Hall. Billy Wagner must be elected! Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
That’s one man’s opinion - what’s yours?